THE MOROCCO DIARIES, PART 1 of 10: CASABLANCA
It was an adventure long in the making. I have always dreamt of Africa, but until my recent trip to Morocco I had never stepped foot in any of the continent’s 54 countries. Several years ago, I was taking a summer in the south of Spain with a group of friends. On a whim, the group wanted to go to Morocco that very same day. Our spontaneity was dashed when we realised that I needed to apply for a visa, which would’ve taken weeks. Fast forward to 27 December 2017 and the Kingdom of Morocco agreed that all Malaysians could visit visa-free. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present. So a trip to Morocco was booked for the following September: a tour spanning several towns and cities with sights and experiences so diverse that I felt like I got a decent overview of what this country had to offer. From the tree-climbing goats of Agadir to the urban cacophony of Marrakech, my Moroccan experience was everything I had dreamt of and more.
I’m so very excited to share with you my journey with my Moroccan Diaries, a 10-part series of travel stories spanning 13 cities and towns. The first and the last of the destinations was the port city of Casablanca. Although often overlooked for its more atmospheric (read: Insta-worthy) siblings such as Chefchaouen and Marrakech, Casablanca is the best representation of the modern nation. The former pirate lair-turned economic capital of the country, Casablanca Morocco’s largest city, has its sights set firmly across the Atlantic and onto the future. Here’s looking at you, kid.
RICK’S CAFE |
The first and the last meal of my Morocco trip were at Rick’s Cafe. Both of those meals were the best I had in that country. My experiences at Rick’s Cafe were the perfect beginning and ending of a trip I had anticipated for so long, not just for the romantic ambience and the gorgeous food, but also for bringing to life a Hollywood classic that has been one of my favourite movies for as long as I can remember.
Casablanca is often passed over by travellers seeking to visit Morocco, for this modern city’s charms are less obvious. But a closer inspection reveals more, such as this charming restaurant I stumbled upon when I explored a hole in the wall beneath a cannon embedded in a fortress.
THE OLD MEDINA
...likewise, the Old Medina (Old City) of Casablanca lacks the characteristics you’d expect from such a quintessentially Moroccan attraction. Though the lanes are charmingly crooked and the walls lovingly weathered, the Medina feels much newer than its medieval counterparts in other cities. At first glance, the wares for sale seem perfunctory and dare I say, prosaic; but that’s not to say that the Medina doesn’t deserve a closer look. I certainly would not have thought to thoroughly explore, had a friendly local not come up to me and ask where I was from. When I told him “Malaysia”, his face lit up - according to him, Malaysians enjoy a good reputation amongst Moroccans for being compassionate, polite, and not-pushy at Haj, the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca. So it was his absolute pleasure, he insisted, to guide me through the Old Medina Honestly, without his help I would’ve been absolutely lost - the Medina was a maze of 4,000 stalls! I didn’t care much for the designer knockoffs, but the local crafts; oh my! Woven baskets, hand embroidered dresses, bejewelled kaftans! I bought a lovely round basket with rope handles, covered in fluffy tassels for 200 dirham (€18) that I would’ve paid £70 for in a shop in London. I’m certainly glad I gave the Medina a chance. I later learnt that it was a popular route for those walking between downtown Casablanca and Hassan II Mosque. The Old Medina of Casablanca might not be the most scenic in Morocco, but it had its charms, even if it wasn’t the postcard from the past I had hoped it to be.
LA CORNICHE |
HASSAN II MOSQUE |
Mosques in Morocco are closed to non-worshippers so as not to disrupt and distract those who come to have their conversations with God. The exception is Hassan II Mosque, where people of any creed and faith can visit even the interiors, as long as they come outside prayer times and are ‘decently and respectfully dressed’ ie. knees and upper arms need to be covered. Women are not required to wear head coverings. |
With its uniquely relaxed attitude toward receiving non-worshipping visitors, Hassan II Mosque was an appropriate landmark to close my introduction to cosmopolitan Casablanca. Casablanca’s modernity would prove to be the perfect foil to the rugged charms of the rest of Morocco. Casablanca’s liberal and progressive attitude certainly made me feel welcome in a country I have waited so long to visit.
Next stop: the Imperial cities of
Meknes and the capital, Rabat.
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