Just last week I smashed my train travel record racking up 7.5 hours and yesterday I broke my bus record reaching Casablanca, or ‘Casa’ as the Moroccan’s would say, in a solid 6 hourer! I can also tell you that was my final journey in Morocco as I won’t, for several reasons, be spending any notable time here in Casa or in Morocco’s capital city, Rabat.
You see initially it was the input from travellers that had me contemplating skipping these cities. The consensus from separate sources has been that whilst both cities can indeed offer the familiar ‘city-life’ experience, you won’t get it if you’re there for a ‘fleeting’ visit. To ‘feel’ the city you’d need a good amount of time because there’s very little to see as a tourist.
Secondly, an online check revealed very few zero hostels in Casablanca and practically just one option in Rabat. I knew at this point that visiting these places was becoming less and less likely.
The final reason was simply down to the charm of Chefchaouen consisting of the village itself, its surrounding visual delights, a really decent hostel and of course a couple of people I’ve met here. Combined those things have meant I decided to stay on there longer and therefore less time in the aforementioned cities.
Yes folks, that means it’s pretty much time to leave so get your guessing game together and guess away, I challenge you :–)
Oh, and my departure involves an aeroplane, not another bus or train!
Regular readers will not be surprised to read that I’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable time here in Morocco. As ever, and true to form, I’ve not stayed put in a single place, I’ve moved through the country and spent many days in several cities. For a recap and visual reference, here is a point-to-point route covering my time in Morocco:
Three and a half weeks has indeed come around and ended rather quickly, or so it feels. It honestly doesn’t seem that long ago I had those early travel butterflies as I prepared, again, to leave everything and everyone I know to travel solo. Some readers may remember the actual moment that those feelings dissipated, the moment my sunshine-deprived face met with the rays of the Moroccan Sun all of two seconds after I exited the plane. That, and the fact than less than an hour later, I would have those positive feelings re-affirmed with having met Dom and Nathan for the first time and whom I proceeded to spend most of my time with in Essaouira.
That was then and this is now. Now, I am writing to you from a lonely Ibis hotel room devoid of the friendly, enjoyable atmospheric hospitality and accommodation I am so accustomed too these days. Then again, I’m not complaining (apart from the price) considering I have what feels like a glorious double bed, my own room, a mini wet room, a small television with access to BBC World News and for the piece de resistance, it’s fair to say I don’t have to walk very far to catch a direct metro train to the airport.
Ok, that’s an understatement. This is how far I have to walk to reach the train station…
If this website was being subsidised by advertisers or a holiday agency, (wouldn’t that be nice), I would take the time to wrap up this post with information readers soon to be visiting Morocco would find helpful.
I’d give more information relevant to travelling here including tips and tricks. I’d explain that the pictures you see covering the entire side-rear windows of some taxi’s are of the much loved King. I’d explain why he’s so adored by the people and how marrying a ‘normal’ girl, a red-head infact, only further boosted his already popular status. She was a computer engineer of sorts would you believe? I’d explain to you that you haven’t got to fear Moroccan men wearing the outfit known as a Djellaba as this outfit will cause ambivalence. On the one hand, westerners like it as it’s totally Star Wars attire and on the other hand, westerners don’t like it as is resembles the notorious attire of the KKK! Particularly when donned in a white robe…
You get the point. Sadly though for me, that’s not the case and so I have to wise and devote my time elsewhere and I need to know when and where to draw the line.
Well, now it would seem :–)
Thank you, Morocco. It’s been an absolute pleasure. The force has been strong here.
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