Casablanca to Rabat, Part 1

Rabat is just an hour away from Casablanca.  In theory.  Our trip started, of course, with leaving the house.  The house in Casablanca was on an inlet by the ocean.   Getting from the house to the main street to catch a taxi is about  mile walk.  There were 5 of us, counting an infant, and the small taxis in the area are only licensed to carry 3 people.  We had to split up and get 2 cabs. Given the traveller's law, which I just made up,  only one group got a taxi  immediately. It took a while to regroup at the bus station downtown.

Pleasantly, the bus ride to Rabat really did take only about an hour.  Outside the bus station, there was a long line of taxis.  Small taxis.  So we went down the block, around the corner, and to the end of that block where there was a group of large taxis.  Large  taxi's typically carry however many they can squeeze in. 

Ours took the 5 of us plus a man and another woman.  The baby, 3 women and the guy were in back.  Two of us shared the one seat in the front.  I have to give the driver credit:  he was able to shift gears the whole way without touching me, although I was practically on top of the gear box.


Then we came to an unexpected stop on the side of the road.  The driver got out to look at his engine.  The man in the back got out and flagged down another taxi.  Fortunately, we were back on the road in short order.  We even managed to pass the taxi carrying  the deserter-- the former male passenger from our cab.  Our driver yelled out to him and the man replied, both laughing as we sped by.

I thought we had reached our destination,  butwe got out of the taxi and just stood on the sidewalk for a minute.  It turned out, we had not actually reached our  destination at all.  We crossed the street and got into a horse-drawn carriage.  We clomped along in  the surrey with the fringe on top  for a few blocks and got out.  No, this stop wasn't it either.  But we were close. 


After going to a store to pick up a couple of things, we walked a few more blocks and, voila, we had finally arrived.  Our one hour trip had taken about three hours.  But we were feted guests, plied with food and tea and more food throughout our visit.

Postscript:  A daughter in Casablanca had no key and was going to be locked out of the house when she got off from work.  Two of us (one being me, of course) had to get back to Casablanca and were unable to spend the night.  So we reversed the process. With good connections we managed the trip in 2 hours, well in time to meet the daughter whose waitressing shift ended at midnight. Although sadly,  in our haste, we didn't get to ride in a horse-drawn carriage on the way back.

 

Eid al-Fitr in Marrakech

Ramadan, the month of fasting, ends at sunset.  The Eid (eed), or celebration, begins at night.  I bring a gift of decorative holiday cookies to my downstairs neighbors.  With cookies and orange soda, we wish each other  Eid Mabrook, blessings of the holiday.

The time for fajr, the morning prayers, runs from about 4:30-6:00.  That is the time the sky begins to lighten, but ends as the sun actually comes up over the horizon.  At 6:00 loudspeakers from the street are urging everyone out of their homes with "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar...".

By 7:00 a wide boulevard is packed with people for 2 long city blocks. They cover over the dividing islands and cross each side of the street.  Lines of parked cars completely and effectively block each end of the site. People fill every inch from curb to curb, sidewalk to sidewalk. One block is for the men, one block is for the women. I see a few policemen scattered about. They are not needed for this celebratory prayer.

There are thousands of people here. Ten thousand? Twenty? When I stand directly in the middle of the street and look straight ahead, I cannot spot the imam out of all of this crowd. To my right, the sun is bright white and still low, just clear of the rooftops.  There is a breeze; the air is still cool.  It is only about 80 degrees.  That feels cool, because later on, the forecast is predicting a high of 110. 

Woven plastic matting has been unrolled in the streets.  On top of that, people place their prayer mats and sit on the ground.  Those who have some physical difficulty bring stools or chairs.   For the latecomers, the places on the matting are taken.  No matter.  They lay their prayer rugs directly on the ground to sit on and then to stand on to pray. The rugs always touch or overlap as the Muslims will stand to pray not singly, but as a unit--touching shoulder to shoulder and toe to toe.

In the midst of these thousands of people, two friends come up to me out of the crowd.  A moment later, I spot a 3rd friend over to my left.  I introduce each to the other.

In the normal Friday congregational prayer, there is always first the khutbah, or sermon, then the prayer.  For eid, the order is reversed.  The loudspeakers, strung from light poles along the street so that all can hear,
have stopped the chant and the voice of the imam, who remains invisible in the distance to me throughout, begins the prayer.

By 8:00 the family downstairs has received it's first holiday visitors--nephews, sister, cousins. We eat cookies, drink coffee.  We share soup and a traditional square bread layered, pastry-like and fried.

I go upstairs again.  It's geting hot, and I go online to check the weather.  At 8:30, it's 91 degrees. 

Eid Mabrook, from Marrakech.

Taxis in Morocco

There are 2 types of cab in Morocco.  One is the Big Taxi (teksi kabeer).
It takes assorted individuals going in roughly the same direction and charges them all separately, all the same price. There is no meter.  You will not be dropped at the door.  You will be let off on the corner, around the block from, or a block away from your destination, so that the cab driver can take the best route for the next passenger.  

If  you are travelling as one large group or need to carry large items or luggage, you can be sure to get some deluxe (high) price that you will have to agree to at the outset. You may be able to negotiate a bit, but you are at a disadvantage.  You need to get somewhere, the driver doesn't.

The big taxis are usually some version of Mercedes Benz, or they are occasionally a variety of very small minivan.  The Mercedes drivers take that whole "6 passenger"  idea to heart, as they firmly believe they can fit in 6 passengers, not including the driver.  So 2 passengers  get to sit on one seat in front next to the gear shift box, and 4 more are squished into the back.

At the Big Taxi stands, you may find guys who work as cab fillers.  I don't know what they're called, but when you approach the stand, they will ask where you're going and direct you to whichever cab at the stand is headed in your direction.  You then get to sit and wait till the cab fills (and you're squished) before leaving.

If for some reason your taxi is not full at the start of the trip, don't worry.  The cabbie is always on the lookout for people along the way going his direction.  He will pick them up, so you can get squished then.

You  may think, "well, at least it's a Mercedes". Think again.  The window in the back may or may not open.  There is no air conditioning, or heat for that matter.  Get the picture?

The other type of cab is the small taxi (teksi sa-reer),  These have meters.  They will drop you at the door --that usually costs more--or take you to the nearest taxi stand and you can walk from there.  The small taxi's have a strict 3-passenger limit.  Babies and small children are counted, even if you keep them on your lap.

Families or friends often have to split up, flag down 2 taxis, and regroup at their destination. Of course, finding 2 taxis when you need them means it may take a while for all of you to get where you're going.  And, yes, if there are only one or two of you in the cab, the driver will stop for additional passenger(s) along the way.

There is no central company office that will dispatch a cab to your house when you call.  I had one driver tell me that he would come when I call, but he would immediately start the meter when I called him.

I live about a mile from the closest taxi stand.
  
Taxi! Yo, taxi!

Ramadan Prayers in Morocco

Muslims do not believe that acknowledgement of their prophet will get them into paradise.  Unlike some Christians for whom belief in Jesus and baptism is enough to get them into heaven, or Catholics who can seek expiation for their sins from their priests, Muslims believe that every one of us will be judged individually and that each person has to ask forgiveness directly from our Creator. 

Ramadan is a  special time each year when through fasting and prayer, we can seek atonement, forgiveness, blessings and mercy. There are extended, optional prayers every night at the mosque.  Thousands of people gather for at each mosque all over Morocco for 90 minutes or so for these prayers.

With the call to Isha, the last obligatory prayer of the day after the sun has set, there is a Quranic recitation abt 10 or 15 minutes long as people gather in and outside the mosque. Once the recitation ends, the imam leds isha, the night prayer that has 4 rakats.  Each rakat is a complete cycle of standing, bowing and prostrating.  Standing again is the beginning of the next rakat.

Then the imam leads 8 rakats of taraweh, the special prayers that can only  be  made during the nights of  Ramadan each year.  Finally, some imams leads  2  rakats of  the  witr prayer. Many people pray a single witr rakat on their own before leaving the mosque. Other imams pray a 3rd rakat and include in it the qunut--the part formulaic and part spontaneous pleading while standing end of the witr prayer--lasts about 5 or 10 minutes.

It's hard to guage the time while in prayer, but the experience is truly powerful. Regardless of our level of understanding the Arabic, it is almost impossible to not feel the meaning during the qunut: to hear a grown man's voice break in his plea for Allah's forgiveness and His Mercy, to hear people around you crying softly; to see that you are among the thousands people at just that one mosque who have come voluntarily out of fear for their souls; to know that you are surrounded by people who are crying for mercy and forgiveness.
  
During the last 10 days of Ramadan  there are additional late night prayers in the Moroccan mosques. These are another 10 rakats of taraweh prayer that end with a long pleading for forgiveness, mercy, and blessings for ourselves; for our families; and for the less fortunate.  These prayers last another 90 minutes or so, and finish just in time for people to go home and eat before the start of another day of fasting.

The fast of Ramadan can be taxing, and those who are physically unable are allowed to either make the days up later or in other ways.  But the taraweh prayers are open to anyone who can make it out of the house.  People come walking and in wheelchairs.  Those who are not able to stand for long periods or have difficulty prostrating bring stools, camp chairs, folding chairs and lawn chairs.  Some just stay seated on their prayer rugs.

Some people are able to go to the mosque every night. Some only as their schedule permits. Some make their prayers in their homes.Some do not make them at all.  Those who do make the extra prayers during Ramadan find immense spiritual benefits that only come once a year.

A Bus to Casablanca

There was a 5:30 a.m. taxi ride to the bus which was parked outside of the  bus driver's house.  As his first customers, the family and I had our pick of seats and sat right up front.  It turns out the driver is a friend of the brother-in-law of a daughter-in-law of the family.  Isn't it always not what you know, but who you know?

After 30 minutes and 2 more customers, we left.  For the downtown bus terminal.  Another 45 minutes passed as we waited for the bus to fill.  And those prime front seats we had?  We were told apologetically to move back 4 rows.  The impenetrable Arabic explanation left the reason why a mystery to me.  In any case, the bus to Casablanca finally got underway.

In the Morrocan Arabic dialect, there are at least a couple of words for bus.  The please-get-me-to-work-on-time bus is called a toe-bis (not making this up).  The city-to-city variety is called a car (still not making this up).  I guess it's the same in America, where the lowly form of  bus transportation tries to elevate itself by use of the word "coach".

If you travel by style in a car, make sure you take a look to see if there are windows all around the back of it.  Know what that means?  No bathroom. Very common. On the 3 hour trip to Casablanca, it's a good time to heed mom's advice, "You should of gone before you went".

The Uselessness of Ice Cubes

Wikipedia photo

My new refrigerator came with a plastic tray for little teeny ice cubes.  I mean teeny.  You could fill the individual spaces with an eye dropper. I asked a friend to bring some ice cube trays on her visit to Morocco. I shouldn't have bothered.

Ice cubes are useless in drinks when it's 107 degrees. By the time you drop the ice in your water and go from the kitchen to the living room, your cup has already self-combusted.

Here is what to do instead:

1. Reuse your plastic water bottles or wash out and recyle your 2-liter soda bottles.  
2. Fill all of them about 2/3 full with water and toss into the freezer. 
3. When completely frozen, remove and add water on top. 

The frozen bottle of ice lasts much longer than a few measley ice cubes, no matter their size.

Just something I learned here in Marrakech.

The Doors

Moroccans have a unique sense of style when it comes to doors for their homes or businesses.

The scrollwork at the top of this Moroccan door is echoed in the painting at the bottom.

The grillwork on this Moroccan door is broken up by blue stone at the middle and bottom.

Businesses with their heavy, 10 foot steel doors are also receive a decorative treatment.  Few places are left unadorned.  Plain, solid-colored doors are the exception rather than the rule in Marrakech.

The black and beige steel doors in Marrakech are separated by a green and gray tile pattern.