The birthday girl has us organized today, and we will start with breakfast down at the Four Seasons on the waterfront. Jutta came across a video online of someone spending a perfect day in Casablanca and this is how it starts……..we are doing the same. Piled into a Small Taxi at the hotel and we arrive in minutes despite some heavy downtown traffic…….quite a change from yesterday when most of these streets had little or no traffic. It is a free for all out here……the rules of the road don’t exist……..it’s every man for himself…….push your way in, lean on the horn, cut people off, all acceptable.
What a huge difference between the two hotels……while we love Le Doge, it is hard not to like the 4S……..quite elegant…….should have worn the three piece suit, but I guess the cargo shorts and Tshirt will have to do. Walking to our sea view table we stroll by the cold buffet……about 100 feet long with everything you could imagine on it……..complete menu of cooked options on a separate menu, so I do my best to put together the Full Moroccan Breakfast……….I was quite happy with the results, and had a laugh with one of the waiters explaining what black pudding is. He said “It’s black, really?”
We are all pretty gaga about the food, service, setting, etc. and talk about “If we ever came back”, but know already we have over extended our stay in Casablanca. You could do a quick day and a half, max two day here and cover most everything you would want to see and do. Not to be deterred the goats are up for a shore walk to the Morocco Mall, and with Google Maps telling me it’s a 40 minute 6km hike, I am opting for the taxi. Once you get out of the city a bit, a new breed of taxi starts to appear……the WHITE taxis. Serious, apparently about 3-4 thousand of these guys covering the fringes of town…….they don’t work the downtown……..and while they are supposed to be bigger, it is still a squeeze for me to get in and out. I waved a guy down and experienced for the first time, a common thing here……..ride sharing……cabs will pick up more than just one fare if they are heading in the same direction. I don’t believe I have seen a meter in a cab yet, or at least one that is turned on, so you just pay the guy what he asks for because it is dirt cheap anyway.
Morocco Mall could be Yorkdale, short a number of higher end stores, and only once their renovations and upgrades are completed. Still a pretty good show, and the aquarium in mall central is a pretty nice touch. Unfortunately it was on the reno list also, so the slow elevator that takes you on a glassed in ride up the middle of the tank was not operational. Shopping over, we cab it back to the hotel and our favourite rooftop hangout where birthday girl wants another taste of that cheesey ravioli.
So get this……a couple walks in and we can hear them chatting in English, then discussing with a waiter which table they would like for dinner tonight. Of course we end up chatting and it comes out that they have a place in Collingwood and ski at the Peaks, and are travelling with another couple who live in Collingwood full time. Who we ask…….Mike and Andrea!…….never thought we would cross paths with the Wolff’s although we knew they were in Morocco, but there you go……another Small World moment. We plan to surprise them for a pre dinner cocktail before we head out for dinner elsewhere. What a riot. It was a great surprise for all and nice meeting Chris and Rebecca.
We head out for a dinner res we made some time ago to a restaurant called Dar Da Da……came very highly recommended and everyone local we have talked to says it is great…….should have known when our cab was greeted by a crew in full traditional Moroccan garb that this was a tourist trap, but the food turned out to be pretty good, and the belly dancer show wasn’t bad either. Sitting next to the duet performing some audience pleasing tunes, and tapping along to the music, I was eventually handed a tambourine and am now “In the band”. Unfortunately my encore performance tomorrow will not be happening as we are gone in the morning…….great fun.
An interesting observation to close the night……walking out to the street from the restaurant there is a cabbie there hustling for a fare…….he asks where we are going……Le Doge…….I ask how much……..200 dirham……I stop the goats from getting in the cab and tell him no way (only took us 80 to get there)…….he laughs, I laugh, and we agree on 100. But, walking to the cab, and driving slowly to get out of this tight street lined with what looks to me like neighbourhood bars, actually coffee shops, I notice there is not a woman anywhere to be seen……present company excepted.
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