Thursday, February 21, 2008

Coming Full Circle

After busing through the south of Morocco and spending a few days in Marrakech, which proved very taxing on the senses, I stopped to relax and do nothing for a day in the southern coastal town of Ouarzazate. This was a good place to walk around in the sea breeze and check out the old ramparts that surround the port. Scattered around the fortifications remained many of the old canons that dated back to the 18th century and were made in Madrid and Barcelona, although I'm not positive the Spanish occupied the area during that time. Best of all was the fresh-caught seafood at the docks. Being one of Morocco's biggest fishing ports, Ouarzazate has been able to attract a respectable amount of tourism with its' rows of fish-grilling shacks located right next to the dock. This stuff couldn't get any fresher as the men bring the early morning's catch straight from the nets to the big ice-filled trays that stand next to the grills and tables. If it hadn't been cleaned yet, it was still moving. You pick out your prey, negotiate a price and chow.
After recouping in Ouarzazate I decided that I needed a change of pace and culture. And while Morocco turned out to be a very interesting experience that I really did enjoy, I realized at that point I had an opportunity to spend more time in Spain than I expected. It seemed like the right move. I took a bus all the way up the Atlantic coast, through Casablanca, to Tangier. After making ferry arrangements I went to the port and crossed the Straight of Gibraltar the next morning.