September 25, 2002 – Essaouira – El Jadida – Tanger

 

 

 

Today, I am leaving to El Jadida with Emanuele and Manuela. At the bus station, a guy told me that there is a bus at 8:45am to Azzemmour, 15km from El Jadida. The 2 Italians are not here and the 9:30am bus will take the coastal road and the journey will last for more than 6-7 hours so I decide to take the first bus for the next 240 km.

 

En route, I have a lot of time to see the landscape (a combination of green fields and cultivated ones). The hills are far from what I saw in the High Atlas mountains or in the desert in Merzouga. Just before noon, the bus stops for lunch time. I avoid the brochettes sellers and I find a soft drinks dealer who also provides customers with some food. I order two sandwiches made of Vache qui Rit and eggs, a delicious meal!!!

 

A 1:30pm, I am at a crossroad near the downtown of Azzemmour, this is where the bus stops before leaving for Casablanca. The 2 other tourists in the bus must think I am crazy to stop there, as there is nothing else around. I will walk in direction of the town. From the bridge you have a great view on the Medina and the ramparts of the old Portuguese city. Azzemmour is a nice little town but I don’t really find something particular in it so I ask a policeman on how to leave for El Jadida. He tells me to walk another 100m to reach a square where the bus 101 will drive me to El Jadida. The trip is quick even in this old bus. The bus stop in El Jadida is at 150m from the bus station so I decide to leave my bag there (5 DH) during the visit of the town.

 

The ville nouvelle is not of great interest but the Portuguese cisterns are definitely worth a look. The main attraction there are cisterns from the 15th century where just enough water, a great light and a décor of 6 naves,vaults and 25 columns allow fantastic reflections. I understand better why Orson Welles decided to shoot a scene of Othello there.

 

  

The Portuguese Cisterns

 

Once I finished the visit of the cisterns, I walk for a few minutes on the rounds way on the top of the ramparts. The ramparts were built during the 17th century, young Moroccans dives from the top of the towers…

 

Ronds way

 

Around 5pm, I leave El Jadida after having checked at the cisterns that no Italian couple came this afternoon. Now I am on a bus to Casablanca where I will try to join Tangier from either the bus station or the train station.

 

After a brief look at the time schedules at the Casablanca bus station, I prefer to go to the train station (Casa Voyageurs) to catch a train. The strange atmosphere at the bus station invites me to contact the police station to know what is the safest thing to do to join the train station. The captain will go outside to choose a taxi and that’s another time a great move from the police forces in this country. I thank him and my taxi driver is the quickest man to reach the station…

 

The train is leaving at 0:15pm so it is in 4 hours, what a long wait.

 

In the train I put my stuff in a compartment with 2 Germans and 2 Moroccans but the latter will leave quickly in Rabat. We will be 3 until Tangier Morora.

 

Main expenses of the day :

Bus to Azzemmou: 55 DH

Noon meal: 15 DH

Bus 1001 Azzemmou – El Jadida: 3 DH

Portugese cisterns entrance fee: 10 DH

Bus El Jadida – Casablanca: 18 DH

Taxi Bus station – Casa Voyageurs: 10 DH

Evening meal: 30 DH

Train ticket Casablanca – Tanger: 116.50 DH

 

 

 

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D1 : Luxembourg – Paris – Casablanca

D2 : Casablanca – Rabat

D3 : Rabat – Meknes

D4 : Meknes – Volubilis – Meknes

D5 : Meknes - Fes

D6 : Fes

D7 : Merzouga

D8 : Merzouga – Tinehrir

D9 : Tinehrir – Ouarzazate – Marrakesh

D10 : Marrakesh

D11 : Marrakesh – Imlil

D12 : Imlil – Toubkal refuge

D13 : Refuge – 4167m –Tizi Ouanoums

D14 : Tizi Ouanoums – Amsouzert

D15 : Amsouzert – Azib Likemt

D16 : Azib Likemt – Tacheddirt

D17 : Tacheddirt – Imlil – Marrakesh

D18 : Marrakesh – Essaouira

D19 : Essaouira – El Jadida – Tangier

D20 : Tangier

D21 : Tangier – Chefchaouen

D22 : Chefchaouen – Casablanca

D23 : Casablanca – Paris – Luxembourg

 

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Last update : January 2003

Contact : pindavid@hotmail.com