Road Trip to Rabat, Morocco

when we left Tangier going to Casablanca, we opted for a road trip via Rabat, instead of a plane ride (would i want to get offloaded again? haha!). i thought this was going to be such a humdrum.... but surprise, surprise!!! i was in for my green-and-blue fix for the day!

Rabat is the administrative capital of Morocco, while Casablanca is the financial capital.

it was like going to Tetoan, but this time, the sun was smiling at us! the sky is soooo blue, and everywhere there is a play of green, yellow and tangerine! it was a 3-hour drive, which showcased to us the different agricultural products of morocco. we saw plantations of bananas, dates, wheat, tomatoes, and others i do not recognize, neatly lined up on plain hills. along the road are stretched of plains sans trees, covered with seemingly 'carpeted' grasses, much like the one you see in "The Sound of Music".

then, there are also rocky areas with small quaint communities reminiscent of the site location of the 'Babel' movie of Brad Pitt.

forty-five minutes away from casablanca, we had a pit-stop at a gasoline station. it's not the usual caltex or shell stops that we have in manila. it was more of a rustic tranquility enveloped in a charming pastoral setting, with yellow grasses everywhere swaying at the beat of the wind...

and there... we saw the "Filipinos" choco bar (made from spain)! it tasted good! did i get offended? nah! i'd save my angry bone on something more deserving...

ohhh, too bad it ended so soon... it has all the elements of my idea of a relaxed road trip--- unfamiliar teritorry, awesome views, blue skies, good company and my random grey matter!

Hercules Cave, Tangier, Morocco

just a few minutes away from Cape Spartel lies the deep treasure of Tangier- the Hercules Cave. i asked our tour guide why it was called such, and the answer i got was nowhere close to the mythical Hercules' story. he just knows that Hercules is the son of Zeus (Greek God) and he lived in that cave, and that he was the one who separated Europe from Africa. oh, well...

this first picture is taken with him, using their usual winter covering, which i fondly call the 'obi wan' costume.

inside, you can see that it has long been used as a tourist spot. the floor has been well kept, there were even sellers of souvenier items! but when you look up, it shows the real age and beauty of the cave-- and beware of bats that fly above.

there were two women who allows tourists to wear the traditional berber tribe costume!

and this is the awesome cave opening-- known for its african-continent shape! and yes, it is for real! just standing there, hearing the smashing of the atlantic ocean and the mediterranean see has some sort of allure to my ears...

Cape Spartel, Tangier

i am surprised that not much is written about this side of Tangier-- but for me, i simply love this part of it! the drive to and from Cape Spartel (first pic, tower which dates back from 12th century), down to the main part of the city is simply awesome! there are various spots best for relaxed afternoon stopover, rendezvour or picnics!

Rainy Day in Tetoan

after getting the feel of the moroccan way of living in the medina tour, we opted for a countryside trip... this time, to the spanish-influenced Tetoan community. we requested for a guided tour from the Moevenpick hotel, where we stayed. instantly, they have someone for us! cool!













so, rain or shine, we braved the roads. from Tangier, the road started morphing from brown to green plains... and later, brown sand, and later still, greeneries again. the view is breathtaking! i've been wishing to see greens the past days! i even saw herds of sheep, cows and goats along the way! the road was good going to and from the different cities, which is much needed with agriculture being one of their primary industries.



finally, we were greeted by two towers which means we are by the Tetoan land already. here we are! i saw again a medina and kasbah. the guide asked us if we want to go there. we said no, just let us walk thru the cobble-stone roads and feel the culture of the place. so we hopped on and off from one place to another, with the grand taxi following us. it was drizzling, and most people were looking for covered places, as opposed to us, who were posing for pics in the middle of the road!!!



i liked the mix of detailed moroccan designs with the soft spanish flare. the community speaks of ages of existence, and i guess that is where the magic is-- the untouched culture. many of the folks speak more of spanish, than french. it looks like a serene little town that is oblivious to the modern world just a few hours away. i was wondering maybe it would be nice to get lost there... i'd just have to polish my spanish, french and arabic! we'll see...

Medina in Tangier, Morocco

Tanger is the northern most part of Morocco, just a boat-ride away from south of spain. in a clear day, you can see spain from afar! geographically, this is the best of 3 worlds-- europe, africa and arab world! so the people here are blessed with different tongues, and interesting facial features.

I will take you first to the central part of Tanger- Ville Nouvelle (new city) and Medina (old walled city). These two places can just be an afternoon stroll experience. and that's what we did. the weather was very good, at 15 deg celcius, just the right temp for lots of walking!

the ville nouvelle is just a road strip where new shops are lined up. i feel like i'm in baguio. they do not have malls. maybe because of the french influence, or maybe because they do not need a centralized airconed place coz their weather all year round is nice -- 10-30 deg celcius, no typhoons. the roads are full of cafes with all the chairs facing the road! so when you walk by the pavement, it's a given that a hundred eyes (of men) are going to oogle at you! but people don't care- they just keep on walkign and walking-- maybe that's why i did not see obese people!

now, by the entrance of the medina, there was a central plaza called the Grand Socco, with huge fountain, where people and doves flock together! it was a weekend when we visited, so this must be their weekend thing! beside that is the grand mosque. mosques for men are the ones with mineret (tall vetical structure), while for women, it is domes. later, a guy approached us. it must be the camera that gave us away as tourists... or our peculiar look! he offered to guide us for 20 moroccan dirhams per hour ($3).

typical moroccan cities have their own medinas and kasbah (tower). medina is the narrow- labyrinth-type paths creating a community, where the center of activities happen. it is both a residential and commercial place. kasbah is the tower of the medinas, the highest part which overlooks the port areas. walking around give me the feeling of being in one of the James Bond chase scenes. the narrow walk ways are clean, and there are no 'tambays'. there are free water faucets in most turns. the architecture is amazing. they were able to preserve the intrinsic morcoccan designs. we were shown also the places where the men, yes, the men sew the kaftans (ladies blouses)! so intricately designed, hand sewed, personally designed, that's why each one can be costly.

good thing we got a guide, otherwise, we will not find our way into and out of the maze! but the trade off is-- of course, he has to bring us to the other stores where we will just be 'shown' things-- carpets, kaftans, on top of riads (guest rooms within the medina), natural pharmacy, antique souks... all of which generously offered their moroccan mint tea while we were viewing their stuff. this showing around led us into coming out with our two hands full of souvenirs! haha! good salemen! i got a small carpet for $50, herbal medicines for $20 and moroccan slippers for $10!

best way to cap the trip was a dinner in an authentic medina resto. we had chicken pastila, kebab, couscous and tangine. i love the food! i have an adventurours palate, that's why! the pastila is a deliciously weird combination of chicken, almond, arnis, cinnamon, confectioner's sugar, saffa, all stuffed in a pie!

what we thought would just be a 2-hr tour, lasted for 4 hours! it was worth the trip anyways.

my next blog will take you to the idyllic mountain-seaside of Tangier...

The Butt of Jokes!

April 23 (make sure you read from the 'Major Blooper' entry and up to fully understand this trail)...

as asked in my previous blog... the answer is, i became the butt of jokes the whole time! looking at the 3 choices, i guess it was the least evil! with that line of thinking, i managed to handle the humor. they obviously did not get angry, and as to being taken as stupid, i had a lot of opportunity to redeem myself ;)

from my bosses, to my colleagues, to the other delegates, i had become so infamous! each opportunity they see to infuse my experience into a joke, they will! good thing i am not too touchy about it. i have to, or else it'd be a nightmare! haha! i just had to let is pass, and enjoy the rest of the trip!

and enjoying the trip is what i do best, despite the misfortunes that had happened to me! well, i do not know if i'd be given another chance to go there.... as i might miss my passport or my flight again, bwahahhaha!!!

anyways, all's well that ends well...

Adding Insult to Injury

April 19. 510pm, Casablanca time.

as if forgetting my passport was enough to make my trip to morocco a very eventful one, another blow came. a real injury! i was waiting for my flight going to Tangier via Royal Air Maroc, in gate 9B as stated in the ticket. the flight was at 505pm, I was there at the gate as early as 3pm. at 445pm, people started lining up. i lined up, but the person in-charge, when he saw my ticket, said that the line was for Marakkesh. I asked where is for Tanger. He motioned me to ' just wait'. I sat down at the nearest bench, i waited for another 5 minutes. they kept calling ‘Marakesh! Marakesh!’.

I thought, 'how come they are using 2 flights for 1 gate? how unlikely?' i felt something is fishy. so i asked the person beside me, she said she’s going to marakesh just waiting for the line to shorten. i asked another girl, but she can barely speak in English, but she kept blaberring somethng but can't figure out what she meant. i showed myt ticket to the guard, he pointed me to the the same person at gate 9B. i asked the guy-in-charge again, and showed him my ticket. He said wait, and then cupped his hand on his ears to tell me to listen to the announcement.

i spoke to an airport staff who was walking at the gate, and showed him my ticket. he pointed me to the same guy at 9B. so, i approached the guy again, this time it’s already 510pm. And he said, ‘plane left’. "What?!#$% are you joking???? What happened? How come the call for tanger was not made? I was here, since 3 pm, and asked you 3 times, and now you are telling me the plane left?" i didn't know anymore if he understood what i said, but i just can't stop myself from talking and shouting! i know, i didn't handle my act well at that time! i've been up 17 hours earlier, i was left by the plane, and nobody understands me! I really blew my top!

i kept arguing with the guy, raising my voice to level i do not usually achieve. my heart was pounding so hard, i could barely catch my breath! my voice was tweaking already from a mix of exhaustion, frustration and anger! we went to the airline manager, and filed a complaint! finally, someone speaks good english! but still, too late a hero... the plane left!

i broke down and cried while talking to my boss, telling him my unfortunate plight while i lined up to get the next flight, which is in ....the next 6 hours! the guy at the counter tried to console me. ‘please don’t cry miss’. i told him I am still enraged...

after getting my ticket, and complimentary meal stub, i walked aimlessly. i have another 6 hours to burn. what do i do? with the airport so small, i've mastered the gates already. i knew it like the back of my hand! later, a girl approached me. i learned that she had been offloaded too. whew! heaven-sent!

we had coffee. we went to duty free shop. we had dinner together. in between those stuff, we have explored already each others' worlds—hers, in Germany and Tanger, and mine, UAE and Philippines.

later, while waiting still on one of the seats and with my new friend taking a catnap, the guy i fought with approached me. he told me (in broken english) that the what happened a while ago was the gate for Tanger was changed. the announcement was made in french and arabic, so it was not my fault. oh well, i’ve exhausted my anger already a while ago, so i just shrugged off my shoulders, and thanked him for the info. too late... the damage has been done.

i've missed one workshop day because i forgot my passport. and now, i've missed our evening activity because i missed my flight. the other delegates waiting for me may either get angry at me, or take me as stupid, or i'd be the butt of joke when i meet them. am i ready for any of these? or even, ALL of these?

Flying to Morocco...finally!

April 19.

woke up at 415am. left the villa at 515am. reached dubai airport at 545. checked in at 615. at the boarding gate at 630am. flight at 735am. good thing I had “Tuesdays with Morrie". with an hour to kill, I can read the book and do people watching on breaks. that’s exactly what I did.

i think i was the only Pinay on board. and I was alone. there was a group of Kenyan athletes. others were locals. Others, were mediterraneans. they kept talking either in arabic, or french.

aboard, i was hoping to be seated with someone interesting. slim chance! we stayed silent all along, me having finished 2 movies and him asleep the whole time. it was only when the plane was about to land, when we both didn’t have anymore headsets, that we managed to strike up a conversation. it was just another small talk. he is not well versed in english, and so am i with either french or arabic.

inside the cabin, people kept walking back and forth maybe to exercise their legs. there was a time that an elderly man leaned towards me, maybe seeing that i am the only one looking quite different. we had small talk which we both dropped immediately after i found it difficult to lift my head up always just to talk to him, and him to understand the words i say without leaning forward, which was quite awkward.

at last we reached Mohammed V airport in Casablanca. i walked out, and felt like i was back in Manila in terms of the size and the oldness of the airport. i kept asking airport staff each step of the way so as not to waste precious minutes with a few mistakes, though i really have 4 hours stopover to burn. twice, when airport staff saw my passport, i was asked “filipini"? i say, " yes!" "oh, abu sayaf". I said "no". he said, "no, they are good"… ohhhh…morocco is a predominantly muslim country.

after getting my luggage, i had to check in again for a local flight which will fly 4 hours after!!!! I felt too sleepy already. tried to have lunch, but was so unlucky to find a resto that will serve me rice. walking to and fro the departure area, i finally heard familiar words--kabayans! three guys working at the duty free. they engaged me in a very short talk and left. wheew, finally, saw some people familiar.

Flying Alone?

April 18.

After facing the embarrassment talking to my boss about my passport, I was glad that God provided other means for me to make it the next day.


Passport. CHECK!!!
New flight. Check.
Roaming phone. Check.
All morocco contact nos in the wallet. Check.
Separate wallet for Moroccan money. Check.
All other things prepared the other night. Check.

Then later he called me again. He asked “Are you afraid to fly alone?” Hmmm…. Now that he mentioned it, it finally sank into my thoughts.... "yeah, i'd have to fly alone????" I became terrified... new territory, arabic and french speaking, a handful of pinoys only, and it's an 8-hr flight from UAE! whew!

I held on to my God who is my comfort... and it never fails! ;)

Major Blooper

Have you had your major blooper for the year? I just had mine last April 17th. I know I run the risk of losing the respect of my readers. But hey, you are my friends, and I’m sure you’d love me again despite this haha!

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Given that I am very much into traveling, you’d imagine the amount of preparation I did when I learned that I am part of the team who’d fly to Morocco on April 18 to study a project-in- progress.

It's now April 17, 8pm, and i'm doing the final rundown of my checklist:

Desk research on Casablanca and tangier. Check
List of entertainment destinations. Check.
Appointment with market research agencies in Casablanca. Check
Clearbook containing all correspondences about the project. Check
Documents to save in my flashdisk. Check
Moroccan dirhams. Check.
Finish all documents for signing. Check
Group orientation meeting. Check.

Weather inquiry. Check.
Clothes to wear for the 6-day visit. Check.
Personal supplies to bring (cam, charger, etc). Check
Call nanay. Check
Bring bible. Check
Bring ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’. Check.

My Skywards card. ok, that card is inside my passport pouch... Passport? Passport! PASSPORT!#$%* PPPPAAAASSSSPPPOORRT?!#$%!!!!

The black passport pouch has my skywards card, but not my passport!!! Shouting above my lungs did not make it appear. I searched for it in all my drawers…to no avail!

It is 10pm (flight at 735am the next day), I started bothering people, really bothering people. Our HR said that it is with our mother company who keeps our passports for security purposes, though she said, all along, she also thought it was with me. Yeah, I thought so too, seeing the black pouch there in my drawer……… but never really inspected! unfortunately, the office is closed already! (Who wouldn't be at 10pm?!!!) Tried to push more buttons…until I gave up at 11pm.

I can’t believe how stupid I can get! One hour, few phone calls, and two friends who stayed amused at the whole scenario, helped me get over it for a while. Good thing, I was able to secure a flight the next day.

Laughters interspersed with regret and embarrassment filled our drive back to our villa. I don’t think I’d be able to get over this fast… how could I ever forget the most basic!?!@ They kept consoling me that there must be a reason why this happened............ oh yeah, it happened because i was so stupid! haha!