31st of November to 2nd of December, 2017.
The first time I see Abdelah I am surprised. He is in his forty’s and he is charming with his greyish hair. His apartment is so beautiful and amazingly decorated. Well, for someone like me who always get surprised with those things and who is making camping for the last few days, even more. After he shows me my bedroom, he offers me a beer (oh! how much I was missing a beer!) and we decide that would be better if I took a shower first.
We talk about our plans and travels, experiences and expectations. We are very similar with our own way of thinking and doing things, not worrying about what others will think or say. What probably defines why we both are single.
A friend of him come over for dinner. According to Abdelah, a very rich man that is not satisfied with how much he has. He brought a vegetarian pizza at Abdelah’s request, who had cooked some delicious spinach and cheese samosas plus a wonderful and also delicious cheese board with toast. To drink, Abdelah open two amazing red wines. You all can imagined how I was feeling about it, after being cooking my vegetables in my tent and asking for left-overs bread.
When we start to talk about my plans of travelling to Mauritania and the other African countries by hitchhiking, they both get concerned and, as usual, start to tell me how dangerous could be and trying change my mind. I do not feel comfortable with that, is not nice to hear someone telling you horrible things about your plans, even though they maybe are doing it just because they care about you.
Next morning I wake up early and, as Abdellah has instructed me, I have my breakfast and leave to town.
I walk a lot! It is interesting to see the different contrasts of the city: Coming back from the Medina, I could see a lot of really poor constructions, probably houses, and also the port with the fisher men carrying some ten boxes by time to their boats; meanwhile, when you arrive at Mosque Hassan II, through all that way of poverty, you get surprised with this enormous, fancy and beautiful building, and also it is when the fancy apartments start.
The coast is as the same as Rabat: even if there is a coast, you have to walk a long way until be able to “find” a beach where you can go. There is a lot of private places between the ordinary people and the ocean. As in life in general.
Casablanca is nice and I believe that if you are in Morocco you should give a try. I did not go to the Medina because I didn’t feel like it. I did not take a picture of the “famous” Ricky’s Cafe because I did not see a reason for it. So around 4 o’clock I was already coming back home.
Once in there, I send a message to Abdelah because in the other night he could not find a spare key to give to me. Unfortunately, he would delay at least two hours to go back home. After going around the Supermarket and compare the prices of everything under the eyes of the securities, probably thinking I was trying steal something, I decide to go to the hall of the building and wait in there where would be warmer and where I could enjoy the time to write.
That night the plans was to order some food. But because no one of the places he called knew how to prepare a vegetarian dish, he decides to bring me to a restaurant. It is a very fancy place and we were the first ones there. I eat a really good pasta with vegetables and I have a beer. He does not eat because he has plans to go out later. Unfortunately, I could not join him because I do not have appropriate shoes to wear with my dress. It is a VIP place. So I stay at home and he goes to party.
Next day I leave around midday. It is late and I realize that is actually even later after I have to walk for over two hours to find a good place to hitchhike.
Of course at this time I already knew it I had to come back to Rabat. Yes! I was not going to Marrakesh as planned before but coming back to Rabat where I could take my Visa to Mauritania.
10 Years Around the World 