Rhonda and Morocco

Rhonda

Our little car climbed the winding mountain road to Rhonda the very next morning. No respite for this couple…It’s vacation! Time to go, go, go!

Driving through the gates of the city brought us back in time and into an Arabian fairytale. We drove over a 300 foot chasm to cross into the heart of Rhonda. What a gorgeous gorge! (please say this with your worst Boston accent). Immediately, we fell in love with this city. The quiet, calm and peaceful atmosphere of the town was so inviting.

The beautiful walled city hid many treasures of the past. An ancient Moorish bath house, with ingenious plumbing, cathedrals that are so old they shouldn’t still be standing, a historic bullring and the most magnificent bridges I’ve ever seen. All set on cliffs and in the hills beyond—simply breathtaking.

As we strolled around this city we understood why writers such as Orson Welles and Hemmingway spent time here. Rhonda is the home of Pedro Romero, the father of bullfighting on foot, and Hemingway’s inspiration for his famous bull fight stories. It sure inspired Mark to take several pictures of a bull statue.

It was difficult to leave Rhonda, but when the sun set we knew we had to make our way back to the coast.

Morocco

From relaxation to constant aggravation—hello Morocco. “We take you to the camels, then the snake charmers, then the marketplace where you can haggle for goods, then…” Oh my goodness, this trip was exhausting. It took four hours to get there, four hours in the city and four hours to get back to the resort. A fast-paced, aggressive adventure to be sure.

Morocco is a different Africa than I know. As an Arab nation, it has a different feel to it than my beloved southern Africa. The people seem sad, living a lost life without the hope of Christ. We were jostled, constantly heckled and followed by locals trying to score Euros from easily persuaded tourists. (They didn’t want anything to do with the Dollar—even they know Euros are more valuable.)

I am exhausted even thinking about this day trip across the Strait of Gibraltar—here are some photos to help describe the journey.