Stepping up the pace

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Escaping city life

From Marrakech I went to Essouira. It is a coastal town with a more relaxed atmosphere. I enjoyed walking over the beach and exploring the old city. In contrast to my first week in Morocco I was now by myself. The combination of being in this more peaceful place just doing my own things made it a pleasant experience. After two days in Essouira I went to Rabat. First I had to take the bus to Marrakech. It is so beautiful driving through this almost biblical landscape. Most part very dry land covered with rocks and once a while someone riding on a donkey to who knows where. When we arrived in Marrakech a lot of streets were flooded because of the massive amount of rain from the last days. There I had to connect with the train to Rabat. Luckily when I got to the train station in Marrakech the train was just about to leave, so my planning was exactly right. Exactly seven hours after I left Essouria I arrived in Rabat. From the train station I walked towards the old town (Medina) and searched for a hotel. The first hotel said there was no one person room available, only a double room, with a double price of course. When I heard the same story at the next two hotels I thought: hmmmm… this sounds like a scam. But eventually I found a room in one of the hotels for a good price.

Having a stomach made of steel?

After checking in my hotel I dived into the Medina to get a nice vegetable Tagine (stoofpot). So delicious! To help digest my big meal I had a walk around and had to avoid some fights. I don’t know why the people were acting so aggressive to each other this evening. I don’t remember it to be full moon or something. As a small desert I bought some pastry in one of the small shops. When the owner of the hotel saw me walking in with it he said this night I would get serious stomach problems. But maybe because I have travelled so long my stomach can handle everything. Because the next day I felt full of energy, so no problemos… My second day in Rabat I visited the Andalusian gardens and the Platforme du Semaphore. From there I could have a beautiful view over the ocean. Over all Rabat seems to have two different faces. First the Medina, which looks like a medieval town. And on the other side the new part of the city which is very cosmopolitan. With wide streets and people strolling along it.

From Rabat I went by train to Fes. Because I had plenty of time I decided to walk from the train station towards the old part of town (Medina). There I found the hotel where I wanted to stay. The easy part was finding the place, the hard part was to get rid of the people who wanted to show me the hotel they get a commission from the owner to guide me there. After my check in at the hotel I started to walk along the narrow streets along carpet and souvenir shops and many eateries. Finally at the moment when I felt like having lost every feeling of direction I noticed someone with a very familiar rucksack on his back. It was my friend from Israel again. He was standing in front of a Mosque taking pictures. So amazing how you can meet someone you know in this place where thousand of people walk around. It was just meant to be I guess. So because it was his last day we went on a search to find a place to eat (his last supper in Morocco). Eventually we found a restaurant which was run by a family and we had a good meal. Afterwards we continued our stroll together through the Medina and later that evening we went to the new part of Fes (ville Nouvelle). Again like Rabat it looks like two different worlds. It is such a big contrast the new and the old. After returning to the Medina and after some argument with a taxidriver who wanted to charge us to much I went back to the hotel for a good night sleep. Luckily I had three blankets because it was so unbelievably cold that night.

The craft of Fes

The next day in Fes I was back on my own and after some pancakes, mint tea and using the wonderful invention that is called Skype, I went to see more of the city. I saw some tinneries where they make bowls and plates with very fine decorations. In tiny rooms they were making them by hand. Very impressive to see the fine decorations and the people who dedicate their life to make this. Other things I saw was a leather place where they make bags from Camel leather. Fes has many things to offer and it is a very special place I noticed. Definitely to come back to one day.

After Fes I went by train to Tangier. My first plan was to go by bus to Chefchaouen, but because of the huge amount of rain the road was closed. So I decided to change my plans. In Meknes I had to change trains and I had some time left to walk around. It is a more quiet place and I definitely liked the more relaxed atmosphere, although I spent only one and a half hour there. I met a Maroccan guy with whom I talked about Meknes and his life. Interesting to meet someone local who is willing to spend some time with you and tell about the way he lives. Afterwards he showed me a place where they had very good and well filled sandwiches. And with my wrapped two kilo weighting sandwich I jumped on board of the train towards Tangier. In the train I met a Maroccan guy who works in Tangier and had a chat with him. Later on I met two Moroccan girls who joined me in the compartement. They escaped the other compartment they sat in before because there was a man trying to touch them. Together they were travelling around Morocco for a couple of days. One of them could speak very well English.

Sorry can I ask you a question: are you a gangster?

After walking around Tangier I noticed people are smiling more here. In other parts of Morocco people don’t show any emotion. But it looks like it is different here. On the other hand there a a lot of people walking around from who I would like to know in which kind of business they are in. They look like gangsters and maybe they are smugglers. But definitely they are doing something that is not so nice I think. But well, I will never know. And I guess I don’t need to know.

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Photos

Essaouira
A peak inside one of the narrow streets.

The way of transportation
The look on the face of this man loading the donkey was like he was feeling the donkeys suffering.