Algeciras

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Al Jazeera. No, wait, Algeciras.

Algeciras was a very brief stop; I arrived in the late afternoon, and just had time to repack my bag and find dinner. I went down to buy my ticket for the morning to sail to Tanger, and do a little recon on the dock so I knew where to go. I decided on the ferry company FRS, and paid 37 Euro for a one way from Tarifa to Tanger. All the other companies sail to Tanger Med, some 40km from Tanger city. I figured the free bus would be easier to deal with in Spain than in Morocco.

I also met my Morocco travelling companion in the Hotel here (the hotel was called the Pension Lisboa, and was clean and had exceptionally helpful and friendly owners - perfect for a one night stop). Tony is orignally from Dublin and is living in London. He was heading down through Morocco as well, so we teamed up. At first, we just said we would go as far as Tanger together; as we got to know each other, we decided to go right down to Marrakech as a team. It was great to have someone along, and also it added to the sense of security. As it turned out, Tanger was not anything like as bad as people say, but still I didn't know that at the time.

Tony is in his 70's, and has been all over the world in his time, as a traveller and with work. He had some great advice on visiting places, particularly in South America, but most valuable was his repetoire of stories. When you can't find a hostel, it is very difficult to meet people; now, regardless of the accommodation, I wouldn't be bored in the evenings.

Algeciras was a pleasant enough little town, although it is clearly just a place that people pass through rather than a place they visit. Bit of a pity, as some of the views from the hills surrounding the town are spectacular - you can see Gibralter and the African coast. As it was, I only had the one evening and arrived late, so I didn't get to see too much beyond the few streets around my hotel.

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