Neither of us got a good night’s sleep last night due to constant and varied noises from numerous sources. Doors slamming, people talking, silverware clattering, and the call to prayer are all at fault for a fitful night of sleep. The hotel breakfast was one of the worst I have ever seen in my life, and then it got worse when I tasted it. I tried to bite into a sfenj, or Moroccan donut, but the consistency was a bit like rubber and my teeth wouldn’t even penetrate it. We both gave up, bested by the breakfast buffet. It was time to drive.
We headed out onto the road around 10. It was an arduous drive. It wasn’t particularly dangerous or all that stressful, but it was lengthy. Moroccan drivers have a bit of a bad reputation that is perhaps exaggerated a bit on other people’s blogs and TripAdvisor forums. But I do admit that many have a tendency to kind of straddle the line between two lanes and drift lazily left and right. The speed also tends to vary greatly, with many drivers appearing to get offended by my intent to pass them as if I’d insulted their manhood.
There is also much talk of the police fining people for any number of infringements that usually result in a bribe. Maybe we were lucky, but it was always the car in front of or behind us that got waved to the side for interrogating. In any event, Google maps prediction of a 5+ hour drive to the Casablanca airport was pretty accurate. Things got a bit stressful when trying to drop off the car because signage was virtually nonexistent for the rental car drop off. We tried to call Budget and ask them where to go, but as you can see by the picture below, no one could pick up the phone.
We eventually figured it out on our own, but there was nobody there to process the vehicle or take the key. The security guy working the gate to the rental facility eventually intervened and must have somehow called the Budget guy who came back. The security guy also had a taxi come get us to take us into town. Helpful guy. The Budget employee? Not so much. The airport was about a 35 minute drive from central Casablanca.
As Nicole pointed out, we have had three very different Moroccan experiences in three days. Resort, small town, and urban city. Casablanca was very bustling today with people everywhere. We checked in to the Barceló Anfa Hotel and could finally stretch our legs for a bit. We decided to walk down to the Al Hassan II mosque, which we could also see from our hotel room window.
It was about a twenty minute walk to the mosque. We were the last people admitted to the site before guards put up barricades. We got there at “rope raise” if you will. I guess they wanted to start rustling people up to close down completely around 6pm. There were hundreds of people on the mosque grounds — children playing on scooters or roller skates, numerous people just sitting around, and lots of gathering and mulling. Of all the mosques in all the towns in all the world, they all walked into this one.
The mosque itself was only completed in the early 90s, so it is relatively new, but it is unique in its overall design. The use of the green and aquamarine colors are not typically used in mosques or Islamic architecture. Its minaret was the tallest in the world until recently when neighboring Algeria had to one up it, not unlike the drivers on the road who don’t want to be passed. Supposedly there is a green laser that points toward Mecca at night, but maybe the batteries ran out because we didn’t see such a thing.
We tried to take it all in, but the constant whistles from security guards at children running around didn’t make it the most relaxing experience. We eventually made our way outside the grounds, just to go around the corner for a view of the Atlantic Ocean with the mosque. This too was quite crowded with people. I’m not sure what the big occasion was today. It wasn’t any sort of holiday or anything, but I feel like the whole city of Casablanca was out today.
We made our way back to the hotel, picking up a few prepackaged pain-au-chocolats at a Carrefour for breakfast tomorrow. We elected to just get dinner at our hotel as it was the easiest option. We ordered room service and got a croque monsieur and chicken tagine, which is a distinctly North African dish. It is made in a conical device that helps steam and keep the food moist. The chicken was flavored and heavily spiced. We polished our food off with a Casablanca lager, our first alcoholic beverage in Morocco.
We finalized some logistical planning for our next stage which we hope will be Portugal. Tomorrow we leave around 1130 from the Casablanca airport, where our DC-3 awaits us. It is the last flight to Portugal that day, so hopefully there are no issues. That being said, the problems of two little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
passports & pepto bismol 