Casablanca

Finally, the post about my trip to Casablanca! Last Saturday I took my first trip outside of Rabat since coming to Morocco with five other girls from my program. Our day started at 9:15 when we met at the train station in downtown Rabat to take the hour long train ride to Casablanca. We decided to travel first class, because here in Morocco, the little extra cost is definitely worth it for the more private seating compartments and the luxury of air conditioning. This past summer, my friend Erin and I rode many trains throughout our summer adventures, which are chronicled here and I have to say that the trains in Morocco are certainly more romantic than the Amtrak version that I have experienced previously. On the train to Casa, we rode in style in our own compartment with plushy seats and curtains that could be drawn if we didn't want anyone in the outside corridor to see in.

We arrived in Casablanca at around 11:00 AM. Upon leaving the train station, we were immediately hailed by a cab driver named Hicham. Initially, we thought that we would walk around the city, and so politely told Hicham no, thank you, but after he showed us a map (information is apparently free) and pointed out that most of the places we wanted to visit were a rather far walk, we decided to take him up on his offer to drive us around for five hours for the price of 100 dirhams each. Now, I feel the need to clarify at the outset that we all had a pretty good idea that we were getting scammed, but Casablanca is a much bigger city than Rabat, and given our inadequate level of preparation for our day trip, we decided that having Hicham as our chauffeur was worth the $15 US. So, all six of us piled into Hicham's taxi and we were off!

Our first stop was the old Portuguese Kasbah, which is now a restaurant, and very unimpressive compared to the one in Rabat. Much more interesting was the fact that the Kasbah is located right near the port, and affords a view of the massive ships docked there. Rabat is a fairly small, quiet city, and that fact was really brought home when faced with the physical evidence of Casa's role as an economic center in Morocco. Located right near the Kasbah is Rick's Cafe, which I'm sure all of you Casablanca fans are familiar with. This Rick's Cafe was opened in 2003 or 2004 by an American and is a major tourist destination. We took pictures, but did not go inside.

Next on the list was the Hassan II Mosque. This was probably the highlight of our trip, and rightfully so as the structure is gorgeous, majestic, and absolutely immense. Hicham explained that this mosque was built in the 1980s by King Hassan II after the image presented by a sura in the Koran of a mosque built on the sea facing Mecca. The Hassan II mosque does indeed stretch over the ocean and is the second largest mosque in the world after Mecca. The whole structure is built out of creamy, pale stone with aquamarine mosaics. The detailing in the ornamental tile work around the doorways and water fountains was incredible and all of the doors, walls, and ceilings are intricately carved. The plaza outside the mosque is so vast, I was reminded of standing in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, and ends with a sheer drop into the ocean below. It was so funny walking around this mosque and seeing all of the little kids who go to the Koranic school next door darting between the European and American tourists who have come to see the only mosque that gives guided tours in Morocco. We decided not to take the tour as we will be heading back to Casablanca with AMIDEAST on one of our weekend trips and the tour is included in that trip.

When we returned to the cab, starry eyed and slightly overwhelmed after the trip to the mosque, Hicham took us through this random shanty town to an outlook that affords a great view of the mosque jutting out into the Atlantic. It was so strange standing on this strip of land covered with bottle caps and broken glass from beer bottles staring at the mosque on one side and the slum on the other. Hicham told us that during Ramadan the mosque is mostly full, which is impressive given that I think he said it fits 25,000, despite the fact that in Morocco people, especially the young people are free to do as they please. He said it was the young people's own choice to drink beer and hang out with their girl friends, but that it was better to do it out of sight of the mosque, as the building and what it stands for still needs to be respected.

Hicham also took us through some of the more touristy, beachfront areas with the hotels, and the pools, and the nicest McDonald's I've ever seen in my life. One of the beaches is even called Miami Plage, which I thought was hilarious. He drove us through the wealthy neighborhoods where houses are very expensive, but instead of having us walk around there, he took us to this little island, which can be walked to when the tide is out, where 12 poor Moroccan families live in an old fortress that was built by either the Portuguese or the Spanish (I forget which) in the 16th century. The men of these families make their living by fishing, which they do in these rubber inner tubes, which are also used to ferry people to and from the island when the tide is in. The women are fortune tellers who practice their trade by melting bits of tin and reading the signs that the metal makes when dropped in cold water. Hicham took us right into the settlement, which was incredible with its aging, white walls, tiny homes honeycombed throughout the structure, and finally, at the very top, stunning view of the Atlantic. Some of Casa's main draws are its beaches and upscale shopping, but I was glad that Hicham took us to this unglamorous, decidedly rough around the edges area where real Moroccans make their living.

Our last historic site visit was to the old Sacred Heart Cathedral built by the Spanish. I don't think it's a functioning church anymore, as the alter and pews were no where to be found and the building was currently housing an art exhibition, which was cool in its own right. Three of the other girls and I walked up the 120, pigeon poop encrusted stairs to the very top of the building. We were literally standing on the roof of the cathedral, no guard rail or anything, staring out at the city of Casablanca. It was intense!

After the cathedral was when things started to get a little sketchy. Let me say again, that we knew what we were getting into when we decided to stick with Hicham, and I don't regret our decision at all. The man was very friendly, chatted to us in Arabic and English, showed us pictures of his little baby, and gave us lots of friendly advise and information about Casablanca and our study of the Arabic language. He took pictures of us at every site we visited and let us wander around as long as we wanted. After the cathedral, though, we began to meet some of Hicham's friends. The first ones, own a tradition pharmacy. We were ushered inside, sat down, and given a demonstration of some tradition herbal remedies. We saw herbs and spices that help with colds and digestive difficulties, henna for dying skin, lips, and hair, cremes and oils for softening the skin, and musk for scenting the body and the home. The pharmacist answered all of our questions and let us test out his products. It was a really cool experience to have had and I love the rose scenting moisturizer that I purchased.

Out most uncomfortable encounter came at the carpet shop. As soon as we walked in I knew that none of us were walking out without a carpet. We were ushered into a back room, sat down and shown every kind of carpet the store owned. I tried to set the tone of the meeting by saying that we were poor students and asking how much something cost, but the owner was having none of it. He deftly refused giving any prices and said he would give us good rates. We saw carpet, after gorgeous carpet being unfolded and placed into piles when someone expressed an interest in a particular piece. After every one of us had a good sized pile of rugs in front of us the manager asked if we wanted tea. At this point I was feeling decidedly uncomfortable, but some of the other girls were ready to do some serious bargaining and the tea was sent for regardless of my trepidation. The manager and his assistant had us go through our piles and choose which rugs we were most interested in, and then the bargaining began.

The manager would take us aside, one at a time and break out the calculator, whispering and writing down numbers on a sheet of paper. When my turn came, I had narrowed down my choice to one white carpet covered with Berber designs in red, blue, and yellow. It's big enough to be spread on a bed and I though it would look lovely on my crimson duvet at home. Well, I was only willing to spend $100 US, as that's all my bank account could afford to take, and when the manager gave me his opening offer of 2,000 dirhams (300 US), I flat out told him no. He kept lowering by degrees, and I kept telling him that I simply did not have the money. H finally stopped at 1,300 dirham, saying that it was the price he would give his sister, and I did really want the rug, but it was too much. After some serious thinking, mental calculations, and a call to my mom, I decided to hell with it, I was going to buy a rug in Morocco sometime or another, and went ahead and purchased it, knowing full well that I was probably paying too much. I wasn't the only one though. Five of us bought carpets, and I was pretty proud of the fact that I managed to get mine at almost half price, even if my bargaining strategy was simply repeating that I didn't have money over and over again. All in all, the rug shop adventure was a little stressful but also quite humorous. The experience of sitting in this rug shop with this little Moroccan man whispering prices me in heavily accenting English as I absently sipped tea and attempted mental dirham to dollar conversions was totally surreal and certainly laughable in hindsight. It was clear that all six of us had been suckered into a situation that had spiraled slightly out of our control, and the most we could do was sit back and enjoy how the events unfolded. I really do love the rug I purchased, and for about $150 US, I really can't complain. I can now say that I've had my inevitable tourist scamming experience and move on with it.

After the rug shop we convinced Hicham to drop us at the train station and ten minutes later we were on the train back to Rabat. Upon arriving home, I showed my host family my rug, and although my host mom told me I payed way too much and should never buy things like that without her, my host dad seemed to think I did OK for myself and Ranya and Sarah just found the whole situation hilarious. My host mom promised to take me to the market in Rabat next time I want to make a big purchase and show me where the good stores are and how to get a good price.

All in all, the Casablanca trip was certainly a great experience, a ton of fun, and produced many fabulous memories. I think that I did well for my first voyage outside Rabat and it was heartening to note that I can be a good tourist as well as a good student. I now think that I will be able to approach longer trips outside Rabat with more confidence and experience, and can hardly wait for my next adventure!