It’s always sunny in Morocco

Dear Readers,

I have long dreamed of going to Morocco, the main part of my fantasy has been Moroccan food. I have just spent five days in Morocco, basically touring around four cities and I have received so many questions and so much feedback on my photos that this will be a long one and I will do my best to satisfy all curiosity. However, keep in mind that you can always message me in here or send me an email with any further inquiries you might have (mira.luoma@hotmail.fi).

We flew to the Casablanca airport early Thursday and, having gathered some feedback for fellow travelers, headed straight towards Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. In order to get to Rabat you must take a train to Casablanca first and then exchange trains. If all goes well, the journey should take about two hours. I will have to warn you that all public transport seems to be very late and care-free in Morocco, so if you are in a rush, never rely on it to get you to places on time (though they are very strict on checking that you have a ticket). Trains are quite cheap however, and they cover most of the country. You can only book train tickets within the country but the staff is probably the most knowledgeable of English and you will be able to book all your journeys at once if you wish. The tickets from Casablanca airport cost 80 dih which is about seven euros. I would recommend either exchanging money before you enter the country or using an ATM at the airport. Useful fact: the ATM right at the baggage claim has the highest rate so if you can avoid using that and walking to one in the arrivals hall side, I would definitely recommend doing so. In general Morocco is quite a cheap country and, depending on where you go, cash and bargaining are expected.

So back to the story! The journey to Rabat was pleasant and easy. While Morocco has multiple major cities, most of the countryside is quite rural and dry. We actually joked about renting a car to get around better but I can now safely say that you should leave driving in Morocco to the Moroccan. We had a lovely, small hotel booked in Rabat quite close to the street market area and we managed to make it there nicely before dinner time and the sunset (which in November is quite early). We headed out to the walled old part of town by the beach where the market was and found a nice restaurant near by with a good hummus and falafel selection.

I do always want to see the touristic/ main sights but as a traveler nut (more like a mover since it seems like I make a new home everywhere) I do want to experience the local culture. This is, of course, quite a mission to execute when you are somewhere only for a few days but it is always fun to try. In many places, especially those where you stand out from the crowd based on your looks, this is actually an interesting mission. It was not possible to blend in Morocco: my ‘blond’ hair and height were visible for the locals from far away and even though some parts of Morocco are quite modern, the locals are not used to seeing any skin on women. I do have to add that catcalling angers me and it makes me sad that such things are so widely accepted by people. Due to this, I have to warn, especially women, that this is a very common custom is Morocco and that you shouldn’t allow it to ruin your holiday. In general, I found the local people helpful and open.

We spent our second day exploring around Rabat. The day started off well and early with some sunrise coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice on our rooftop (breakfast prices are around 2.5 e – 3 e). We started our sightseeing from the beach side and went to see the old lighthouse in the harbour. The beachside is actually quite green, though sadly there is a lot of trash thrown to the ground. We continued along the shore to the Blue Fortress of Rabat: Kasbah des Oudaias. I was fully surprised by this place: it is rather on the side of the city and mostly looks like a piece of an old fortress wall. It is magnificent from the outside but does not really reveal at all what is on the inside: small shops and stalls, more freshly squeezed juice and bright blue walls. It was very odd to find such a tranquil place in the huge city and we strolled around the garden area watching cats bathing in the warm sun for ages.

If you proceed down on the cost line for another ten minutes you will come to the famous Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. You will be able to see the tower from a distance so navigating should not be too difficult. There was an official event in procession as we found our way here so we weren’t able to start a magazine photo shoot but the architecture was fascinating and the hilltop beautiful all the way around. We got some winks and air kisses from the guards which caused us to make a very speedy exit.

Back towards the city centre and then towards the old Roman era ruins (Chellah) on the other side of the city. We walked past the Rabat Ville train station we had arrived at the night before and got to admire the adorable palm alley in the daylight. The Chellah is a bit of a walk away and most tourists get around in a taxi (cheap) but I enjoyed the walk as well, just remember to download some offline maps first. The route takes you past the royal palace and some official buildings. The palace has short public visiting hours so if you are hoping to visit make sure you check them beforehand. The ruins are exactly what you would imagine. Behind a huge modern wall opens a lovely clearing with cats and birds roaming around the remains of the Roman buildings. Some parts are still in a good condition and you are free to explore them, as you wish. I found a door that I had been admiring in a magnet which made me very happy. I think often the beauty of Morocco lies in the small details and tiny places.

We had booked a train and bus to take us to Chefchaouen that evening so we grabbed some smoothies to go, picked up our bags and headed to the train station. Chefchaouen is quite far: either 5 hours by bus or a combination of a train and a bus in 4 hours. The secret (yet famous) city is high up in the mountains and far from everything so the connections are scarce but I must say that it is absolutely worth the journey. Of course, we had to learn our lesson regarding the trains the hard way: our train was a few minutes late to leave and we knew that it would arrive at the correct station 15 minutes before our bus was departing from that station at 16.30. As we pulled to the station at 16.27 we ran out of the train and the station. Noticing outside the station that there are no buses to be found, we returned inside to sort out the situation. Apparently, the train has also travelled slower than it was meant to and having minimal signs at the stations, we had left the train a stop too early. Well, we would have missed that bus anyway. So the staff told us to hop into a car and they would take us to the correct station so that we could see if we could still get a bus that evening. Two cars and a little hitchhiking later we finally reached the correct station. Naturally, the last bus for the evening was gone but the station manager agreed to walk us to another bus stop where there might be buses. Well, with an hour wait there may have been one. We asked for one of the minibusses: technically a van which is shared by six people and that operated between two specific stops. The van was only going to take us to another station an hour away from where we would have to find another van that links with Chefchaouen. We were told that these two-hour rides would cost 25 dih each which is very cheap compared to the trains and especially other taxis. I must say that the ride is not for the faint-hearted and the drivers are insane. The road across the mountains is a narrow whiny serpent road with more than 10 000 turns and twists and the confident van drivers speed away the whole journey with more than 40 km over the limit at all times. You can really wake yourself up watching how the drivers pass massive trucks 110 km/h in the turns with a yellow line and warning signs not have two cars side by side.

Chefchaouen is an adorable little town, yes, much occupied by the tourist but surprisingly the cheapest place we went to! If you would like to roam around the near mountains, drink coffee on rooftops, form your own vogue photo shoot or shop for some authentic garments and ornaments, this would be the place. Just remember to pack in your best colourful outfit! I must say as much as I had heard and read of it, it was still such a pleasant surprise in its realness. It wasn’t ruined by the tourists. However, we did wake up around 6 or 7 am every day and actually managed to find some pancakes we ate in all peace and quiet before anyone else was awake. One of the boys from the restaurant we ate at offered to show us a few of the most beautiful alleys and doors in order for him to practice his English. This was such an amazing deal actually! We saw all the ‘cool’ spots before there was anyone else around and did not have to wander around (as much as I do love that too, this place is a maze). I wish I could draw you a map and spot these places but I would just recommend walking around, asking the locals and waking up very early on the day that you actually wish to take photos. Because in all honesty, the streets are narrow and tourists do come in huge groups in the afternoons so you do want to have the city to yourself for a moment.

You also have the opportunity to see the city from the hills, the whole city is surrounded by castle walls that you can climb or further down the valley and into the truly old parts (build in the 1500s) you can find the steps up the Spanish Mosque. This is a white mosque up on the hill and you can see it very clearly from the city. Once you are up by it the whole city of Chefchaouen is laying beneath you. We also entered the Royal Gardens at the main square to see the whole city from the inside out.

Funny tip: Right at the end of the main square in the corner, by a mosque with a fountain and green doors is an antique shop. Have a look around, the owner is selling and displaying some amazing things. He helped us to get some henna tattoos and gifted us some earrings! But the main part is that he has a fantastic rooftop which he will lead you to if he likes you. The view is great and you will get to explore the main square right from the top of it in peace. Make friends with this man! He is also super talkative and tells amazing stories.

Chefchaouen is a small sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, with distances to and from it so long that you must stay for two days but more than worth it.  Do all your shopping there. Especially if you are planning on going to Tangier as well because Tangier is in full European tourist prices. There are shared taxis to Tangier that take 2 hours and cost around 70 dih per person or you can take a public bus for 3 hours and 45 dih per person.

Tangier definitely has a modern feeling to it with multiple high rising hotels and malls near the beach but the old town is still secluded and traditional. As I said before, Tangier is very expensive. It is fun to stroll around the street markets and the seafront but don’t fall into the tourist traps. We got a tip to go see the sunset to a famous cafe called de Hazan. It’s up on a hill right by the beach and you can see all the way to Spain from there. The cafe is very popular among the locals as well as a nearby view spot where they gather every evening to drink some herbal mint tea.

As much as Tangier seems modern during the day and from the outside, I have never been a target of that much catcalling before in my life nor have I ever felt that uncomfortable. We made an effort to cover up later that evening and headed to a restaurant that was recommended to us where we could get a tasting menu of the local cousins. For 20 euros we were meant to get a local noodle soup, a traditional samosa, vegetable couscous and a chicken tagine with some local fruits and tea for dessert. The food was delicious and plenty, we were early for dinner so we had the rooftop nearly to ourselves. Sadly they tried to scam us for the price at the end (50 euros) and the ‘card machine’ they said they had meant an atm somewhere outside. Tangier just really seemed like the place for these constant incidents which just left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth.

We had an early morning the following day as we had to head back to Casablanca for our flight. The train ride across the country lasted about 5 and a half hours and cost 132 dih so about 13 euros. The train took us to Casablanca and from there is a 20min/ 43dih ride to the airport.

We did miss our flight. Sadly, all the preparation did not work and we were unable to obtain our boarding passes due to an issue from the airline’s side. We tried to get through the border control for an hour and a half but it was hopeless. The staff at the airport was bouncing us around and no one was there to help or assist in any way. We were literally yelled at and told on multiple occasions that ‘it’s not my problem’. Let’s just say that getting home was a nightmare I have barely recovered from but we can get into further details of my side trip to Lisbon and Barcelona later.

Overall, I think the trip was fantastic and would absolutely recommend going to Morocco! Plan loosely, haggle and don’t trust the public transport would be my main tips. Make sure you are at the airport more than 2 hours early and wake up early every day because the sun rises in Africa are breathtaking.

Love,

Mira

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