I’ve been here, in Casablanca, for 1 day so far. Visiting my wife’s sister, who lives here. Later today we take the train to Marrakech, and we’ll be there for a few days. First impressions:
Food is extremely cheap. A good and filling fried seafood dinner came to about $25 for 5 people. Great shawarma for lunch, for 6 people, was $20. Breakfast (mesmen, I think it was called - thick crepes) for 5 was $5. Everything was good so far, the shawarma being the standout.
Curbs on the street are ankle threateningly high.
In Casa so far we’ve had to drive pretty much everywhere.
I haven’t had mechoui yet, but I hope to in Marrakech soon.
I really enjoyed Morocco, especially the food. One thing though, is I felt constantly harassed by people trying to con me. Wasn’t in Casablanca though, so I’m not sure if the climate is different there.
My only experience in Morocco was spending the night in the Mohammed V Airport, with no money or food. Yeah, I was hassled a little, but nothing serious. Hope I can return someday for a better experience.
After a morning and afternoon wandering the edges of the medina in Marrakech:
Sugar cane juice is tasty.
Moroccan crepes are basically beignets.
Moroccans are mostly very friendly and welcoming. The merchants really try to get you interested in their goods, but they’re mostly not too aggressive.
The open areas are hot enough to sweat, even in December, while the shady spots are cold enough to require a jacket.
Barely speaking any French makes it very easy to ignore touts and others who can be aggressive.
The city is vibrant and very active. I never got bored from wandering around with no particular destination in mind. Very easy to get lost, though.
I loved getting semi-lost in the medina in Casablanca. It is such an amazing place. So much of, well everything is going on all at once in a tiny area. It’s overwhelming - in a good way. I hope I get to go back someday.
I also got lost outside of the medina in Casablanca. (Really - I got lost a lot there, but it was all worth it).
Comparison of one day each in Casablanca and Marrakech:
Casa reminds me of a generic sprawling medium sized American or European city, aside from the old parts of the city (which we just drove by). Every part of Marrakech so far looks old and traditional.
Had mechoui and it was everything I hoped for and more. Went to the food stall of a guy that Andrew Zimmern had on his show and called the master of mechoui, we actually ran into his place by accident, only realizing who he was after a few minutes.
The very best lamb I’ve ever had. Moist, succulent, flavorful, with delicious crispy skin.
We had the same experience in some places (mostly Fes). We did much better asking random ordinary people for advice/directions than trying to deal with the people who chased after us. And they said the extra high school French classes wouldn’t come in handy! They were indispensable - it would be pretty difficult, I think, to be an independent traveler there without some French or Arabic.
Also, if you are around the tanneries in Fes: one way to get the hell away from a leather salesman quickly is to start having an asthma attack from the fumes, start hacking your lungs up, pull out your inhaler, apologize and run away. The only time a particularly aggressive salesperson didn’t chase after me.
I loved Morocco - a week wasn’t enough, and I want to go back!
One of my very favorite things about Morocco: fresh squeezed orange juice is both ubiquitous and incredibly cheap (about forty cents for a large glass).
