CROSSING BACK FROM AFRICA TO EUROPE

By Bob Van Leer

  (MALAGA, SPAIN, July 4, 1992) - Today is Independence Day but we have no way to celebrate it. I bought some firecrackers in Morocco but setting them off in this crowded beach resort would likely bring the police down on us.

  This morning we were up early in Tetuan, Morocco, for our final leg concluding our Morocco tour. Earlier in the week we had concerns that the assassination of the president of neighboring Algeria could result in unrest in Morocco.

  Fortunately, this was not the case and there were no political problems.

  We passed through customs without incident into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.

Beaches Filthy

  On both sides of the border the roadsides and beaches are filthy with litter. A couple of developed public beaches were reasonably picked up.

  Molly took some pictures to show Mike Hewitt, Oregon Parks Department, who leads the annual beach cleanup at home. His services are really needed here.

  Morocco was an interesting place to visit but we were ready to leave. Some random differences stick in mind.

  At the Sheraton Hotel in Casablanca a piece of furniture built in to the room had an arrow pointing to Mecca painted on it.

  This is for Muslims who want to pray in their rooms to be properly oriented with their head facing Mecca.

  The call of the Muzzein to prayer five times a day in Muslim countries demonstrates the influence of the religion. I know of nothing comparable in Christian countries.

  It is not necessary to pray five times a day but there is the ever-present reminder that man owes a duty to God.

  Our tour group was breaking up. Actually it was two tour groups, the English-speaking and the Spanish-speaking. There was also a Portuguese speaking couple from Brazil but they also spoke Spanish.

  The English speaking group included our party of six, a couple from Palm Desert, CA. (he is a community college counselor), a retired pharmacist from Philadelphia and a young woman accountant from Dallas who is somehow able to take a year off to travel the world.

  There were three couples from South America, the Brazilians and others from Argentina and Chile. Travelers from Spain made up the balance of 20 on the tour.

"Supermercado"

  At Ceuta we had a little time before catching the ferry and looked over a "supermercado". This was a rather large one, similar to U.S. markets in the 1960s.

  At the meat counter it was take-a-number, not self service. Hams in Spain are cured with the foot still on which looks a little strange to us.

  Wine is a way of life with the Spaniards. A liter of table wine at the supermercado cost 81 cents in U.S. money. For comparison, a liter of drinking water at the same store cost 64 cents.

Gibraltar

  It was a beautiful day for the 1.5 hour ferry crossing. We saw dozens of dolphins playing and, as we got closer to the Spanish shore, we had a great view of Gibraltar.

  Gibraltar is a big rock connected to the mainland by a sandspit.

  From the ferry terminal it was a 1.5 hour ride back to Malaga and we were staying in the same hotel, Aloha Puerto Sol.

  We went for a stroll around town and stopped at a seafood restaurant for dinner. Most restaurants here are outdoor cafes.

  The difference from Morocco was readily apparent. The pressure was off. We could stroll and dine on the street without being assaulted by waves of peddlers trying to pressure us into buying something.

  At the hotel I borrowed some tools from the hotel mechanic to try (unsuccessfully) to get my portable computer printer to work. He walked away before I could get tip money out of my pocket. This would never happen in Morocco.

  Tomorrow we are going to rent a car and drive back to Gibraltar. We will be spending the night there.