Recently my wife Terri and I returned from a cruise from Malaga Spain to Marseille France.
Upon arriving in Malaga, I proclaimed: We are not in Colorado anymore dear!”
Never having been to Spain and only to Paris, I was looking forward to visiting some interesting ports of call.
One of our stops was a small seaside town called Ceuta. Ceuta sits on the northern coast of Africa and is considered Spanish Morocco since it is part of the Spanish province Cadiz.
I asked myself, are we in Africa or Spain? The answer was yes. With Ceuta only about 4 miles from the Moroccan border, we decided to take a day trip into Morocco.
Along with about 40 others, we were herded onto the motor coach for a day of adventure.
Crossing the border, we were now really in Africa, though technically Ceuta is on the continent of Africa, but considered Spain.
Our first bit of uneasiness came when our guide told us they would hold onto our passports at the Border Patrol. You should have seen all of our eyes light up when he shared this little bit of information.
But our guide told us since he only loses about 20% of his tourists; most of us would make it back safely. Funny Guy!
As our motor coach rumbled forward, in the distance I could see camels! How exciting I thought, a real herd of wild camels! I knew this was going to be a great adventure, a real safari!
Well my camel safari hopes were dashed, as we got closer to the camels on the side of the road only to pull over for the famous camel ride photo opportunity. I did not partake in the camel ride for I am partial to two-hump camels. These were one-hump camels. Being a guy, the thought of being up on this one-hump camel, made me a tad uncomfortable. You want me to sit where?
Reaching the town of Tetouan – northern Morocco’s capital - we visited the old and new parts of the city.
It all looked old to me. We went to the market, which was not the same as walking down the produce and meat aisle at King Soopers. If you wanted fresh chicken, it does not get any fresher!
After the market our tour was to visit a Berber home where they honed their skills for making beautiful carpets. I thought we were going to learn about their history and culture only to be presented with every carpet know to man. If I wished, I could have had one shipped back to Colorado that very same day.
I told the nice Berber salesperson, “I left my wallet with my passport back at the Border Patrol.”
Returning from the town, I looked for the camels again. Just as I suspected, I did not see them for they must have been back in the camel barn resting for the next day’s tourists.
We were all relieved to have our passports back in hand and headed back to the ship.
That evening, we shared laughs and stories about our adventure. I did not order chicken for dinner that evening, hitting too close to home after the market.
These little excursions are what make travel fun and provides those stories to share with friends and family.
David L Rojahn
President
DTR Travel Inc.
303-740-8812
http://www.dtrtravel.com