Zambia World Wide

The beach was one of the best I have ever seen and although it was hot there always seemed to be a pleasant breeze. The sea was deep blue and of course being warm was quite pleasant to swim in. Changing your clothes on the beach is not allowed in Tangier, so they had beach clubs along the edge of the beach which as a tourist you could join for a nominal fee. The clubs were great as they all featured lounge areas, swimming pools and poolside bars. It was at a beach club that I first met an Arab girl whose name was Zenob and although we had a lot of fun at the club and on the beach, I never could get over the Arab custom of a single woman having to wear a Yashmac to walk down to the beach club. Once in the club she would remove all her arab robes and wear the tiniest bikini you are likely to see. There were also a number of nightclubs in the town, one of which we went to. The entrance fee for the club, allowed the ticket holder one free drink and we were advised by the holiday rep. to order a long drink and make it last as the drinks in the club were very expensive. This particular club were renowned for its Belly Dancers. The show was really excellent and well worth paying to see. It’s quite amazing what these girls can do with their stomachs and hips. Another bar I used regularly in the evenings was Trudy’s Bar and it was there I met an Irish girl who was also on holiday. We became quite good friends, in the evening she would get on stage and sing. She had a very pleasant voice and was well liked by the customers. Although she sang for pleasure any drinks that we had were free which was quite a saving as drinks in Tangier were expensive. Unfortunately we never kept in touch and I do wonder at times what she is doing now and how she is getting on. Back then she worked for Air Lingus . I also remember visiting a town called Tetuan whilst there and was lucky enough to arrive in the middle of a religious festival. The atmosphere was great with much singing and dancing in the streets. There were street vendors selling all kinds of souvenirs and food stuff. It was on the way to Tetuan that I experienced my first sandstorm. The sand was blown high in the sky and totally obliterated all daylight and was driven by the wind at such a pace we had to find some form of shelter. We were driving past a long wall in the desert behind which we took shelter. When I asked why it had been built out there in the desert with no village or town nearby I was told it was a burial ground. The arabs build a wall and bury their dead within the wall. I really do not know if what I was told is true. Last of all what is the ambition of every tourist in an arab country, to ride a camel of course. Well I managed that also and enjoyed the experience, it was quite a bumpy ride and I am not sure if it’s an experience I would want to repeat.

Generally speaking it was a great holiday and for me different, I still wish I could have stayed longer. By this time I had completed my apprenticeship with the Generating Board and was working for them as an electrical fitter. I am a little confused about the times and chain of events in my life at stage, therefore although the events are accurate there may be discrepancies with the dates. At this time I was still very much into motorbikes, in fact I still am to this day. I was still going to dancing lessons which is how I met the young lady I would eventually marry. I can remember walking into the ballroom one night and noticed a girl on the dance floor. I immediately thought “WOW” she’s nice, I was a little hesitant but did pluck up the courage to ask her for a dance. When I asked her for a dance and she yes not only once but twice, my night was made, I felt like I was walking on air. I did not see much of her for the rest of the night until it was time to go home. She asked for a lift home, I really did not see why I should take her home since I had arranged to drop a friend off on my way home. Remember I was riding a motorbike and three would be a crowd. I suggested she ask the guy she had spent most of the night with. The following Friday night I went to the school for a group lesson and we were asked by the dance teacher to pair up for the evening, which of course we did, which meant we spent most of the evening together. During the evening she asked why I had refused to give her a lift home on the previous Friday. I explained that I was in the company of friends and could see no reason to leave as she had totally ignored me for the latter part of the evening. She said that at the time she was made to look very foolish and was quite angry. By the time she got home she could see the funny side, as no one had ever refused to give her a lift home in the past. This time I did take her home and also arranged a date for the following day.