Travel Log No. 14  Mohammedia, Morocco, December 1, 1996

Random Pics from the Image Gallery - 9 Years on The 7 Seas - "The Pictorial Tour" West Mediterranean

Malta, Tunisia, Algeria, Gibraltar & Morocco "TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS"S

Misfortune strikes

By now, we should have been on our way across the Atlantic to Barbados. Instead, I am lying flat on my back, totally out of commission, in a little harbour just 12 miles up the coast from Casablanca in Morocco. A month ago, just 2 nights out of Gibraltar, enroute to the Canaries, my back suddenly gave out on me. I became totally immobile and could barely crawl below to the stern cabin. Luckily, Anne had happened to read about this small place, Mohammedia, in a cruising magazine, and noted the coordinates, a good thing because we did not have charts for the Moroccan Coast. It was recommended over Casablanca, which is a huge, filthy commercial harbour. So Allah must have been with us. Poor Anne had to navigate on her own for over 40 hours before she managed to bring the boat safely into this tiny, but exclusive yacht club, where we are in good company, having 2 of King Hassan II's luxury yachts just across the dock from us! We haven't seen him yet, but there sure is a lot of security here, so we feel completely safe next to the Gendarmerie Royale. The price is right at CAD2.50 per day!

Herneated Disc

The people here have been the kindest and most hospitable we have encountered during our 5 years away from home. Within a couple of hours, two beautiful and capable women came to my rescue; one, a Moroccan doctor, the other a Belgian kinesiologist. Diagnosis: Severely herniated disc (S1). Now, after 2 weeks of daily anti-inflammatory injections and another 2 of medication and complete rest, I am able to stand up and walk around a little bit. But I have not been off the boat for a month.

Poverty & Generosity

The night watchman, Abdul, has brought us dinner from his home every evening. He washes the boat and helps with chores. His wife and mother do all our laundry (Anne has to save her fragile back, too!). In spite of earning only USD170.- per month for a 7 day week, he refuses to take any money from us. So we have been giving him cigarettes, beer, lots of old clothing and shoes, toiletries, medicines, etc. He says it is not him who looks after us, but Allah. It is hard to believe that this gentle, caring religion can foster such crazy fundamentalist fanatics; not in Morocco, but in neighbouring Algeria and, of course, Libya, Iran and Iraq.

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Backtracking...

When we left Greece in July, we had planned to return to some of our favourite places in Sicily, Sardinia and the Balearics and re-establish contact with friends we made there last year. But my back, which started to act up already in April, became steadily worse during the summer. So we decided to slow down and see only Malta and Tunisia on our way back out of the Med, both places which we missed on the way in last year. Since we also had a lot of maintenance and repair work to do before crossing the Atlantic, we thought Malta, being English speaking, would be a good place to have some of it done. I could rest my back and Anne could catch-up on her articles to the Norwegian Sailing Magazine, "Seilas".

M A L T A

There isn't really much to see or do in Malta, whose main attraction really is its turbulent and violent history due to its strategic location in the Med between Europe and Africa. The churches, as well as the tourism industry have, however, made a lot out of St. Paul's shipwrecking on the island on his way to Rome as a prisoner in 60 AD.

The tough and heroic Maltese

The Knights of St. John, who were given the island of Malta after they were driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Turks in the 1520's, still command a strong presence. In the same century, Malta staved off a tremendous assault on the island by the mighty Ottoman Empire, and can therefore take credit for saving Europe from the might of the Sultans and the Muslim faith. But what the tough islanders are best known for today, is their heroic resistance during WWII , when they were subjected to the heaviest bombing assaults ever seen, and which was to play a pivotal role in the Allied victory. "The siege" lasted three years while Hitler and Mussolini desperately tried to take the island. However, Allied forces were equally determined to hold it as a base for air force and navy blockade of German supplies to Rommel's army in North Africa, and later as a jump-off point for the American forces' invasion of Italy. For this very brave and admirable involvement, the ca. 350,000 Maltese people were awarded the George Cross, which is Britain's highest award. (Anne: I think Martin deserves an A Plus for this little history lesson!)

T U N I S I A

After spending far too much money installing mast steps (in 35 degree heat) and not getting much else done during the height of the holiday season in super-expensive Valetta, we took off for Tunisia. Again, because of my aching back, I didn't see much of the place. But I (Anne) did! First, because of a communication problem, I almost ended up in the locker. When filling out the entry forms now, I put down "writer" as my profession. Not remembering this work in French I just put "journalist". Well, this brought on a big to do with stern, uniformed and armed officials. They were clearly suspicious of foreign journalists, but relaxed when I innocently produced my harmless Seilas articles! From now on, I will say "Retired", like Martin.

Complications in the Sahara Desert

Despite this hoo-ha, I found the Tunisian men to be courteous and friendly, but oh, so macho. During a 1000 km. 3-day jeep safari to the Sahara desert and Tunisian Hinterlands, complete with a camel ride at sunset in the desert, I received numerous glamorous propositions. The first: To sleep in the open on the desert sand under a dark, star-studded sky with a genuine Bedouin. The second: A midnight stroll among rustling palm trees in an oasis with an authentic Berber. The third: Just an innocent drink in the bar (plus, plus) with Mohammed, our illustrious (wink, wink, pat, pat) guide! So, girls, if you want a little adventure, come to the Muslim world! Age is no deterrent! All you need is courage to travel alone!

Western Women fair Game

After I came back from the safari, I read in the guide book that it is impossible to spend any length of time in a Muslim country without running into problems between Muslim men and women from the Western society. When Muslim men see a foreign woman without the traditional garb, they immediately think she is fair game. The example set by tourists in the past and by Western films, means that you will not be able to avoid propositions.

Islam has always had a liberal sexual ethic. The perception of woman as a lust-driven animal that must be kept under lock and key is one of the most disgusting aspects of the Arab culture. This vision of womankind explains the strict segregation of Muslim women enforced by their men. The honour of women, judged by their modesty and virginity at marriage, is a vital concern to the family, and they are protected by their separation from strange men. This division between the sexes is very visible in the Muslim Society where public areas, markets, streets and cafes are a male domain, while women are mostly seen only briefly hurrying through the streets, "invisible", covered by a large sheet (haik) in Tunisia and a full length hooded (bath!)robe, Djelliba, in Morocco. Further, the Prophet Mohammed was a sexual athlete of the first order. Arab men cannot hope to equal his performance, but they are firmly convinced that they are immeasurably more resilient lovers than western men. The Koran even cautions against celibacy and freely acknowledges sexual appetite....