Next Train to Marrakesh

DSC03895mainplazaD.JPG


DAY 243: If there’s anything that the French influenced on the Moroccans during its occupation in the mid-20th century other than language, it’s the idea of a fast and efficient modern railway system.  Morocco has one of the most modern train networks in Africa, linking most of the major cities via rail, with trains that actually depart and arrive on time.  The only drawback to the Moroccan railway is that you have to be at the correct train station for you to appreciate its efficiency.

I HAD BOUGHT A TRAIN TICKET the day before at the Casa Port station, near the port in Casablanca, the only train station demarked on my Lonely Planet map.  Lonely Planet wasn’t to blame in this case; if I had just read further, I would have known that the bigger train station was 5 km. out of the city center.  If I had just read my ticket, I would have seen that the departure gate was at the Casa Voyageurs station, not Casa Port.  Silly me, I just assumed that the train would leave from the station I bought the ticket at.

“Est-ce qu’il y a le tren pour Marrakesh?” I asked a guy on the only train that was departing around my designated departure time.  (I read that part correctly.)

“Non, pour Kenitra,” he answered.  (Kenitra was about two hours in the wrong direction.) Luckily I got off the train just in time, right before it took off.

Confused, I asked the station manager and it was he that pointed out my error.  “[Where is the train for Marrakesh?]” I asked.

“[It’s gone already,]” he said in French.  “[There is another at fifteen past one, at the other station.]” He directed me to a train at Casa Port that would stop at Casa Voyageurs, where I could wait for the next train to Marrakesh.  It wasn’t much of a crisis because I had all day to get there, and the ride would only be three and a half hours.  Leave it to the efficiency of the Moroccan railway to have a train every two hours.

A TEN-MINUTE RIDE TO CASA VOYAGEURS and about another hour of waiting, I was finally on the correct train bound for my next destination, Marrakesh.  Train cars come in first and second class, and the second class was just fine with air-conditioned individual compartments that seat up to six in clean, cushioned chairs.  There were only three others in my compartment, each of which were Moroccan and kept to his/herself. 

The landscape whizzed by through the windows, revealing the varied landscape of the Moroccan countryside.  At times it looked like Arabian urban sprawl, other times there were mountains or tropical palm trees, and other times it looked like it might have been a dry European countryside.  The time flew and before five o’clock I was at Marrakesh train station, the end of the line.  A friendly petit taxi driver took me across the modern new town and into the funky old medina where all the action was.

“TOTALLY GEARED TOWARDS TRAVELERS” is how Lonely Planet describes the Hotel Ali, right near the famous Place Djemaa el-Fna, the center stage for Marrakesh’s tourist scene.  “Totally geared” was right.  For about fourteen US dollars, Hotel Ali gave me a private room with a comfy bed, private bathroom with hot water, and air conditioning with a view of the central courtyard.  Two stories up was a roof terrace and restaurant which overlooked all the action at the Place Djemaa el-Fna and two stories down was a cafe, restaurant, gift shop and (most importantly for me) an internet cafe with unlimited use included in the price.  Going once, going twice… SOLD to the Filipino-American blogwriter traveling the world for sixteen months (or until money runs out, whichever comes first)!

After settling in, I was off to explore the Place Djemaa el-Fna at sunset (picture above), the prime time for most of the street performers to come out.  Walking through the plaza was a sensory overload; acrobats, snake charmers, belly dancers, shops, food stands and thousands of people walking around in a space about the size of a parking lot of a Walmart.  Wide-eyed and smiling, I assumed I felt like a country bumpkin who was in New York’s Times Square for the first time. 

So much to see, so much to do.  Where do I begin? I wondered around aimlessly, in and out of the buskers in the plaza, the shop-filled side streets and the cafe-a-plenty pedestrian malls.  Dusk turned into nighttime, the time when all the plaza food stall vendors got into gear, with aggressive (but not too pushy) waiters urging prospective diners to eat at their establishment.  Presentation was key in their pitches, and a seafood stand with everything laid out nicely caught my eye—it beat out the mutton place nearby with grilled sheep heads as their centerpiece.  Calamari and couscous filled my stomach before I set off again to explore the nighttime scene again.

While wandering around, I noticed that among the thousand or so tourists in the medina, most of them were French or French-speaking, another testament to France’s legacy in Morocco.  Whether or not those French tourists got the correct train en route to Marrakesh I don’t know, but I’m sure upon arrival, they didn’t much care.


Next entry: Splish, Splash, He Gave Me A Bath

Previous entry: Now in Color!



Comments for "Next Train to Marrakesh"

back to top of page

Next entry:
Splish, Splash, He Gave Me A Bath

Previous entry:
Now in Color!


This blog entry about the events of Friday, June 18, 2004 was originally posted on June 19, 2004 on the blog, "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World (Or Until Money Runs Out, Whichever Comes First)," hosted by BootsnAll.com. It is one of over 500 entries that chronicled a trip around the world from October 2003 to March 2005, encompassing travel through thirty-seven countries in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was this blog that "started it all," where Erik evolved and honed his style of travel blogging. (It starts to come into focus around the time he arrives in Africa.)

Praised and recommended by USA Today, RickSteves.com, and readers of BootsnAll and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, The Global Trip blog was selected by the editors of PC Magazine for the "Top 100 Sites You Didn't Know You Couldn't Live Without" (in the travel category) in 2005.





SBRs? WHMMR? 1981ers? Confused at some of the jargon that’s developed with this blog and its readers?  Try looking them up on The Global Trip Wiki.

Spelling or grammar error? A picture not loading properly? Help keep this blog as good as it can be by reporting bugs.




SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED HERE






THE GLOBAL TRIP PLEDGE DRIVE

Show support and pledge a donation to Erik by buying official Global Trip gear and apparel! CLICK HERE!

All written and photographic content is copyright 2002-2008 by Erik R. Trinidad (unless otherwise noted).
"The Global Trip" and "swirl ball" logos are service marks of Erik R. Trinidad.
TheGlobalTrip.com v.3 is powered by Expression Engine