Do you remember those stunt shows that always put a ‘don’t try this yourself’ disclaimer before the show? Yes?
Well, this is my disclaimer before sharing this story.
Now if you haven’t already guessed I’m in love with Africa! There’s no other place in the world where I feel safe and free. I often enjoy getting into taxis or buses to an attraction and then just wandering around the neighbourhood till I get bored (Don’t do this!) before getting transportation back. I’m the immersion queen, listening and imitating behaviours I see around be is something I’m scarily good at.
Fresh in Casablanca, I decided to see what the city had to offer me. This bustling city is just the type of place I love to get lost in. Making my way through the old Medina is always fun no matter the city you are in Morocco, they always feel like you are stepping back into time and experiencing another world. Coming out of the Medina onto the main street felt worlds apart with the smell of fumes and the sounds of beeping vehicles everywhere.
Taxies were in abundance around the square and hailing a taxi was fairly easy. In Casablanca, taxis are often shared with other people but there are specific taxis for individual riders. Hopping into a taxi, I asked the driver to drop me off at Jardin zerktouni. I assumed that I’d be able able to see the gardens once there but it took a little aimless walking to finally find it. After a relaxing mini picnic with myself, I wandered the streets, heading to local museums, clothing stores, cafes and all around being nosy traveller. I also managed to see some local attractions like the Hassan Mosque and the Morocco Mall (the largest mall in Africa) .
I started to tire around 8pm and the sun was pretty much gone. Lugging my feet to the main street to hail a taxi, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Swarms of cars all stuck in traffic. Hailing a taxi was an easy task in the morning but now was a nightmare! All the cars were either full or didn’t see me in time to slow down. It didn’t help that the ‘taxi’s’ that did stop often didn’t look like taxis at all but instead strangers telling me to get into their cars.
After what felt like forever to get a taxi, we were finally on our way! Just, very, very, slowly. I asked to be dropped off at the main train station and managed to sneak a quick nap in even before we got there.
Getting to the station close to 10pm was a little unsettling as there were a lot of suspicious characters out. My hotel situated close to the old Medina, was only a few minutes walk away but I got the feeling that the path may not be the safest for a woman to walk alone in so I called my hotel from the station for a staff member to come and pick me up. The day certainly took a turn and I felt like I saw a lot of different sides of the city. That being said it was still by far one of my favourite cities in the country and I’d definitely visit it again.