Moroccan & Mo-Rolling

Gooooood morning! SAS may have ended, but there are still two more ports to update you about…today we’re tackling Morocco, our penultimate port and second stop in Africa. Casablanca, Morocco may conjure up images of Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in that classic, black-and-white cinema style, but the city looks *much* different now.

Casablanca was a big change of pace for us, especially since we’d been sailing through Europe since mid February. Going back to Africa meant going back to strict immigration and strict behavioral guidelines. For example, it was heavily suggested by former SASers that women shouldn’t be exploring Morocco by themselves, though several of my peers on the ship had gone to Morocco before and said it had been fine…We were also in Morocco during Ramadan, meaning the day-to-day life was rather different than if you went in say, October. Still, this felt like a good port to take one or two on-ship days, especially with homework assignments and finals looming right around the corner. But let’s dive into to our adventures!

Day 1: Bizarre Bazaar

We had an interesting start to the day, what with in person customs & immigration. We were called down by our Seas and had a series of hoops to jump through before getting our passports - we were under very strict instructions to keep our passports on us at all times, a marked change from Europe, where they encouraged us to keep passports on the ship unless absolutely necessary.

After all that, a group of us decided to go out and explore some local bazaars. First, we had to stop at the train station next to the port for some coffee and ATMs because, Fun Fact, Morocco has a closed currency, so you can only get dirhams when you’re in the country. Eventually, we all had enough cash on hand and were ready for the markets. All six of us piled into an extra-large taxi and went to a market.

I’ll be honest, it was not what I expected. Lots of rugs, souvenirs, paintings, and clothing, but it didn’t feel any different than a normal touristy location. It was rather nice to interact with the merchants, though, and just chat with them about life there, especially during Ramadan. We also had a spectacular moment of Annakate’s sunglasses being accidentally run over by a van but miraculously being totally okay.

Because it was Ramadan, most locals weren’t eating while the sun was up, and while tourists are under no obligation to follow suit, it was recommended that if we choose to eat during the day, we should do so in private to respect those fasting. As such, we went to a little-known, off-the-beaten-path place for a super quick lunch: the train station McDonald’s. If it makes it any better, I ordered Moroccan McDonald’s like the Gouda Bites! American McDonald’s could never with gouda!

The rest of the night was spent on ship, trying my best to power through some final projects…not terribly exciting, but forward thinking, because the second half of Morocco was shaping up to be incredibly busy.

Day 2: Something About Dust

If you’ve ever doubted how *dedicated* I am to my teams, rest assured, I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to watch the Australian Grand Prix, despite being extremely sleep-deprived (and you know, on a ship. In Morocco.) Actually not a bad way to start the day! The race was wrapped up before breakfast and I was able to start working on stuff super early in the day.

Because half of our Morocco travel group had field classes or field programs, Laney and I chose to stay on the ship and have a recuperation/study day. It’d been a few ports since I had an on-ship day, and it was just what I needed to recharge. Most SASers had gone on five or six day excursions, so the ship was a relative ghost town, which actually makes for a great studying environment - no distractions and all that.

I did manage to get my daily dose of vitamin C by working outside for a while, still managing to get sunburned despite SPF 75! I swear I’m just allergic to the outdoors. But there was another hidden danger lurking outside…fertilizer dust. Here’s another Fun Fact: the Port of Casablanca is located right by a fertilizer factory, which means that any cruise ships docked nearby get covered in a grimy layer of fertilizer film. Gross!

My little group reconvened for dinner when everyone made it back on the ship, and we had a low-key night hanging out in Berlin. It honestly felt the most like a typical college night - just you and your friends talking and goofing around far later than you should be up considering sleep schedules :)

Day 3: Movie Madness!

Our third day started off with more sunshine, sitting out on the back of the ship for a while. I think it was starting to dawn on us that we were 2.5 weeks away from disembarkation and our time on-ship was rapidly dwindling…

We did make it out to the city though, on a mission to go to the commercial mall on the other side of Casablanca. This mall is supposed to be super cool, with a mini amusement park and a mini aquarium inside. Unfortunately, the hours were modified due to Ramadan and we weren’t able to see much besides the grocery store and the odd cotton candy vendor…but we did get to see the sunset from the coast/beach while trying to find our way back to the ship, and a very nice security guard escorted through the deserted mall.

In a way, we were racing against time since sunset and Iftar the meal that breaks the fast, were fast approaching. Luckily, we managed to squeeze into a taxi (frat packing goes international) without making our driver late. It was an excellent usage of 21st century technology, since he only spoke Arabic and French and between the five of us, we only spoke English and Spanish. Google Translate was a necessary tool, and I will forever cherish it for helping us in our most crucial hour. It was a lot more feasible than Annakate calling her friend from Montreal who speaks French...

The best part of Day 3, though, was our dinner. We all got freshened up back on the ship and made our way to…Rick’s Café! For those unaware, Rick’s Café is one of the key locations in the classic film Casablanca - one of my personal favorites and an undisputed must-see from pretty much every cinema buff. This Rick’s Café opened in 2004, but it’s modeled after the film, completed with live music and cocktails.

I was so excited to go to the café - Casablanca is one of my favorite classic films, and I had high hopes that the restaurant would capture the same magic. It totally delivered, by the way! The musicians were locals and added a really intriguing flare to the acoustic songs. The whole place just felt very Old Hollywood, very elegant and glamorous, with the decor adding in hidden gems in the least likely places. The food was also delicious - I had this great burrata dish that I’m still thinking about weeks later. For film buffs like me, there were Easter eggs all over the place: the LLC of the Café, for example, was “The Usual Suspects” and contrary to what you may think, the 1995 film’s title is actually an homage to Casablanca, to one of the first lines where they say “Round up the usual suspects.”

All in all, a really great way to wrap up our time in Casablanca, because once we got back to the ship, it was time to pack and get ready for…

Day 4: Chefchaouen

The Blue City! Have you ever seen those influencer-esque pictures of someone in front of an entire cerulean city? If they’re not in Santorini, chances are, they’re in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Also known as the Blue Pearl, Chefchaouen is this small touristy town nestled in the Rif Mountains, known for being an entirely white/blue city. It's also spelled about 100 different ways, so keep that in mind when Googling, or you know, trying to get there in person...It was about a six hour drive from Casablanca, so myself, Annakate, Lauren, Laney & Taylor hired a driver/guide to take us there for a one night stay.

We were up early to meet them, and set off on the road. As a ~Midwesterner~ I am no stranger to road trips, and I was actually a little excited to just look out the window for a while and really see Morocco. The first hour or so was just getting out of Casablanca, but soon enough we turned off the highway and onto the equivalent of country roads. The drastic difference in geography was incredible. We went from a really industrial port city to lush, green farmlands and mountains, just this total explosion of natural life and color. And seeing Chefchaouen draw closer was like spotting a single sapphire in a sea of emeralds.

The first thing we did after getting to the city was grab some lunch in their main pavilion area. While Ahmed, our guide wasn’t eating because of Ramadan, he really graciously took us to one of his favorite spots to eat. We hadn’t seen a lot of tourists in Casablanca, but there were lots of visitors in Chefchaouen, meaning there was some great people watching at lunch! Afterwards, we quickly stopped at our AirBnB (more on that later) and then got to our tour with Ahmed.

We went up and down and all around the city before trekking up to the Spanish Mosque just outside Chefchaouen. Here, we got a breathtaking view of the city just before sunset. We had to hurry back into the city before dark, though, since we wanted to make sure Ahmed could get to his friends for Iftar. We waved him goodbye and then got ready for our own dinner.

We ended up back in the main plaza for dinner, but went to a different restaurant, which ended up being one of my favorite meals from any in-country experience. Maybe I was just super hungry, but the veggie panini I had was heavenly. I’m still thinking about it. I miss it. We did a quick toast to Morocco, then headed back to the AirBnb to count down to Taylor’s 21st birthday! The clock struck midnight, we sang “Happy Birthday” and all promptly fell asleep in the super aesthetic AirBnB.

Ah, yes. The AirBnB. It was a “Bellevue house” with Arabic and Andalusian architecture, which basically translates to town home, but make it cultured. There were four or five levels (lots of half levels? Makes it hard to count) including a rooftop patio overlooking the city. And of course, the whole building was on theme with blue and white. It wasn’t the most soundly-built structure though…some of the windows didn’t latch, as we learned that night.

Dear Reader, there was a legendary windstorm that night in Chefchaouen. I’m talking, blow-doors-off-hinges, shake-the-entire-house, cause-general-destruction windstorm. I was so incredibly freaked out at 2 in the morning, when the wind slammed my own door open even though it was double-deadbolted. I won’t lie, I thought there was an intruder in the house and I was about to defend myself with nothing but a claw clip and a black pen. Also, Cat Fights. The wind really agitated the neighborhood felines, and we got A+ audio of them absolutely tearing each other apart. So a really restful, relaxing night!

Day 5: Feeling Bluesy (Chefchaouen Pt. 2)

The next morning, we were all a bit slow to regroup, but managed to go for some walks though the city. The damage was evident, with shingles and decor and trees blown everywhere, but it’s Chefchaouen: it’s always picturesque. We did a little more shopping as well, since my friends are true Material Girls (I did follow their lead and get myself some argan oil for apparently a super-cheap price). And naturally, we had to find some cute spots to get pictures. As I said earlier, Chefchaouen is an influencer’s dream; it’s one of the few cities in the world where you don’t feel super awkward for taking pictures of yourself everywhere because that’s one of the main reasons people go there in the first place.

That being said, I really did learn a lot about the culture of Morocco and Chefchaouen during our time there. Getting to talk with Ahmed meant we got to ask all of our questions about real life in Morocco, especially during Ramadan, and I walked away with a much deeper understanding of norms and expectations there.

Around lunch time, we got back in the van and headed towards Casablanca. By the time we were back on the ship, everyone was ready to crash for the night, so we nixed our plans of going out to eat for Taylor’s birthday. Instead, we indulged in Grill Dinner (not the normal buffet dinner) and spent the night chatting and talking before turning in. Not the most high profile day, but a good day :)

Day 6: To Rest & Recovery

For our last scheduled morning in Morocco, I took it easy and just chilled on the ship. At that point, we were two weeks away from disembarkation and the general exhaustion was threatening to overflow. I had been going, going, going for 14 weeks at that point, which is exhausting for anyone. I did force myself outside for a while, trying to enjoy the warmth and the sunshine before I choked on fertilizer grime again. No worries - Kelsi and I went back that evening to admire the full moon and catch up on our various adventures throughout the week.

We ended up staying in Morocco for an extra twelve hours or so, trying to avoid storms in the Atlantic. I kept trying to convince people it would be fun to sail through a storm, but I firmly in the minority there.

Final Thoughts

Oh, Morocco. I’ll definitely have to come back in the future - my biggest takeaway from this port was how little I understood it before docking there. Morocco is so much more than bazaars and deserts, and you really need at least a week to explore Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fes, Rabat and Tangier. So yes, I’ll be back, ready to see the Sahara or the super speedy train. I’m also curious to see how different the country is in non-Ramadan times (another reason to return!), though I am supremely grateful I got to interact with people during that important time.

Morocco tended to be a challenging port for people, in that it’s so rich in culture and experiences but really far out of your everyday comfort zone. Arriving near the end of your journey means having to dig that much deeper to do the amazing things that can intimidate you or wear you down. No matter, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Casablanca, and I’m still itching to watch the movie…

Only one port left to tell you all about! I’m not ready! Not even close!