Destination Chefchauoen

Monday morning. The bus to Chefchauoen left Tangier at 8am. A short bald man took over the aisle. Standing right next to me, he started his speech. He shouted and gesticulated as if preaching the Khoran. I couldn't understand a word, but prefered to pay careful attention to him. After much blah-blah-blah, he fished out of his suitcase a handful of small plastic bags: he was just trying to sell his cough pills!

An hour and a half later we arrived at Tetouan. Outside, a stranger waived frantically to me. Hesitating, I jumped off the bus. He told me to fetch my backpack and head upstairs to the tourist office. Extremely weird... It took me 5 minutes to realise the guy was nothing but another tout trying to get some money from me, stupid tourist.

Back on the bus I noticed that half of it was empty. I promptly took 2 seats. What for? People began telling me desperately to change places. I complied. Then Said, Youssef and Anouar (from Tangier, teaching and living in Chefchauoen) sat next to me and explained me, in a perfect Spanish, what was going on: those seats were reserved for Tetouan's prisoners due to be trialed in Chefchauoen.

Handcuffed in twos, they 'joined' us 10 minutes later.

My chat with the teachers evolved into a pleasant conversation on Brazil, football, Morocco and arabic language.

11am, Chefchaouen. I got a room at nicely decorated Hotel Andaluz, inside the beautiful and clean Medina (old town). Had a shower and went straight to the new town to have lunch with Said , Youssef and Anouar. The rest of the afternoon I spent between reddish Kasbah (Fort) and delightful Plaza Uta el-Hamman drinking mint tea.

Essentially that's what Chefchauoen is about! Relaxing and chilling out in gorgeous surrondings. No wonder why this jewel-like village, overlooking the Rif Mountains, is famous for its kif - traditional moroccan marijuana. Of course you can also trek around or get stunned with the white-washed houses and their cute blue-hued doors...

For me one night was more than enough to recharge my batteries and hit the road again.

Fes was calling!!!

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