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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Email to Friends: First Week in Morocco - Rabat, Casablanca, and El Jadida

Greetings from Morocco!

For those that don't know, I quit my job in the Emergency Department. I had this trip planned for months (after my boyfriend and I broke up) and it turns out the timing was perfect. While technically unemployed, I start my new job as a night shift King County Jail nurse a few days upon my return. So this trip is perfect to relax, reflect, and come back to a fresh start.

My flight left on 9/11 and went through Paris before landing in Rabat. I remember why I like Delta for international flights. Three meals and snacks for the Paris flight and another meal on Air France from Paris to Rabat. Met a guy on the flight who lives part time in Orlando and also has a house in Rabat. He gave me lots of tips and gave me his number, in case I run in to any trouble. Arrived at the Rabat airport, which is pretty small. Customs was quick and grabbed cash at the ATM. Was going to catch a bus in to the city, but couldn't figure out where to catch it. The taxi dripped me at the train station. I tried to find my riad, but got lost and walked the wrong way and kept getting incorrect info (but people were trying to help). Texted my riad and the owner came to fetch me. My riad, Rue El Bir, is absolutely fabulous. It is in the old medina, but down a small street a bit away from the hustle and bustle. I ended getting an upgraded room on the top floor that is huge and fabulously decorated with old tiles and high wood ceilings and my own little patio sitting area. And there are two large house cats to play with. Mattress is a bit hard for me, but easily solved as I always carry my thermarest. I spend a few hours walking the old medina and have a fruit smoothie for dinner, as I am pretty full. Can't read the menu, so end up with a cherimoya and what tastes like dates? Strange, but not bad. Head back to the riad for early sleep in hopes of getting up early.

Didn't wake up as early as I thought I would. Woke up around 8:30 and headed out to grab a coffee at a cafe. Busy spot of mostly men sitting and socializing, but a great spot to people watch and just get used to my new surroundings. Moroccan coffee is strong and delicious and the people are very friendly. There are bakery stalls everywhere and several across the street from the cafe. One man offers to share his treats. Several pass by and ask if I am Chinese or Japanese. When answering American and Vietnamese, it confuses people that I don't speak French. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48857470968_573183762c_b.jpgAfter over an hour of chatting and people watching, I head to the Royal Palace. The guards let me walk around the grounds after showing my passport, but there is lots going on and soldiers everywhere and you can't enter the palace. Next, I head to the Phoenician and later Roman ruins of Chellah. The grounds were beautiful to wander around, alongside many cats and storks with gardens, tombs, minaret and old broken columns. I wandered back to my riad in the heat of the day, as most things shut down around 1pm for Friday worship. There is a mosque in the old medina, and the prayer mats were lining the walkway and full of people as I walked beside them to get back to the riad. I went to my room, but was surprised by a knock at the door as the staff brought me fresh squeezed orange juice, a pot of coffee and biscuits (as I didn't take breakfast since you have to tell them the night before a time you would like to eat and I never know when I will get up). I rest for a bit and then head back out.

Walked through an expansive cemetery overlooking the sea. Watch some surfers for a bit and head to Kasbah of the Oudayas. There is a small residential area, with colorful blue and white walls and of course, more cats. Wander about getting lost and avoiding big tour groups in the narrow streets. Head over to enjoy the Andulusian Gardens and a mint tea at the cafe overlooking the Bou Regreg River. Wander through the touristy shopping Mellah area and wander the streets back toward the old medina. I am now running in to people I met at morning coffee and am greeted by "Bonjour Vietnam!" by a few passerbys. The medina is hopping on Friday night. Stop at a busy food stall and join a few groups of women on little plastic stools for some kind of bread stuffed with grilled meat, egg, tomato sauce with spices and cheese. I think it was 80 cents and well worth it. A cute little old woman smiles at my happiness of yummy food and squeezes my arm warmly as she passes. I wash my dinner down with two fresh lemon ginger juices from another stall for a dollar and head back to the riad, falling asleep to the soothing chants from the nearby mosque as kids play soccer (or kick an empty plastic bottle) in the street and cats fight and wail. Luckily, sleeping through noise is something I am used to.

To my surprise, breakfast is ready when I come downstairs. Fresh squeezed orange juice, yogurt, cheese, lots of breads/crepe like thing, jams, and a carafe of strong coffee. After, I catch the tram to the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Beautiful architecture surround the tombs of the king and his two sons. There are fountains and amazing detailed tile work everywhere. A guard stands at the door to the Mausoleum. Inside is a beautiful dome roof and multiple levels. A man sits at the bottom and softly reads the Koran aloud, occasionally taking time to cough. It is very peaceful. After my visit, I wander around the Mellah area, the old Jewish quarter. In the heat of the day, I headed back to the riad and just relaxed with the cats and read a book. In the afternoon, it cools off with a nice sea breeze. I head back outside in to the old medina, busy on a Saturday.

My plan was to get a bit used to these busy and hectic markets in the smaller ones before hitting up the chaos of Fes and Marrakesh. The old medina in Rabat is somewhat easy to navigate with areas laid out for tailors filled with fabric and walls of colored thread. The air smells of spices and there are sellers with carts full of fresh herbs like mint. There is an area with live turtles and parakeets. Streets full of clothes and shoes, new and used. Battery operated plastic toys, probably all from China. And tons of food vendors like bakeries of sweet treats (some Syrian treats look like tiny bird nests with pistachios), , fresh squeezed juice, sugar cane, or pomegranate drinks, fresh donut looking things fried in front of you in vats of hot oil. bowls of steaming snails, shwarma and grilled meat. I end up grabbing a delicious sandwich stuffed with fried fish, salsa, roasted pepper, hot sauce, eggplant, and whatever else he put in. Sat with some women on little plastic chairs outside a mosque and the vendor seemed pleased that I liked it. He ran to a nearby vendor to get me a hot, sweet mint tea to wash it down. Filling dinner for 20 dirham ($2) and was a bit sad I couldn't eat any more, as there was so much I wanted to try. Wish I had been able to take more photos, but feels weird to take out my camera as it feels like tourists are far and few between. And the little old woman don't like my phone in my hand, as two have implored me with eyes and pointing to put it in my locked purse. They seem pleased when I do, nodding and patting my arm with a smile.

The next morning after breakfast and packing, I say goodbye to the beautiful riad and my favorite of the cats. Walk to the train terminal and catch a train to Casablanca. I was expecting more hassle, but it was super easy to buy the $4 train ticket, find the right platform and board the correct train. About an hour by train lands me in Casablanca. A taxi driver wants me to take a taxi, but of course I decline and walk. Heading along the port, I pop in to the Old Medina and get happily lost. Eventually I see the tram and know my hotel is close to a station so jump on. A one way ticket is 60 cents (plus 20 cents for the rechargeable ticket). I pop off at my stop and of course get lost again. Some people try to help me, but only know Arabic and French. I continue to wander, but someone runs after me. I guess the people I asked directions from went and found someone who spoke English, and he directs me to the right spot. Hotel Point du Jour is not cute like my Rabat Riad, but it is in a great location and is small but clean with very nice and helpful staff. Mostly business people stay here but several tourist families as well. There is also the organizers for a music festival going on staying in the hotel. Check in and off to wander again. It is Sunday, so many storefronts are shuttered. As I don't have a map, it is hard to tell if I am in a bad area, as there are mainly only men out. There is old, run down art deco and art nouveau crumbling neighborhoods next to new, modern buildings next to poorer looking neighborhoods. I passed an old, beat looking movie theater and almost stop for a movie if one had been playing (although I wouldn't have understood it). I stop in a cafe for sweet mint tea and watch the city. End up in the old medina again and wander and eat snacks (easier without my big backpack, now safely checked in to the hotel). People everywhere are so friendly, waving and saying welcome. There are little places with old pinball machines and billiard tables. Kids run around, playing in the streets. I find my way to the mosque and watch the kids jump off the wall in to the sea as others fish from the rocks. Wandering back towards the hotel, I stop at a restaurant for a mixed kabob grill dinner. The server is so nice and we get to talking. She is studying English literature at the university. I head back to my hotel and sit outside, chatting with the nice man who works at my hotel who has great English. He is from El Jadida, where I plan to take a day trip from on my last day in Casablanca.

Wake up early the next morning to head to the mosque for a tour. The hotel gives me great walking directions, and yet, I manage to get lost. Partly due to my horrible sense of direction and also, street names and numbers are hard to come by here. Traffic is also intense as there are not always lights at pedestrian crossings so you go halfway and make yourself as thin as possible between traffic to cross all the way when there is a break. Luckily, I have wandered past the hospital and urgent care clinic, in case I need it :) So make it to the mosque a little later than planned, but well worth it. The mosque has tours and is one of the only mosques that allows women inside. It is partially built over the ocean and has a retractable roof. Most building material is from Morocco, except some marble and chandeliers. After the tour, I wander around more along the water and through neighborhoods, occasionally stopping in a sidewalk cafe for coffee or mint tea when I need a break. During the afternoon heat, I go to read my book, The Caliph's House, set in Casablanca. In it, they talk about many of the places I have wandered through, even the Rialto Theater I walked past and took photos of the day before. In the evening, I head to a small spot recommended to me by the hotel for my first tangine. I chose beef and vegetables and it is delicious! There may have been a small cockroach or two running around, but that seems par for the course in Morocco and I hear that makes the restaurant even better :) The restaurant staff are surprised by my appetite, as I eat every last bite. The sweet woman that cooked it comes out and seems pleased that I enjoyed it so much. Back to my hotel, I spend the evening in the chair they put outside for me, chatting with the staff and people of the neighborhood as faces look familiar and people greet me after the second day. I am treated to a beautiful sunset sky over the church at the end of the street and then later the call to prayer over the city, which I love the peaceful sound of it every night.

My last full day in Casablanca, I actually head to the tram to the train station for a day trip outside of the city of Casablanca. I couldn't choose between Azzmour or El Jadida, but choose El Jadida first and figure I will see if I have time to do both. We pass through the factories on the outskirts of Casablanca and head past small farms with goats, donkeys, cows, chickens, horses, and even a turkey. Crossing over the Oum Er-Rbia River, where Azzmour lies, we shortly arrive in El Jadida about an hour and a half after departure (37 diarhams each way). I share a taxi with a guy and we grab a coffee at a beachside cafe before parting ways. I walk around the port and then head in to the old walled Portuguese City. Wander the neighborhood, enjoying all the colorful doorways. I check out the old vaulted cistern built underground in the early 16th century with nice reflections from the incoming light and standing water on the ground. I walk the old wall, with views of the sea and occasional cannons lining the wall. For a third time in two days, I am stopped and think someone wants me to take their photo for them. But then they all line up and want a photo with me. I remember this happening in Egypt and I still don't get it. Sometimes teenage boys, or families, and today a sweet old mom and her daughter. After walking the wall, I head back to the neighborhood and have some fish for lunch. Then I find the old community oven. Neighbors and their kids bring dough to the oven and salted fish, which are baked by the community oven baker and returned when ready. The place actually has a terrible history as the place slaves were brought to send to the New World, but now it is a place of happiness. I buy a loaf of bread for one dirham and wander some more. I run into another community oven and a man outside awaiting his bread to be baked invites me to his house for tea. A bit pensive at first, I do my test of walking the town with him and everyone seems to like him and greet him. We go get his mom from a neighbor's house and his little sister and they make me tea and we sit and talk. The mom excitedly takes me up to the roof for views of the sea because she saw I liked animals and she wanted to show me her hamsters, one of which just had babies. I spent the rest of the afternoon there, and was sad to decline their invitation to stay the night at their house. The sister gives me a white rose when it is time to leave and they help me get a taxi back to the train station (most taxi drivers only speak Arabic and/or French, making it difficult to communicate with them). I catch the train back to Casablanca and had my last dinner at the restaurant I had eaten at the first night, seeing the server again who is so sweet and we say our goodbyes and good wishes for each other.

Today, I got to sleep in. Packed up the backpack, enjoyed a few more coffees at a cafe, said my goodbyes to the wonderful hotel staff, and head on the tram to the CTM long distance bus station. Now I am off on the 6 hour bus ride to Chefchouen, enjoying the views out the window.

Love,
Betsy

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