Day 19: Corny Casablanca

We wanted to take the earliest train from Fes to Casablanca (8:50am) but decided that we didn’t want to skip the breakfast at the riad so we opted for a later one.

The train ride to Casablanca lasted four hours. We got to chat with a Moroccan on board the same cabin. Just like any average Moroccan, he was very adept in languages. He spoke to us in good English but told us that he also spoke French, Spanish, Arabic and Berber.

Upon reaching Casablanca, we immediately took a cab to the first hotel on our list. Since we did not have any hotels booked yet, we just listed three options and decided to book on the spot. The first hotel we went to was Hotel Du Centre, priced at 239dirham. Although it was a bit rundown, it fit our budget. But we wanted to check other hotHoteels too to compare. The next one was at 1,500dirhams, definitely beyond budget so we just decided to take the first one. The hotel kinda looked like a hospital plus the attendants were dressed in white. It had an ancient elevator too. We half expected to see a Frankenstein-looking man lurking in the shadows. On a more positive note, it was very near the center, close to the bigger hotel chains like Sheraton and Hyatt and is very accessible.

After getting settled in, we looked for a place to eat. From around 2pm-5pm, restaurants only serve drinks so we had a bit of a difficulty looking for a place that served food. Finally we found a small resto behind one of the big hotels. It was funny eating at Miramar Restaurant because everything that they served us was color yellow- from drinks to dessert.

After late lunch, we wanted to check out the Hassan Mosque but it was already too late so we just walked around the city. For some reason, I felt very wary in this city. I felt much safer in Fes. Maybe it is the fact that people here are more pushy or because there is a general atmosphere of people trying to survive a hard city life. There is also not much to see or do in Casablanca. As we were walking around, we were hoping to see some interesting places but we got a bit disappointed. So we gave the city one last shot and decided to go to its happening place, Boulevard de la Corniche.

It was rush hour so we had a bit of a difficulty getting a cab. Some people hitched with people on board the taxi cabs just to get home. After thirty minutes of no cab, a taxi stopped in front of us to drop off a passenger. But one of the passengers did not get off so we just decided to do what everyone else was doing and hitched with someone. Good thing we did since the other passenger, a young French guy working in Casablanca was headed in the direction of Corniche. He told us that it may be a bit early to go there since people usually arrive at 8:30. It was a little before 7pm. He also told us to be careful while walking around. Before getting off, he was kind enough to instruct the driver where to drop us off.

True enough, when we got to Corniche, the place was still quiet, with some store signs not yet turned on. So we just walked the stretch to while away time. Corniche is a seaside boulevard overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It has a row of clubs, restos, a smattering of hotels and some fastfood chains. It also is a place where people exercised (running or biking). It is Casablanca’s version of our Roxas Boulevard Baywalk.

We had dinner and a few drinks at Mystic Garden, a modern and hip resto that transforms into a club later at night. I had salmon and Gabby had a beef pattie that had a weird taste. Their mojito and beer were yummy though. We were the only ones there and a few others arrived when we were about to leave. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for an early train ride to Marrakesh. So Casablanca for us was really just a transition city, just a stop to break a supposedly long train ride.

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