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In 2002 we spent a day with this handsome young Berber tour guide who took us to see a kasbah - a walled, older part of a north African city. His story is a remarkable one. When he was a boy of about eight, he was befriended by a man from Spain who took a great interest in him and encouraged him in his schooling. Every year he would bring books from Spain for the boy. When we were introduced to him, he had just completed a Ph.D. in social anthropology and was fluent in eight languages. I have often wondered what became of him, if he remained in the desert or if he took a job in one of Morocco's cities. He told us that the aquifers near Erfoud - the only source of water for the area - were being depleted. I have also wondered what if anything has been done or could be done about that. 
In 2002 we arrived in Tangiers by boat from Spain, then took a train to Casablanca to meet our tour group. First, however, we had a day in Tangiers where the guide in the second photo above took us through the medina - or old city - featured in the first photo. The guide was very pleasant and spoke excellent English. Other than Turkey, this was our first time to a Muslim country and our first trip to north Africa. As we walked through the narrow lanes, we were totally absorbed by all the strange new sights. We had agreed a price with our guide, but when we told him it was time to go, he doubled his price. It was a frightening experience, because we had no idea at all where to find the exit from the area, nor, obviously, did we speak Arabic. Only when Paul refused to pay at all - and only after a prolonged argument - did the man finally agree to take us to the exit.
