From Gibraltar I took the ferry across to Tangier, Morocco which meant entering Spain (and so back into a Schengen country, again just a glance at my passport but I didn't need a stamp so this time I just walked through with everyone else) and then leaving Spain a few hours later. I arrived in Tangier and found my hotel in the Medina (the old, walled part of the city, full of narrow twisty streets, very easy to get lost) with some help. I took a tour which really meant taking me to shops to maybe buy something but overall was good. I spent a few days in Tangier, getting lost a few times but eventually finding a familiar landmark and finding my way back to the hotel.

After Morocco, I am going to Cameroon to volunteer for The Humanity Exchange, which means I need a visa to enter Cameroon. Normally people obtain the visa before they leave home, but (a) I didn't know I would be going to Cameroon when I left and (b) the visa is only good for 90 days so it would have expired even if I had known. Thus I needed to get the visa from Morocco and initially I couldn't even find the instructions online. I called the Cameroon Embassy in Rabat, Morocco and was told I needed to return to Canada or obtain a Moroccan Residence Card - neither option is feasible. So, on Friday I took the train to Rabat and visited the embassy in person, and we worked out a new option - to have the Canadian Embassy in Rabat provide a letter indicating I cannot obtain a Moroccan Residence Card (not sure why something that obvious needed a additional $50 letter, but whatever). So off I go to the Canadian Embassy, and the first obstacle is that no one there can speak much English, but they are able to communicate that I should return on Monday morning. While I was waiting outside I took photos of the Canadian flag, from the reaction of the security guard I know understand that is a no-no.

Monday morning, I return to the Canadian Embassy and find out that this letter is commonly provided (and though it doesn't actually say what was requested, it ends up being sufficient), then return that afternoon for the letter. On Wednesday morning I take all the paperwork to the Cameroon Embassy, and that afternoon I return to obtain my visa. Bureaucratic hurdles successfully jumped!

My week in Rabat was enjoyable despite staying in a fairly low-end (ok, really low end, but I did have my own room!) $10/night hotel right in the Medina where I was kept awake by the noise of motorbikes and trucks and people yelling at passersby to buy their wares till after midnight. The Rabat Medina was much less confusing than other Medinas, it almost had streets and avenues so very quickly I was able to find my way around. Rabat isn't a big tourist place but it was a pleasant place to hang out while I worked out my visa.