Into Africa: Sometimes Things Don’t Go To Plan
Very often there is something special about a port town, a feeling of frontier, of moving on, of adventure. Despite the fact that a large percentage of those passing through spend at most a single night in the town, there is a certain excitement about such places and we’ve regularly found them to be lively, vibrant towns with an air unique to their situation. And then there’s Algeciras.
Gateway in and out of Europe it might be, but make no mistake, Algeciras is as scruffy and ugly as it gets. No wonder everyone passes through quickly; I am reminded of Bill Bryson’s comments about Dover. A quick ride on Seville’s new tram network followed by three hours on the bus has moved us from the pristine majesty of Seville to a town where dogshit-dodging is par for the course and every palm tree smells like a public toilet. It’s Spain’s forgotten corner. Even here though, after rounding a few dodgy corners and avoiding eye contact with several undesirables, we find a decent tapas bar for one last dive into Spanish cuisine. We end our last night in Spain smiling again, good food and wine can always cheer things up.
And so the change of continent begins. This will be a significant shift of culture for such a short distance – for a start, we are not expecting to see any alcohol at all for the next three and a half weeks, but then, as Michaela said the other day, after all this time in Spain, our livers need to go on holiday now.
We leave Spain behind with dark storms over the mountains and the Rock of Gibraltar wearing a shawl of cloud drawn around her shoulders. Unusually for us we’ve put some tight time constraints on our journey from Algeciras to our first Moroccan base of Chefchaouen – we need everything to go like clockwork to ensure there’s no complications. It’s a morning ferry to Tanger Med, after which we will need to get a shuttle bus and train to Tangier and then pick up a rental car at Tangier Ville station at 1pm, then drive over two hours to Chefchaouen. It all needs to go right.
It soon starts to go wrong. On the bus from Seville to Algeciras, we receive a text informing us that our ferry is cancelled. We are offered an alternative which we have to accept, but it’s half an hour later. Time is getting tighter, but supposedly we have a 2-hour window in which to collect the car: we email them just in case, to tell them we may be late.
Next, the replacement ferry finally pulls out of Algeciras thirty minutes late, now we know for sure that there is no way we will make 1pm. Docking at Tanger Med, we are shepherded on to a shuttle bus to the train station: there is no train to Tangier for another hour. No chance. A few other people can’t wait that long either, so we team up with Andrea from Alicante and her obedient dog and share a taxi. We reach the appointed meeting place for the car at just after 2.30pm. Our instruction for rendezvous at Tangier Ville station is “meeting place TBA”, unfortunately there’s not been an A, and there’s no sign of an office.
I call the hire company. All lines are busy. After several attempts I get through, and the conversation goes something like this, all in Franglais…
Hi. Nous avons une reservation but cannot find you. Reservation where? Gare de Tangier Ville. Mister Philip? Oui, oui, oui. You are late. I know, I message you ce matin. Notre bateau was late. I get no message. I have no information. So what about the car? It’s gone. You are late. But I need a car. Ce n’est pas possible. I don’t have one now. Sorry. Goodbye.
Ah. OK. Time to take a breath, let go of the panic button, grab a coffee and work out how to get out of this little fix. Hello Starbucks, rarely have I been so pleased to see you. Chefchaouen is a 2-hour drive away. It’s about 3.30pm now. We basically have two choices – book a room in Tangier and try and get a hire car from tomorrow (pricey last minute hire plus pay two hotels for the same night) or swallow the cost of a 2-hour taxi (and get to Chefchaouen sans rental car). Michaela hits the internet for hotel prices and then we go find Monsieur Taxi Boss to discuss rates. The taxi is cheaper than a Tangier hotel, and Boss Man has a willing driver…
So we arrive in the mountain town of Chefchaouen just before 6pm, knowing that we’re now stuck here for five days without the car which was going to be our way of exploring the region. But at least nothing else can go wrong now, not with how good the reviews are on the little family guest house we’re staying in here.
“You can check in” says Mehdi, “but we have small problem with your room. The lock is broken”.
By “broken”, Mehdi means there’s a bloody great hole in the door where the lock is meant to be, and the door doesn’t even shut, let alone lock.
Welcome to Morocco, guys. Sometimes you just have to laugh.
“The man is coming”, says Mehdi, “coming to mend the door”. But he doesn’t come before mealtime, so we have to hide our important stuff in a room with no privacy and head down into Chefchaouen for a street-food style reacquaintance with Moroccan food. Eventually, and well after the muezzin’s last call to prayer, Mehdi and somebody who could well be his brother set to work and get the door, and the lock, repaired. We can now sleep without a barricade after all.
Cool mountain air fills the room, there are blankets on the bed. We won’t be needing AC here, it soon cools down after sundown. Chefchaouen looks odd in the dark, a huge shift in culture, a Muslim stronghold where tradition rules, so very different from evenings in Spain.
We drift off to sleep as the occasional grinding lorry hauls itself up the steep road outside and mountain folk chatter in the darkness. The barking of dogs echoes from unseen walls. If I dare to move, my bed makes almost as much noise as one of those struggling trucks, groaning and creaking under the tiniest pressure. One subject dominates our thoughts: without a rental car we will need to get our planning heads on in the morning in order to fill our four remaining days here.
Mehdi and his family are so friendly and helpful, and so apologetic about the door. They also serve us a carb-packed breakfast which is so big that I doubt we even get half way through it before we have to admit defeat, after which we head out into the morning sunshine, rugged mountains looking down on the town, Chefchaouen going about its Saturday morning business.
The claim to fame of this mountain town is its blue houses, Chefchaouen is known as “Morocco’s blue pearl”. Everything looks so much more appealing this morning, so quaint, so….blue. We amble through the streets of the medina, emerging into small squares beneath lofty minarets. If last night we had an attack of first night struggles with culture shock, they are banished within minutes as Chefchaouen’s charm preens itself in the morning sun. What yesterday appeared unfamiliar today feels like a warm welcome.
Our next post will no doubt show Chefchaouen in all its undoubted glory, but here’s a little taster of what will be included…..
28 Comments
Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle
What a lovely recap minus the inconveniences. It’s great that you can appreciate the beauty of Spain’s transit town. I look forward to the rest of your Moroccan adventures
Phil & Michaela
Thank you, Rochelle…I hope we keep you amused!
Andrew Petcher
My kind of travelling. I like problems.
I have to say that wild horses couldn’t drag me to North Africa ever again.
Phil & Michaela
Well, there’s something to be said for having problems and then finding a solution being better than getting it right in the first place, I reckon. Yes I know how you feel about North Africa, and I know where it comes from, but, honestly Andrew, not everywhere is the same. Hopefully you’ll get inspiration from our next post where there’s a bit on that very subject ( i e hassle)
Andrew Petcher
I look forward to it.
Toonsarah
I guess on a long trip like yours there will be days when plans just don’t come together, but at least you got to Chefchaouen, and from those last two photos it looks stunning! I hope you’re able to get the most out of your stay without a car – I’m betting though that you will 🙂 By the way, have you thought about blocking that Nepal Trekking company who are spamming your posts, or is it too complicated to do while travelling?!
Phil & Michaela
Oh, Chefchaouen is amazing, more to come on that subject. Re the Nepal thing, we just haven’t got round to blocking yet, is all….will no doubt happen soon.
Annie Berger
I’m way out of order reading your posts, Phil, but once I started this one, I couldn’t put it down. Steven and I also spent some time in Algeciras as a transit point to both Gibraltar and Tangiers. The latter was our sad introduction to Morocco. Our hope is to to be lucky and healthy enough one day to see Chefachouen and more of the country. Until then, I look forward to seeing it through your lens. I hope the rest of your time goes a lot smoother.
Phil & Michaela
Hey Annie, there’s no law that says you have to read them in order, nor that you have to be prompt! I always think it’s more fun to read of current or recent travels anyway. I too hope you are both travelling again soon….can I ask how the recovery is going?
rkrontheroad
Yikes, Murphy’s Law was with you. But Chefchaoen is so lovely, it will all be worth it!
Phil & Michaela
You’re right, definitely worth it and a lovely, pleasing place.
Helen Devries
But despite all the problems, you got where you wanted to be. Despite Mr. Helpful at the care hire firm…..
Phil & Michaela
All these things give us stories to tell huh. Even the hole in the door….
Lookoom
You’ve become experts at changing plans, but fortunately what’s around you is a pretty sight.
Phil & Michaela
True, it’s a very attractive town
Monkey's Tale
Oh, one of those travel days… my heart rate was rising with yours as I read it. But the blue city looks great. As I said on Instagram, it may look better than another blue city we visited. Can’t wait to see the rest! Maggie
Phil & Michaela
It’s going well since that interesting start!
Gilda Baxter
Travelling the world has many challenges, but there is something very satisfying about overcoming them. We always learn something new about ourselves and others.
This blue town looks very charming, I am sure you will discover some interesting things as you explore it further.
Brian and I would like to tour Morocco by motorhome in the near future, so I will follow your adventures with great interest.
Phil & Michaela
Hi Gilda. This is our third trip to Morocco but is all new ground so we won’t be revisiting anywhere we’ve been before. It’ll be great!
wetanddustyroads
And that’s why a traveller has to be very adaptable … for contingencies like this 😉. But you’re right, the blue-blue colours in Chefchaouen are striking and we can’t wait to see more!
Phil & Michaela
Exactly….sometimes the most satisfying days are when you find a solution to a problem!
leightontravels
Well, you got there in the end, after a relentless barrage of bad luck. Love the views of the countryside from your drive. I know that Chefchaouen will make up for everything, certainly if those snippets you’ve teased us with at the end are anything to go by.
Phil & Michaela
These things happen huh
grandmisadventures
What an ordeal, but at least you made it there even if not in the time or spirits you would have wanted. And if those last pictures are any indication of what is in store, then the ordeal was well worth it 🙂
WanderingCanadians
Sorry to hear that you had a bit of a rough start in Morocco with your ferry being cancelled, your replacement ferry being delayed, being without your rental car and having to stay in a sketchy room with a temporarily broken door. But hey, things can only get better from here, right??
Phil & Michaela
Oh yes!
CadyLuck Leedy
Loved this post! These are the trips you always remember and talk about! After its over you can say you enjoyed it and lived to talk about it! Cady
Phil & Michaela
Yep!