I suppose this would be my first real post on something that I have actually done. I just returned from a last-minute long-weekend trip to Tangier. The relevant photos have been uploaded, so if you'd prefer, you may follow along with what I pretentiously refer to as a "Photo Essay"

A bit of background information: Moroccan elections were held this Friday, so Al Alkhawayn University canceled classes in the hopes that all the students would act as good little citizens and return to their home towns and vote. Now, those classes must be made up this Saturday, but never mind, the point is I had a three day weekend. On Thursday my last class ended at 5:00 and I was left to flounder a bit and wonder which group I would attach myself to, limpet-like. By 7:30 I was sitting in a friend Danny's room, and we were considering going to either Casablanca or Tangier. Fairly inexplicably, Tangier was decided upon. There was a train from Meknes to Tangier leaving at 2:45, so it seemed perfect. We wanted to get our weekend jump-started. Meanwhile, two guys from Virginia Military Institute, Rich and Eddie, joined our merry band.

After a speed-packing session, we walked the twenty minutes into Ifrane and got a "grand taxi" into Meknes, one of two equidistant cities with a train station. Grand taxis (diesel driven Mercedes that are several decades old) constitute the only immediate way to get out of Ifrane. We arrived in Meknes an hour later, bought our tickets for the train, and hung out with some other American students from Al Akhawayn who were also taking the train to Tangier. We palled around in a hookah bar down the street for a few hours, and then hopped the train and hoped to get some sleep. The problem with that plan was that - at least for an hour long trip on an intermediary train - there were NO available seats. Not knowing how long I'd have to be in this physical state, I wedged myself between the bathroom door and the emergency escape hatch between two train cars and tried to get some sleep. Mercifully, on the next train I was able to find a seat next to a Spanish contract worker and get a little bit of shut eye before we rolled into Tangier train station at 8 in the morning.

And, not to leave anyone in any dire amount of suspense or anything, but I think I will hold off until tomorrow for the rest of this swashbuckling tale. I'm both a) tired from a long weekend adventuring and b) disheartened by the news (albeit uncorroborated) that no bars will serve alcohol given that Ramadan starts in a few days. Thanks, Allah.

Later guys.