101km Larache to Tangier

Is this Sackville or MoroccoFor days the landscape around us has changed our view of what we imagine to be Moroccan. Before we only saw sand dunes, camels and palm trees but now we notice rolling green hills that could easily be in England and fields full of cows that look so similar to our homes on the east coast of Canada. If it weren’t for the mosques we could forget that we are in Africa. Today we passed a set of shortwave radio towers with marshes on either side that was almost a perfect replica of the CBC towers in Sackville, Andrew’s home town. Only the mountains in the background gave it away as being somewhere else. We have also been pleasantly surprised by the coast as so much of it is still unspoilt, long stretches of nothingness. This may all change in a decade though, as already the sets of new holiday homes are starting to pop up in certain areas. One town where we could imagine many more new apartments being built is Asilah. We stopped there on its seaside walk for lunch and were surprised to find a mini Essaouira, with a whitewashed Portuguese medina and streets bursting with fashionable cafes and restaurants. The afternoon brought us a strong headwind for much of the way into Tangier but we finally arrived in the early evening to stay with our friend Corinne, a wonderful hostess and tour guide to the city. Soon we will be back in Europe but for now we are enjoying a last taste of Morocco.