It took us just over a week to get down to the port of Algeciras, where we took the ferry across to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. Over the week I got pretty friendly with Paula, one of the Canadian girls, and we had quite a bit of fun exploring Madrid and staying out all night in Torre del Mar. For some reason Paula and I had a sprinting race in Torre del Mar where my lead was abruptly ended when I did a half flip across the bonnet of a car - quite dramatic!
On 2nd February we arrived in Ceuta, Morocco and began our trip proper on the African continent. It felt good to be away from the mid winter European climate and on our way across the world's second largest continent. Our first stop in Morocco was the charming coastal town of Asilah. The fortress like town was riddled with narrow winding streets and white washed buildings. The people seemed friendly and warm, however there were the typical insistent Moroccan guides who pursued us. I had thought that these types of guys would have been limited to the big tourist destinations. Next stop was the Moroccan capital, Rabat. Paula and I visited the main medina and checked out the hundreds of tiny shops stocked with everything imaginable. The huge variety of spices, grains and nuts caught my attention, as did the little tradesmen shops for leather, carpets and bronze ware. We also had a walk around the Tour Hassan (1195 AD) with its smartly dressed horseback guards.
(to be continued)
