31st of November to 2nd of December, 2017.
The first time I see Abdelah I get surprised. He is in his forty’s and looks kind of charming with grey 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 offer 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. He looks like me in his own way to do and to like some stuff. What probably define why we both are alone. Of course my requirements are in a very most simple way but even so…
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 ask for spare bread.
When we start to talk about my plans of travelling to Mauritania and the other Africa countries by hitch-hiking, they both get concerned and, as usual, start to tell me how dangerous could be and trying to make me change my mind. I do not feel comfortable with that, is not nice to hear someone tell you horrible things about your plans, even that they maybe are doing that just because they care about you.
Next morning I wake up before him and, as he had told me, I have my breakfast and leave to town.
I walk a lot that day. 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 a 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 did not feel safe do 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.
After a few minutes, the doorman come and even that I try to explain to him my situation he o not believe and asked me to wait outside. I mean, I understand that is just his job, but why in the hell somebody with bad intentions would stay in the hall and not try to break in some apartment? If I wanted get hide I had went up to some floor and not stay in the hall. Where the hell he was and what kind of security job was his that allows me enter at the building at first time? Well, I do not know if was one of those reasons or just the fact that I remained in front of the building waiting, but he talk with a man in the building just beside, someone who speaks English, and when the guy come, even that he also does not believe in me, they both let me stay inside.
That night Abdelah decides to ordered some food for me. But since 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 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 go party.
Next day I left around midday. It is late and I realize that is actually even later after have to walk over two hours to find a good place to hitch.
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.