Rabat

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Haven't done a lot today. I've moved from Meknes to Rabat the capital of Morocco. Rabat looks like a very modern city and in many ways it is, but in fact it has a history of 2,500 years.



Last nights hotel was a bit of a splurge - I spent 340 Dirhams - that's about 21 Pounds sterling. I went from the sublime to the ridiculous. One night in a 40 Dirham hovel, the next in a 340 Dirham hotel! But the more expensive hotel not only had decent sanitation but also a swimming pool! There was also a big banner welcoming some UN Conference on the Environment and the use of scarce water resources in poor countries, hung across the entrance. I thought the theme of the conference rather ironic considering they had booked a hotel with a swimming pool - hardly a necessity!



For the first time in Morocco I actually used the train for the journey. The trains are fast and efficient, and my train was on time. That's not usually my experience in the UK. The bogeys were a bit old fashioned in design - they had the little compartments which I haven't seen on British trains in many years. I passed the time on the train looking at the scenery and listening to music on my I Pod.



I fell out of the station, and booked the first hotel next to the station where I asked the price. This time I'm paying 290 Dirhams.



I'm in Rabat principally to visit the Mauritanian Embassy in order to get a visa. I will be outside the Embassy at 8.30 tomorrow morning.

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Photos

Rabat
A street scene inside the Rabat Medina

Rabat
Morning rush hour.

Rabat
On the left, the hotel I stayed in. To the left of the photo is the train station, which is within a very short distance of the Moroccan Parliament building.