Morocco Moments #6: Me, by Myself, Alone in Tangier & Asilah

Subject: #6: Me, by Myself, Alone in Tangier and Asilah

Date: Sunday, 6 July 2025 at 11:07 PM

Hi you. 

Is it hard to believe that I am once again writing while on my way home from an adventure? I’m spending a lot of time sitting on transport and am developing the routine of pulling my laptop out, toute suite, to edit my photos and write my news. Because I am alone, and often when alone I don't know what else to do with myself. 

This newsletter will explore more on my loneliness, but also how I don’t feel lonely because I know that I have family and friends even if not really in the present.

Three Women, Three Lives, Three Mes

I’ve realised that some people live very simple lives and some people live very complex lives. I am one of the latter, with seemingly three different mes in play at different times, and also three mes all at once.          Does this make sense?

Because in my one me, I have a life in Melbourne, separate to my life at Uni, both of which have nothing on my life here in Morocco. And when living each, they are the most important one and I know that others exists, but my energy is focused on the here and now — my life in the present, and I fear I lose touch with or fail to show those I love that I care. I write this because I care! 

Then there are the three lives of the present, all at once, thereby explaining my exhaustion for trying to do so many things. I work basically a full-time job — that constitutes a life. I’ve travelled all over the country every other day — travelling is a mighty exciting life of trains and buses and taxis and constant movement (but limited ability to rest and…) run — the other thing I want to pursue so bad. Running is plenty of people’s whole lives, and it’s tiring. I came to all this busyness realisation because I was feeling bad that I wasn't running more -- that I was tired and couldn’t be bothered putting one foot in front of the other sometimes and when I did, sometimes it was just really bloody hard to keep going. 

I was tired. I AM TIRED & then I think about everything else that I love and want to do and there is always more and more and more. I’m learning that there is a glass-ceiling on what can be done, constrained energy levels, time and money.

Oh, to do it all!

Part of why I love Morocco is probably because I am. Doing it all. And I can do this because I have no chores or other requirements. A big thanks to my host mum for doing it all so I can travel to the most magical places. 

Tangier 

One of the last major cities I hadn’t yet visited was Tangier, and it is wonderful. I stayed at a hostel and made some quick temporary hostel friends. I explored the old city and I ate all my meals alone, but I wasn’t lonely…

After dinner yesterday some girls were like, you speak English?  and then chatted me up and invited me to hang out with them, which was really sweet. 

      People are just kinder and more open to connection here. 

And the same thing happened in the taxi today. I was chatting with this Parisian man and we both agreed that we wouldn’t have talked if it had been in Paris.

There must be something in the African air.

I don’t feel like describing Tangier in beautiful words. A cool fact though, is that it’s the bridge between Europe and Africa and used to be an international city and governed accordingly. The city at its closest point is 13 km from Europe and standing on the Marshan Cliff or at a place called Café Hafa, you can see the hills of Spain across the straight of Gibraltar in the distance. I went there and drank tea at sunset yesterday. (Again, sitting on my own, doodling on my train tickets.) I think I entered a flow state because the time just flew by. 

A city alive with paintings on the walls 

There is another city, a 40 minute train trip away from Tangier called Asilah where there is an arts festival each July. Artists from around Morocco and the world come and paint on the walls of the old Medina making it colourful and bright and alive with artwork each year. This was the main reason I wanted to come to the North of Morocco and seemingly few people here have heard of the festival! Crazy.

I spent today in Asilah and it was the most beautiful city on the coast with a lovely beach and tons of shops — the town used art and tourism to turn itself around and make it a relevant destination. It’s still not one of the major tourist stops that everyone has heard of but I recon it should be, because it was beautiful. 

As I was sitting on my way to Asilah this morning, my camera died :/ so sadly I only have photos from my phone that at least show the picture if not the beauty of the town. 

You can read my Asilah train poetry under the writing headline :)

Thoughts on solo travelling 

I used to think I wouldn’t like it — changed my mind.

It probably depends on where you are and definitely on where you stay, but for me this was not a lonely venture. The hostel was straight away a friendly place with people to chat with as though instant friends and generally, for me at least, people on the street, shops, cafes just want to talk. 

The rumbling of trains seems to have lulled me into a daze. I’m sort of fighting sleep right now, so am going to end it here.

Emma