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There are dozens of ferries and hydrofoils running between Algeciras or Gibraltar (although ferries do not run from here on weekends - the Lonely Planet lists the Idriss I which makes the 2 hour journey on Mondays at 8:30am and Fridays at 6:30pm, $24 single, $40 return, $45 cars) and Tangier ( Gibraltar-Tangier Catamaran Timetable). . It is also possible to take a ferry from Malaga to Ceuta (which is legally part of Spain) - this is longer, more expensive,and less frequent, but is useful for those heading to Oran and the East. The Algeciras journey is short enough to make it a daytrip - 1994 cost 5400 pesetas return ($40) for either hydrofoil (1 hr) or ferry (2 1/2 hrs). Ferries leave every 2 hours, beginning at 0700, the single hydrofoil trip leaves at 0930 - the tickets may be mixed with a return trip on the other service (the ferry is much more comfortable if the sea is choppy, and the hydrofoil does not return directly to Algeciras).
There is a time difference between Morocco and Spain of 1 or 2 hours (summer/winter time) - it's easy to forget about it and miss the last boat back. Also, a passport man attempts to hold onto passports of everybody who admits to being a day-tripper on arrival at Tangier; this means that the same boat must be used for returning. Algeciras and Tangier are both crime hot-spots, keep a close eye on your baggage and watch for the scams, bearing in mind that day-trippers from Spain are ideal fodder for the fast talkers in Tangier - Rick was guided by a government- approved guide (albeit with the standard carpet shop diversion) yet was handed over by the guide to two men at the dock who initialled passports, obtained boarding passes then demanded 1000 pesetas ($7.25) each for their services (and more to the point, for the return of passports).
In Algeciras is the AL-Mar (Avenue de la Marina 2 y 3, tel +34 956 65 47 90, fax +34 956 65 45 01),has a twin room with TV, phone and bath for 8900 pesetas ($65) plus $5 for access-controlled garage. It's directly across from the port authority gate.
And to cheer you up before going, read ...
At Algericas - A Meditation Upon Death, W B Yeats.
| Berber | Original inhabitants of Maghreb. Never quite conquered by the Romans, and neither by Arabs or Islam. Most Moroccans are Berber by birth, many of the festivals and more colourful aspects of Morocco are Berber in origin, and Berber clothing (much less restrictive for woman than orthodox Muslim), dialects, holy men (remnants of pre-Islamic cults), shrines, rugs and jewellry are common throughout the country. Individual Berber tribes have their own distinct identity, language and designs. |
|---|---|
| Camion | French for lorry. Provide the main, albeit erratic, transport infrastructure for the Atlas villages. |
| Couscous | Pre-cooked cracked grain and staple food. Frequently accompanied in an invitation to lunch by gratuitous quacking motion of the hand. |
| Djellaba | Traditional North African robe. |
| Erg | Sandy desert in general, and a dune in particular. |
| Gnaoua | Traditional and ritual music, accompanied by ecstatic dance, one of the traditional music brotherhoods. |
| Hammada | Stony desert. Most of the Moroccan Sahara is composed of such. |
| Hammam | Public steam baths |
| Jajouka | A village in the Jibala hills near Tangiers, site of an annual moussem believed by some to be a continuation of the ancient Roman fertility rites of Lupercalia, and location of the musical Ecstatic Brotherhood. |
| Jilala | Religious music, with Sufi origins, played on ceremonial and ritual occasions. Dancers, entering a trance, are able to slash themselves with daggers or touch glowing coals without pain or injury. |
| Kif | Cannabis, grown in the Rif mountains, to the east of Tangier. |
| Maghreb | Literally, the west. The Arab term for the north-west African states, the furthest western edge of the Arab world. |
| Medina | The old non-European part of a city. Equivalent to a 'cantonment' in an English colonial city. |
| Medersa | Old student buildings associated with large mosques. Usually built in the old Roman style around a pool-filled atrium with elaborately carved wood. |
| Moussem | Berber festival, typically in honour of a local holy man (although it's believed that one of the "local" holy men is the Jewish John the Baptist). Stamp of hooves, crack of rifles, auto-winds of a thousand cameras... |
| Rugbuyer | You! |
| Souk | Market for specific produce in the medina. |
| Tajine | Dome shaped terracotta cooking pot which lends its name to the classic North African dish. The ubquity of tajine cookery is responsible for the local song and traveller's saying 'tajine, tajine, tajine, tajine, tajine' |
| Ville Nouvelle | The separate French or Spanish town built near or adjacent to the medina. |
| Words Not Defined Here |
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