Beautiful Africa

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I made it! Beautiful Morocco. It's as wonderful as I remember and far less intimidating the second time around. I took the ferry from Algeceris to Ceuta yesterday morning after waiting entirely too long for the pension to finish my laundry (ahh the wonders of clean clothing!) I landed in Ceuta, another geographic anomoly. Ceuta, on the North coast of Africa, is a Spanish enclave and has been since the defeat of the moors in the 16th century. I didn't stay though. Instead I crossed the border and had a wonderful time arguing with the touts over a taxi ride to Tetuan. From there I caught a bus to the Rif moutains to the wonderful village of Chefchauen. We had a brief stop on the way here at a restaurant en route exactly at sunset where all the fasting muslim (and tourists too) piled out of the van to eat. Yes Ramadaam started last week so its no eating, drinking (even water) or smoking from sunrise to sunset for the next month.
Chefchaun is gorgeus, I fell in love with it on my last trip and am just ecstatic about being here again. Its a wonderful little town in the Rif mountains where all the buldings are painted light blue. One can wander the quaint alley-ways for hours, relax and have tea (after sunset of course) or hike into the mountains (which I intend on doing au demain). The place is notorius for it's hashish, en fait, The Rif mountains are the world's number one supplier of cheap marijuana. The whole economy in the region is utterly dependent on its production, and its smoked casually about the streets by about half the population (the less pious of course). If I were younger I would indulge, but drugs make one introverted, and I'm here to talk to people.
I was going to stay a couple more days, but the festival of sacred music is going on in Fez right now until the end of October, and I would like to get there early to secure my accomedations for the three weeks I'll be in school there (I'm hoping to homestead with a Moroccan family).
I'm not quite sure why, but I feel more comfortable here than I did in Spain and Portugal. Its easier to communicate (in French usually), the staff at the restaurants, bus stations, hotels etc. are more friendly and accomodating, and I'd even say its better to have the Moroccan touts and salesmen gave me too much attention than to have the Europeans give me none at all. I have pictures, they're coming soon, I swear.
Au Revoir
Brad

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