0090 My tumultuous romance with Tanger (Morocco 001—revisit)

My "mugging spot"

I still have very vivid memories of back in 97 when I was still "green"--getting off the train in Tanger and trying to explore the old city in the early hours of the morning when there weren't a lot of people around.  A shifty looking fellow started following me insisting on being my "guide".  I insisted that I didn't need a guide, thank you very much.  Once he had me cornered at the edge of a cliff he acted like he had a knife in his pocket and demanded money... After quickly thinking over my options I decided to try to outfox him--I calmly told him that on second thought, I WOULD like for him to be my guide and would "pay" him as soon as he showed me the way to get out of the medina... He agreed... So we headed back through the alleyways until we reached an open space where there were people around.  There, I simply stalled and started to argue with him finally I spotted a cop and called him over--and made my escape...

Since then I've always felt a bit nervous about Tanger, and a lot of appreciation for Moroccan policemen.

Inside the castle

But now (supposedly) a wise and hardened traveler who will not let any shifty character mar my enjoyment of the beautiful city of Tanger.  As soon as I arrive I feel like a kid in a candy store-- tagines! rotisserie chicken! cups of fresh yoghurt! fruit juices! sweet breads!  All this great food I've been deprived of for almost 4 years--I don't know where to start!  So I start with the chicken--then I head up into the medina for a fruit juice--then on through the market and try some tasty, fresh msimin... Yes, it's great to be back.

Not only that, but all of a sudden, Tanger is quickly working its way to being one of my favorite medinas--now, it seems I can appreciate its architectural and cultural richness more then ever before.

And then there was the Parkbenching... I had barely pulled out my guitar when a fellow came and asked me to join him and his friends for coffee across the street... Each of these fellows with a fascinating life story--one had gone to study management in St. Petersburg, Russia and is currently unemployed, the other had worked in Spain a couple of years and is now trying to make it in his home country... the third had lived in France illegally for a while and now is in process of marrying a girl from Chile and moving over there... I tell you, after four months of being in the US and hearing guys talk about nothing but football, it's like a breath of fresh air to be around guys who have exciting dreams and colourful life stories!

A fellow at the next table over seemed to really be enjoying my songs.

Afterwards we toured around town a bit and then split ways.  Later on we got together again and crammed into one of the guys' rooms to jam some more until midnight...

I tell you, it's great to be back in Morocco...