Day 4 - Almeria to Melilla
The Ferry Ride
Up early this morning to make sure we are on the ferry. After an initial false start (who'd know you'd need a boarding pass to, er, board a ship?) we are on board and heading out into the Mediterranean. Judging by the state of the ship I don't think the Almeria-Melilla run is a top priority for the ferry line. On top of this, I'm not sure where the other passengers have all gone - the boat seems deserted. It is beginning to dawn on us how out of our comfort zone we are about to come.
It is hard to decide exactly where we want to go once we arrive in Morocco, though Fez seems like a good idea. The only question is how we are going to get there. The bus/train option and the "official" coach service both leave Nador - just over the border in Morocco - at inconvenient times, and even worse both would appear to deposit us at Fez in the middle of the night - not a fantastic option in a city famed for its labyrinth-like layout. This leaves us with one of Tim's so-called "chicken buses". The guide books are a little hazy on these.
Hopefully it will all become clear when we get there.
Spanish Morocco
Well, I am officially on the African continent. To be honest I was expecting less rain. We have chosen to enter Morocco via Melilla, one of the Spanish enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast. A discussion on the topic of these enclaves would be a post in of itself, at the very least. They seem to exist to house military garrisons, and they are traditionally very conservative - both Ceuta and Melilla have statues of Franco.
Though the ferry crossing takes about eight hours it isn't too late in the day, however we decide to bed down for the night in Melilla as the weather is only worsening. We are staying in a very cheap pension in the centre of town, only €10 for the two of us (though I may be corrected on this point). It is a world away from the hostel in Almeria but it in all honesty it is probably cleaner than my digs in London, and it does have "character". As long as we aren't robbed in the night I have no real complaints.
The old fortress dominating the enclave provides a brief distraction despite the downpour. We have whole sections to ourselves but for a sodden cop who must have slept with a superior's wife to get stuck with this posting.
We pick up some supplies from a nearby supermarket in anticipation of a long bus ride tomorrow and turn in for an early night. Tomorrow we head for the border.
NB - I intend on updating this post when I get back my Moroccan Lonely Planet.
Up early this morning to make sure we are on the ferry. After an initial false start (who'd know you'd need a boarding pass to, er, board a ship?) we are on board and heading out into the Mediterranean. Judging by the state of the ship I don't think the Almeria-Melilla run is a top priority for the ferry line. On top of this, I'm not sure where the other passengers have all gone - the boat seems deserted. It is beginning to dawn on us how out of our comfort zone we are about to come.
It is hard to decide exactly where we want to go once we arrive in Morocco, though Fez seems like a good idea. The only question is how we are going to get there. The bus/train option and the "official" coach service both leave Nador - just over the border in Morocco - at inconvenient times, and even worse both would appear to deposit us at Fez in the middle of the night - not a fantastic option in a city famed for its labyrinth-like layout. This leaves us with one of Tim's so-called "chicken buses". The guide books are a little hazy on these.
Hopefully it will all become clear when we get there.
Spanish Morocco
Well, I am officially on the African continent. To be honest I was expecting less rain. We have chosen to enter Morocco via Melilla, one of the Spanish enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast. A discussion on the topic of these enclaves would be a post in of itself, at the very least. They seem to exist to house military garrisons, and they are traditionally very conservative - both Ceuta and Melilla have statues of Franco.
Though the ferry crossing takes about eight hours it isn't too late in the day, however we decide to bed down for the night in Melilla as the weather is only worsening. We are staying in a very cheap pension in the centre of town, only €10 for the two of us (though I may be corrected on this point). It is a world away from the hostel in Almeria but it in all honesty it is probably cleaner than my digs in London, and it does have "character". As long as we aren't robbed in the night I have no real complaints.
The old fortress dominating the enclave provides a brief distraction despite the downpour. We have whole sections to ourselves but for a sodden cop who must have slept with a superior's wife to get stuck with this posting.
We pick up some supplies from a nearby supermarket in anticipation of a long bus ride tomorrow and turn in for an early night. Tomorrow we head for the border.
NB - I intend on updating this post when I get back my Moroccan Lonely Planet.
posted by Tim Mills | 4:19 pm
1 Comments:
Well, I am officially on the African continent. To be honest I was expecting less rain. We have chosen to enter Morocco via Melilla, one of the Spanish enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast. ferry almeria nador
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