It’s now more than 2 months that i have been living in Casablanca. Since the very first weekend I’ve been travelling around Morocco. I’ve visited Marrakech, Agadir, Meknes, Tetouan and El Jadida. Lovely places! Only after two months I’ve decided to spend a weekend in Casablanca because I needed to rest. After a lazy morning I decided to go for a walk and discover the centre. Lonely Planet guide is right: the city is more interested in business than tourism. It’s been a disappointing experience. It’s obvious that Casablanca is not as welcoming as the rest of the country. With its chaotic traffic and careless drivers (especially motorbikers and taxi drivers), crossing a street it’s always a stressful moment. Danger can come at the least expected moment. And it’s more noisy, polluted and dirty than any other city I’ve visited so far in Morocco.
I’ve walked around the shopping district for about an hour and I’ve had enough. On my way back home I’ve decided to buy a couple of (also disappointing) pains au chocolat and sit down in a cafe, just looking at life pass by. Sitting for a while in a cafe in Morocco always equals a master cours in moroccan sociology. In less than one hour I’ve seen how people fight for taxis, how youngsters look and compliment at girls, how men gather in cafes to talk and laugh, how people beg, how people drive, how people celebrate a victory of their football team, etc. Nothing surprising after 2 months here but always interesting
Relaxing moment that allowed me to recover from a disappointing walk. I trully think that Casablanca is at its best seen from a car. If you want to walk around and get a taste of Morocco, you better go somewhere else!
Note: Photo from www.viajerosonline.org
