After failing to wake up for the first ferry of the day to Morocco (and for the first time not being woken by a swipe or pounce from particular, insane, local wild cat), I did make it in good time for the second, after saying goodbye to my friend Max (who is on a trip within a trip, having driven his Mercedes van from Germany to Spain, and is now riding around Spain on his custom Kawasaki Z1000 which he brought inside the van).
The ferry was simple, quick and unremarkable and I chatted on the way with a Senegalese dude on his way home to see his family.
Stopped at Customs in Tanger I had a feeling the guy who approached me in a logo-ed tabard and baseball cap was not a real customs officer. He asked me in three languages for my passport and vehicle registration (I replied "No thanks!" cheerily in three languages each time), but after he and the others identically dressed had left and all the drivers in sight had obediently given up their documents I suddenly wondered if I was actually an idiot; and would ever get out of Moroccan customs.
A while later some real customs officers wandered along in military-style uniforms, and once they had my papers I was gravely told I would have to go upstairs, to see The Police.
When I happily replied "Okay!" and started to follow the guy, it soon became obvious this wasn't really going to happen.
Mind games, or a sense of humour. I couldn't tell which!
Once they came back a while later and began searching all the cars and vans around me, instead of looking at or touching anything of mine I was presented with a single question; demivered with a raised eyebrow - "Avez-vous un pistolet?"
I managed not to laugh, and managed quite a nonchalant "Non", but began to think it was a sense of humour - but I'm still not quite sure...
He waved me off, but before the gate was opened for me, one of the tabard-and-cap crew had come to ask for some baksheesh. I did laugh at him.
I got away what must have been ages before anyone else (I pretended to myself not to recognise any of them while they were overtaking me later on the autoroute) and hadn't paid a penny to enter Morocco. Sweet.
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