Casablanca

12 October 2022

Today was a day of contrasts.

I left the guest house in Imlil in light rain with views of snow topped mountains.

I walked down the mountain road with people aiming for errands in Imlil and school kids off to the Elementary and Primary / Secondary campuses at the main junctions. I passed the Elementary school to see older sisters dropping off their younger siblings. The rest of the children ran on to their campuses further down the hill.

I travelled down the road to the nearest town, Asni in the local bus, packed with school kids, workers and people going to the town for errands. My rucksack was on the roof.

I got out before the town at Richard Branson's Kasbah hoping to visit the café for a coffee and a view inside. I was denied entry initially, so returned to the road side to get an onward lift. I was then asked if I was alone, and when it was clear I was, I was shepherded into the courtyard and up the stairs to the dinning area to join guests for breakfast. It was interesting to see the insides of this hotel, the breakfast set up and most of all the kind of people staying here. I was invited to sit in a corner and enjoyed the extensive selection of food on offer.

It felt good to be back in another bus making my way down to the town, after this interlude. I certainly wouldn't choose to spend my time in these kind of hotels.

I took a shared taxi from Asni to Marrakesh and then the train to Casablanca. I was immediately struck by how white, calm and quieter Casablanca felt in comparison to Marrakesh. It was probably due to the area that I found myself staying in and the fact that I was renting my own apartment. It was good to be able to explore the neighbourhood to find the supermarket, buy food and then wash some clothes.