Tangier $40 Taxi Ride
I think it is more difficult to ignore your own cultural filters when in a country similar to yours-for example-Europe as to America. There is a tendency to want to think that everything about a culture and a country is wonderful, which of course isn’t honest. If someone visiting the U.S. told me they thought every-thing was wonderful, I would think they were either dishonest with me or
they were a little stupid.
So with unfamiliar currency in Tangiers we were off our guard. We took a taxi to the train station to check on times/ tickets for the night train to Marrakech. Then took another taxi back into the city to use an ATM to get local currency. The taxi driver took us to a modest cafe near the wharf where we had a huge platter of delicious fried fish and shrimp with french fries. During dinner, however, Bob suddenly looked thunder-struck as he realized he had given the taxi driver $40 instead of $4…a mental miscalculation of the decimal point. We were amazed when the driver came back to pick us up! No problem, no problem he reassured us! We would get our change but would drive us around Tangier first.
That was the second mistake. It was night by this time and the tour was very nice. We saw all the other country’s embassy homes with very bored-looking armed guards standing outside the gates. The taxi driver took us to the highest part of the city with a wonderful view where he said we could get some special mint tea at a very special place. When he turned to go down a very dark and deserted dirt road I began to really panic. This is it, I thought, this is where we get knocked off and they steal our money belts! But in a couple minutes he drove onto an outcropping where there were many parked cars facing the lights of the city and indeed-there was a little shack where he took his dirty glass from under his seat, brushed it off and returned with the most delicious mint tea filled with mint leaves.
But when we returned to the train station the driver said he only had about $6 to reimburse Bob-the rest of the money was for the tour! I told Bob if that was the worst that would happen in the whole year we didn’t have anything to worry about. By the time we got on the train and he had to contend with the hot crowded compartment he forgot all about the taxi driver. This is part of the adventure we told ourselves!
Tags: African Continent, Dual Pricing, Morocco, Tangier, Worst Experiences
Zoe