Vanessa

Morocco Road Trip I: Casablanca to Marrakesh

If you are not a seasoned backpacker, it might be hard to find travel buddies/partners who enjoy the same things that you do. For a trip like this, it will be harder because it requires more time away from the daily grind, and the trip itself is not cheap (but doable and can be cheaper if organized as a group tour).

I require a little comfort when traveling, and sometimes a bit of luxury. I need a travel partner who is willing to spend a bit on accommodation. Just a tad bit. I don’t need five star accommodation but some of the basics are a must—water heater, A/C, clean linen, towels, and a bathroom I don’t have to share with everyone booked in the same place. Luckily for me, this trip was planned with someone who feels the same way and knows:

How to navigate roads.
How to avoid the highway and find more scenic routes.
Roads well through experience.

Our road trip took 2,268 kilometers, 36 hours total. It was the best trip of my life, bar none. And I wish to make more great trips in the future.

CAR RENTAL

My travel partner, who prefers to be completely anonymous and disliked every name I came up with, and therefore I shall refer to as Sir Elton John or Elton from here on out, arrived three days after I did. Elton pre-booked a car from Avis for 8 days for 194 euros (approx ₱10,350.00). The model was a Fiat Punto with manual transmission. Five people can fit inside the car but I guess four is best for comfort. The Avis staff recommended full insurance coverage which cost 196 euros (approx ₱10,450.00). I was against it, but Elton took it anyway and boy, was I glad he did. Car insurance is very important, we later found out.

One doesn’t need an international license to drive in Morocco. Elton said that driving restrictions are set only to licenses with texts written in special alphabets/characters (like Chinese, Greek, Russian, etc) and not for those not written in English. However, do check with the car company before renting a car.

There are a couple of toll gates along the highway from Casablanca to Marrakesh. I have forgotten how much toll cost but it wasn’t much and won’t strain your budget.

THE BAD SIDE OF MARRAKESH

We arrived in Marrakesh around eight in the evening. I was in charge of accommodation. I would’ve booked the same wonderful EL Moukkef inn I stayed in for the past days but due to a misunderstanding, I had to look for a new one and found a riad with good reviews. I mailed the riad and was assured that they will find a paid parking space for us.

As we got nearer and nearer the Old City, Elton seemed to be getting more and more doubtful about my choice of accommodation and said that in places like Marrakesh, it’s always best to book a hotel outside the city center, where secured parking is usually available. I insited that I was assured that there will be a parking slot available for us and that the riad’s staff will personally take us there.

My things were still with Mohammed (the manager of the EL Moukkef inn) so Elton and I entered the walled Old City and headed to EL Moukkef, using both Google Maps and Here apps to navigate the medina, which had more people at night and a lot of them were touts!

A group of men approached the car. I was getting alarmed but Elton was calm and opened his window a little bit. A guy wearing a red jacket, who seemed like the leader of the group, kept asking us if we needed a parking slot—which we did, but hopefully not there! The tout walked alongside the car, into the only passable street at that time, that lead to a small plaza that people use for parking. And then another man pushing a huge cart with oranges pounded on the car again and again using his hand, before hitting the back of the car a few times with his cart! There were so many people around and I personally didn’t know what the heck was going on, but I knew for sure we shouldn’t get out because it seemed like it was exactly what the touts wanted.

“Parking, Sir, Madame? You know someone here? Here we have parking. Tell me who you know,” Red Jacket said with a sense of urgency, as if we needed to decide immediately or the world was going to end.

I called Mohammed and as I was talking to him, insistent Red Jacket said, “Madame, give me your phone. Let me talk to him.”

Mohammed said, “Don’t ever give him your phone. I’m coming over.”

fiat-dent It took only a few minutes before Mohammed arrived but it seemed like an eternity. Red Jacket asked us for some money but we didn’t give him anything. Mohammed got in the car and showed us the way to the inn so I can get my luggage. It was calm and quiet in that area. Elton came out of the car to look at the damage. The car was dented. If he didn’t take the insurance, Avis would’ve charged his credit card 3,000 euros (approx P160,000.00).

We asked Mohammed to take us to the place we’ll be staying in, which turned out to be far from EL Moukkef and therefore, the secured parking area near the inn was out of the question (it was 40 dirhams/night or P220). Mohammed called the riad we’ll be staying in. The receptionist told him that they couldn’t help us with parking and so Mohammed did.

The riad was located deep in the medina, close to the Big Square. The only place where you can park “near” it was on the street beside Arrondissement Jamaâ El-Fna (beautiful structure), which meant that we needed to carry our luggages through a park, across a major road, through the big square, and a series of small streets into the medina. Elton’s first day couldn’t be any crappier. Or so I thought.

The riad blew. The rooms stunk. We skipped dinner, exhausted. In my mind, I was preparing to adjust the itinerary I worked on, which has never happened before in any of my travels. Being a bit OC, it should’ve alarmed me but Elton was a great travel partner and I knew everything was going to get better (and it certainly did).

The next morning, we were supposed to do a side trip to Essaouira and head back to Marrakesh since it was a closer starting point to get to our next destination, Ait Ben Haddou. We decided not to go back to Marrakech even though the hotel was prebooked and therefore booking was non-refundable. Surprisingly, the riad’s receptionist wouldn’t swipe my card and said that they only accept cash payments (they accept dirhams and euros). Take note that some hotels will accept only cash payments but they will charge your card if you cancel. My guess is they don’t have swipers and just use the old system of charging cards by phone call to the bank/Mastercard/Visa. Always bring cash.

Don’t let the bad side of Marrakesh discourage you from seeing it. I think it is one of the most important places to see in Morocco. It has too much of everything. I recommend staying here for two or three days. You might want to check out my Marrakesh entry for more details.

Arriving in Marrakesh

I arrived in Marrakesh at night. The train station is located in the New City. My guess is, you will book a place in the Old City (medina) if you don’t have a car. If you do, it might be a little tricky to find parking in the Old City.

There are taxis outside the train station. If you arrive at night, you might want to have dinner first if your hotel/riad is not located near the Big Square/Jmaa el-Fnaa. I asked the inn for transfer so getting there was not a problem. It cost me 15 euros (they usually quote in euros). If you ride a taxi (there are two kinds, the petite and the Grand taxi) it will cost less BUT arriving at the Old City at night, you might want to consider that a lot of riads/hotels are located so deep in the medina that a transfer will probably be a smarter idea to avoid touts.

Finally, after a long trip, I have arrived in the Old City with a Korean couple, also booked in the same inn. I had no idea where I was exactly but I sure as hell was happy to see someone from the inn. He was a nice man in his early 20s, good-looking and tall, quite shy but had a big smile on his face. He inquired, “Are you Vanessa?”

I immediately felt safe and happy. Someone in Africa knew my name and I didn’t even know him! He didn’t look anything like the photo of Rachid (the owner) on Airbnb, but I thought it’s only fair since my profile photo there was from a long-forgotten era, pounds and pounds ago. I said, “Yes, I am. Are you Rachid?”

“No. My name is Mohammed. I answered all your mails! Welcome to Marrakesh!”

“Thank you!” I said, a bit embarrassed `cause I tried to haggle for the transfer. I sure hoped he didn’t remember that!

It was almost nine in the evening and all I wanted to do was take a shower and sleep. We walked for about five minutes, along tiny streets that reminded me of Ilocos, and stopped in front of an unassuming green gate. He opened the gate and my heart sank. I thought I made a booking mistake. Beside the gate was a door that lead to an entryway that was too narrow and small. About three meters from the front door was another door. He opened it and said it was going to be my room. I nodded, not expecting anything nice. But lo and behold, it was a gorgeous place with a separate kitchen, bath, bedroom, and living area! Wow! I hit the mother lode on this one, I thought. The place is called Chez Rachid, which I booked through Airbnb.

Mohammed left to take the couple upstairs. I was getting impatient and called him by phone. I was quite the jerk, hurrying him up, not appreciating the relaxed way of living in Morocco I have read about even before I came. At this point though, I was ready to faint from exhaustion and only wanted to message my brother that I have arrived safely. Mohammed gave me the wifi password after serving me mint tea and the most delicious peanut-caramel rolls I have ever tasted. I felt guilty `cause the tea energized me enough to chat with a few friends and post a photo on Instagram. But he was really nice and explained how everything worked the following day. Oh, and by the way, there is a tannery right beside the inn, where I bought leather for journal making (no, the inn doesn’t stink because of the tannery).

Apparently, I booked an inn a bit far from the Big Square (but I prefer this place and I will book it again if I go to Marrakesh). The area where the inn is located is called “EL Moukkef.” Mohammed gave me a map of the medina with clear instructions on how to reach the Big Square. From EL Moukkef, the square is only about seven to ten minutes away by foot.

Every time I went out, my senses were assaulted by vibrant colors and aroma, some strange and others intoxicating. There was a market where oranges were being sold on the streets like onions in our talipapa (Oranges grow so abundant in Morocco that fresh OJ is always available and cheap. Orange trees line median divider islands of some roads, too). There were all kinds of fresh herbs and vegetables that will make you want to cook (cauliflower as big as my head, which my travel partner said was common in Europe); merchants using vintage scales I never knew still existed, much more used; donkeys carrying all sorts of merchandise; strawberries as big as light bulbs; spices of different colors and aroma; powdered minerals; dried roses and herbs; oils; carpets; leather items–from wallets to futons; mountains of dates, dried oranges and figs; nuts; breads and mouthwatering French pastries; live chickens being slaughtered as the ladies wearing colorful hijabs wait for the day’s fresh ingredient. My favorite though was a picture perfect merchant selling vintage items in a street corner—from paintings to plates to fire bellows… all these and the Big Square would still be five minutes away! I swear, it’s a Moroccan Diagon Alley. The pictures below are crap compared to what you will experience in this area of Marrakesh. I would’ve taken more photos if I wasn’t told not to take them without permission. I’m also not a good photographer and dislike taking photos all the time; I feel it gets in the way of the experience. I have taken a video of my stroll down the streets though but unfortunately, I was wearing my GoPro like a necklace and my scarf covered the lens. Yup, I do this sort of thing all the time, sadly.

If you are booked in a hotel near Jmaa el-Fnaa, take a stroll down EL Moukkef. In fact, before booking, maybe you might want to consider checking out my entry about choosing a riad/hotel for your stay in Marrakesh.

Ah, the memories are making me misty. I sure could use some mint tea right now.

Morocco Travel: Getting Started

BEFORE YOU GO

To answer the first question that pops in every Filipino traveler’s mind: No, Filipinos don’t need a visa when traveling to Morocco. Now, breathe.

Traveling this far, I recommend getting a travel insurance. I got mine from Malayan for ₱1,100.00 (around 22 euros) for 2 weeks.

SEARCHING FOR FLIGHTS

Coming from Asia, you will find flights arriving on Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca. Coming from Europe, there are other options.

From Manila, searching for flights to CMN, you will find Emirates and Etihad. The fares will be expensive for a regular traveler. This is why I searched for flights from Singapore, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur. I found CMN flights from Kuala Lumpur to be the cheapest when I booked, although searching for connecting flights from Europe to Morocco can sometimes be a lot cheaper. I didn’t take this route as it was my first long haul flight and I wasn’t sure about baggage transfer in European airports. However, if you wish to consider this, I have found that Singapore/Kuala Lumpur-France-Marrakesh is cheaper (Singapore/Kuala Lumpur to Charles de Gaulle via Air France; Charles de Gaulle-Marrakesh via Easy Jet).

Another option is Cebu Pacific or PAL to Dubai, then Dubai to Morocco (several flights are available). Remember though that you must inquire about baggage transfer beforehand if you’re not planning on getting a transit visa in Dubai. Dubai International Airport (DXB) offers baggage transfer service and most partner airlines do transfers anyway. BUT IT IS INTEGRAL to find out before booking a flight. I had no time to do this and decided to purchase an Emirates flight from Kuala Lumpur to Casablanca via Dubai. It cost around ₱34,490.00 (about 650 euros). Remember that banks set an online spending limit. You might need to call your bank a day in advance before making a purchase or call the Emirates booking office in Manila and pay through BDO deposit.

When booking a flight, note that Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is huge (KLIA is NOT KLIA 2—which is where you will land if you book Air Asia). To get to KLIA from KLIA2, you will need to go to the train station located at the basement of the main building. Waiting for the train takes longer than the ride itself, which takes less than five minutes. The fare is RM40 (about ₱45.00 or less than 1 euro)

DXB is colossal as well, which means that it can take you an hour to get to your boarding gate. You need to ride a train to get to some gates in both KLIA and DXB. If your flight to Kuala Lumpur gets delayed and arrive two hours before boarding, you might miss your flight.

ARRIVING IN MOHAMMED V INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CMN)

Buy a SIM card at the airport. There was a long cue in one of the shops that sell the more affordable SIM cards. I didn’t have time to wait as I wanted to catch the next train to Marrakesh. It took me nearly an hour and half at baggage claim (a fellow told me delays at baggage claim were normal here for bigger planes as the conveyor belts were short–don’t ask me about it, I don’t get it either–but just take note in case you need to consider this in working out a schedule). I bought a SIM card with 7 Gig data and 4 hours worth of calls. I figured it will come in handy for downloading Google Maps anyway. It cost 300 dirhams (approx ₱1,500.00 or 30 euros).

You might want to head straight to Marrakesh upon arrival since Casablanca is not exactly the reason why people head to Morocco. This task is easy as there is a train station at the basement of the building. This is a regular train, not an express one. Welcome to Morocco, where time stood still in a beautiful, beautiful way.

To get to Marrakesh, buy a ticket for Casa Voyageurs and from Casa Voyageurs to Marrakesh. It gets confusing here because an updated trail map is not available online, at the station, or the train itself. You see, when I had to go to the airport from Marrakesh, the ticketing office sold me tickets to L’Oasis Station and from there, I took the train to Aeroport Med V. But don’t worry, the ticketing officer speaks English and will advise you which trains to take. You may refer to their website and hopefully, by this time they have updated it.

There are two kinds of tickets, first and second class. I booked first class `cause it was my first time and I wanted to be fancy. Sadly, I wasn’t fancy enough to know the difference between first and second class cars and I ended up in second class all the way to Marrakesh. The only time I realized I was in second class was when I had to go back to the airport and was directed by the conductor to the first class car.

The trains are clean. The conductors are highly professional, wearing uniforms with matching hats. There are uniformed trolley men as well who sell snacks like biscuits, coffee, soda, water, caviar and champagne (just kidding about the caviar and champagne). Since I accidentally rode both classes from not being fancy enough, I can say that if you’re on a budget, train traveling first or second class doesn’t matter much in Morocco. Both have comfortable seats. Of course, first class has extras: compartments (6 people per compartment) and softer cushions. Remember though that I traveled during winter. I’m not sure if the train has A/C, which I imagine is important during summer, but they sure didn’t turn up the heat when I was in it.

Ticket prices:

Airport to Casa Voyageurs (about 45 minutes):

2nd Class: approx ₱230
1st Class: approx ₱350

Casa Voyageurs to Marrakesh (about 3 hours):

2nd Class: approx ₱550
1st Class: approx ₱900

The route is scenic. You will not get bored, I promise. But if you do, the seats are comfortable enough and you can sleep, like I did. I dozed off mid-way to Marrakesh coming from a twenty-hour trip. Don’t worry if you fall asleep since your destination is the last station for this route.

Welcome to Marrakesh, where all the madness usually begins.

Getting Ready for Winter in Morocco

I’m glad to have gone to Morocco during winter because temperature can shoot up during summer. However, one of the kasbah owners said that it’s only this year that they experienced a winter as cold and as long as this one.

I never thought I’d freeze my bum at the Sahara but that’s what happened. Arriving at the kasbah at five in the afternoon, the temperature was 14°. They immediately served mint tea, perfect but not enough to make me warm. Heck, I get cold at 23°!

I’ve made a list of things one should consider having before traveling to Morocco in winter.

Jackets/thermal wear, hat, gloves. One would think they can reuse their jackets everyday but remember that the medina requires a lot of walking and you will get sweaty. Bring as many warmers as you can. Don’t worry about them for bed time though; hotels usually have heaters (but always check before booking!). Take note that there are no laundry shops in Morocco. I didn’t see one. Hotels might offer laundry service but a lot don’t have dryers and you might wait a bit for your clothes. TIP: There are cute Korean winter hats in Divisoria for only P150 and they will look great for your selfies.

A good pair of walking shoes. My personal preference is my pair of combat boots. From the desert to the medinas, they are perfect and won’t give out on you. If able, avoid shoes made of fabric. Some areas of the medina are wet (like Asian markets). I doubt you’d want shoes you would need to wash and dry to clean.

Lots of socks. It’s cold, you walk a lot, your feet will sweat a lot. Bring lots of socks.

Luggage you can drag around. The streets of the medinas are long, winding, and you will get lost. One of the worst things that can happen is getting lost while carrying tons of stuff. I went home with a few gashes on my shoulders from carrying my duffel bag around.

A cross-body purse to keep your wallet and gadgets in. Your guide/hotel receptionist might tell you to keep your belongings safe at all times. There will be tons of people in the medina and as one guide said, “The thieves are not aggressive but very professional, so keep your wallets safe at all times please.”

Scarves. These are essential to use for warmth and also to cover up your shoulders.

Pants and conservative clothing. One must respect the culture of the country one is visiting. Always dress appropriately. You can’t wear your mini-skirts, shorts, or blouses with plunging neckline. I personally prefer a dress plus leggings. T-shirts are okay, of course. But Moroccans are very fashionable and you will sort of want to look cute like them.

Hmmm, I think for my next visit, I will need a bigger luggage to take back more tagines, lanterns, nuts, and tea with me!

The Trip That Inspired the Blog

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You weren’t part of the plan. Falling in love with you was not part of the plan, I thought, boarding a plane leaving Morocco. It was going to be a very long journey back home, I figured.

If I’m being honest, I really wasn’t expecting much from Morocco before I came. Sure, I was awfully excited at first but my expectations dwindled, thanks to all the bad things I read about it. Every time I went online, I read something bad about Moroccan travel. So many warnings and they made me think that I was about to dive right into a lion’s den. At that point, I was pretty much only trying to convince myself that it’s gonna be great ‘cause it’s still Africa, how exotic, how rich in culture and tradition. Besides, I thought I was gonna go on a scheduled vacation, the place was not important; I just had to go and that in itself was more than exciting.

Morocco was not the original destination I had in mind. The only reason why I ended up there was because of visa requirements I couldn’t take care of before the vacation. But oh my god, what a beautiful accident Morocco has been!

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I don’t consider myself well-traveled, not having been outside Asia. But the parts of Asia I have seen were all beautiful in their own way. Of course, the Philippines will always be number one in my heart. I mean come on, the islands, the people? Before I get started on bragging about my country, let me tell you more about the trip that inspired me to start a blog yet again. Quit rolling your eyes, I intend on blogging more this time, and traveling, of course. Soon, I will post my detailed itineraries because I travel that way. I’m OC when it comes to planning before any trip. I guess that’s a good thing for this blog.

When I decided to go to Morocco, the first task was research. It was tough but I had to do it (I enjoy doing it). I wrote several tour companies, received quotations, itineraries, and tips that I used to come up with what seemed like the perfect plan for the trip. It was. Almost.

Here’s a map of the places I visited in Morocco:

marked-map

In the following entries, I will be writing about each area I saw, tips, budget, and some restaurant and hotel reviews. There will be a lot of details so please be a little patient. I will try to update once a week. Meanwhile, sit back, relax, and consider making a shopping list before heading to Morocco.