Casablanca, Morocco - part 2

After my unpleasant experience on Thursday in Casablanca, I had a greater excitement optimism about our trip on Friday. Thursday night at dinner, James' colleague, Jay, and I decided that we would venture out on Friday (in between my teleconferences and whilst James was in Rabat). Jay and I were trying to find a place where he could get some gifts for his kids. Eventually, we were taken to a mall-type place, but it was like America in Casablanca. That wouldn’t help. So we went back to the harassment-filled bazaar I had gone to the day before. This time, I had my hair up, my head and hair covered, and my sunglasses on. Other than my leather jacket, jeans, and Converse, no one could tell I was American J

Fortunately, I wasn’t harassed at all. I don’t know if it was because Jay was with me or because my blonde hair and pale skin wasn’t visible, but it was a much more enjoyable outing. Whilst we were at the American Mall (it's called Anfa Place and is in the "rich" part of Casablanca), we walked around outside a bit and saw a beach and the mosque (that James and I were going to visit the next day). It was a really neat little outdoor center with shops, cafes, benches for sitting and views of the beach. I finally got excited optimistic about touring around on Saturday with James.

Friday night James and I found a “hidden gem” (to use his words), called Jimmy’s (appropriately). It was a great and CHEAP little bar with the most attentive manager. We didn’t stay long, but really enjoyed it. We headed to Rick’s Café – apparently created recently (2004-ish) to replicate the Casablanca movie. On our way, we got detoured down a road that was pure, authentic Casablanca. For me, it was absolutely awesome. For James, I think it was a bit nerve-wracking. LOADS of Moroccans were sitting lined up on the street selling all kinds of stuff. They would put out a blanket/tarp and they place all of their goods on top – everything from underwear to fresh fruit to phone covers to plastic storage containers. Anything you could possibly want or need if you are a native.  Of course we were followed, but I let James take the brunt of the harassment. One guy said “this is real Morocco. Out there is fake Morocco. This is real Morocco.” And that was the truth. The poverty screamed at us, but I finally gained the sense of culture that I was seeking. I wanted to see how “real Moroccans” lived and what they did. We ventured down a street far too many tourists would be scared to go down or would be told to avoid, and it was one of the best parts of the trips. James prohibited me from taking any photos, but the images are etched in my mind for a lifetime.

Saturday we headed to the mosque. The mosque is the largest in Morocco and the third largest in the world! It was absolutely gorgeous. It was huge and the designs so intricate and pretty. Loads of pictures will be available soon. After our walk, we went to the lighthouse, the beach, and then tried to find our way to the “twin center” and the royal palace. We walked for over 5 hours and by the end, our feet and legs were in a great deal of pain. But, we managed to see everything we wanted – and even got yelled at by the royal palace guards (apparently taking any photographs is not allowed. I don’t follow instructions well). The pictures will tell the story.

The country is stricken with poverty. It is sad and depressing, but really makes you appreciate everything we are afforded in our lives. Although so much of the spoken language is French or Arabic (or a combination of the two), quite a few of the Moroccans knew English, which I found very impressive. The food leaves a bit to be desired. I ordered risotto and it looked like soup with rice. We went to a Thai restaurant and that was decent, but overall, nothing all that great.

Saturday night we had a blast. We returned to Jimmy’s. We started the night listening to MTV-ish English (either American or British) top hits. All of a sudden they changed the channel and I was quite irritated. We were both pleasantly surprised when they turned on the Wales versus England Six Nations Rugby match. This match would determine the champion and we had completely forgotten this was happening (admittedly, I was rooting for Scotland and James was rooting for Ireland, but neither were able to win the whole thing, so we both routed for Wales). It was really exciting for us. I can imagine most of our American friends reading this are going to think we’ve become traitors – fans of rugby. And I guess we are. We were SO excited. Americans, sitting in Africa, watching England/Wales – a truly global experience.

Sunday, James was heading to Barcelona and I was heading back home. Normally after a vacation, I am depressed heading home and getting back into the routine of things. I felt really excited to be going home and getting back to work…………until Monday when the lives of approximately 10,000 people (mine and James included) were disrupted at the hands of one man. Stay tuned for that update.

 I am really glad to have gone to Casablanca, but it is not on my list of places to visit again.