0246. The Gate of the Sahara (Morocco 094--new)
The plan was to head off on a magnificent 3 week overland African adventure on December 25... I had my visa to Mauritania...my bags packed... And then ended up in a nasty little tussle with a previous landlord that pretty much put my life on hold for a week...
When that finally cleared up, it seemed like there was no sensible way that I could think of going all the way across the Sahara and back in time--but I knew I had to go SOMEWHERE... so I grabbed my bag and heade out the door...
As I waited for the city bus to the intercity bus terminal, it suddenly struck me that I HAD to make that trip down to Black Africa--even if it meant just going down and turning around and coming back... I'd been looking forward to parkbenching a whole new Mega-region for so long that I knew if I didn't do it, I would start this year off with a bitter taste in my mouth.
...the bus to Tan Tan, the "gateway to the Sahara" left at 5 PM... I arrived at the bus station at 4:58... And I was off...
...Marrakech... Agadir... Tiznit... on into the night... Then somewhere past Goulmime, the sun rose on on the vast emptiness--with freckles of green... apparently, even the desert has gotten extra rain this year...
As we approached Tan Tan, I immediately new where I had to take my clip--in front of the two camel statues that are guarding the entrance to Tan Tan. So when the bus got stopped by the Gendarme police, I got off to backtrack to the camels. They were a bit curious as to why a guy was wandering off towards the empty desert with a guitar slung over his shoulder, but when I explained my mission, the quickly understood.
Back into town, through a rather sleepy industrial area and Main Street. I headed off the explore the back street where locals stared at me with puzzled looks. Seems to be a mix of Berber and Saharawi culture. I continued on through town, down to an almost dry river bed where I played my set under the shade of a tree. Moroccan coastal towns are typically painted blue--and desert towns are painted a pinkish brown... Tan Tan has a bit of both.
Off to the east, I found a much more lively neighborhood with a market and a long, street lined with shops of every sort... At the very end of it was the transport terminal with buses, grand taxis and creaky old Land Rovers (It's like a 'second bus' one of the drivers boasted) heading north, the civilization and south and east, deep into the Sahara. All around were cheap little hotels for weary folks needing a rest. I was undecided as to whether I would take the grand taxi or cram into the cheaper Land Rover... I figured I'd go with whichever filled up first... Taxi it was...
I liked Tan Tan... a dreamy sort of "in between worlds" sort of vibe...
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