Days 25-27 (March 5-7, 2024): MOROCCO
Tunisia and Morocco are two of the countries that ended up being “trimmed”, when we reduced our RTW itinerary from six weeks to five last fall. So we knew that, with travel added to the mix, it would effectively give us just a full day in each of Tunis and Casablanca. It worked out well in each city, as we got up early and hit the road in each to pack in as much as we could. And the time one spends to see the sights in a city is usually commensurate with the sights that city has to offer! Let’s just say, Tunis and Casablanca are not Paris, so a full day in each can net a person sufficient coverage.
On the flight from Doha to Tunis, I decided to watch the 1942 film, “Casablanca”, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I figured that, if I was about to visit Casablanca, the film would be a must-see. Well, be advised that not one scene was filmed outside California, and the film is a love story that doesn’t really give you any insight into Casablanca, except for a sense of the turmoil caused here in World War II.
Our immersive day in Casablanca started at 8AM, when we had our first interaction with the taxi system in the city. There are two types of taxis: “Grand Taxis” (white cars) and “Petit Taxis” (tiny red cars). We tried hailing a Petit Taxi using a taxi app we downloaded that pre-sets the price, in order to avoid being ripped off and having to haggle. But the taxi didn’t show up. A taxi tout hanging out by the hotel kept pressing us to take his taxi, so we finally caved, and he finally agreed to match the price the taxi app had given. For the rest of our day, we used the iDrive app to find ride-shares. iDrive, whereby individuals use their personal cars to offer rides, is not sanctioned, and the taxi mafia is quick to report the licence plates of any cars who they suspect of offering ride-shares. The penalties can be severe for a driver: a huge fine or impounding of one’s vehicle. But many people are taking the risk anyway. It’s 2024, and taxi mafias should not have the monopoly they have always enjoyed. Sorry to write so much about taxis, but it is an essential thing to understand when it comes to transportation in Casablanca.
We took in ten sights in Casablanca and, hopefully, you will agree, based on the photos below, that the city was worth the stop on this RTW!
But first, after going on so much about taxis, let me fill you in on some key facts about this place…
Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business center. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.71 million in the urban area and over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, making it the eighth-largest city in the Arab world. Casablanca is Morocco’s chief port, has a stock exchange, and ranks 54th in the Global Financial Centres ranking. Most tourists to Morocco end up in Fes and Marrakech, but Casablanca still has much to offer. As far back at the 7th century BC, the Phoenicians and Romans settled in the area. The French colonization started in 1906, and they were eventually booted out in 1956 after many years of protest and riots, leaving French alongside Arabic as a main language. There has been a rocky road since the French left, even involving Al-Qaeda bombings in Casablanca in 2003 and 2007, but hopefully, things are on a trajectory towards progress. Next year, Morocco will host the very-important Africa Cup of Nations (football).
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