Septembre 28, 2002 –
Chefchaouen – Casablanca
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After some misunderstandings in Chefchaouen about
the bus (the driver told me that I had an invalid ticket and that the bus was
going to Rabat and not Casablanca) everything was ok after some talking. He
will drive me to Rabat and then he will find me a bus for Casablanca. In fact I chose this bus to be right on time in
Casablanca to see the inside of one of the biggest mosques in the world, the
main objective of the day. I have to be at the latest at 2pm for the last
visit. The journey was ok and by noon I am in Casablanca. I
take a taxi for the train station to leave my bag there. Tip: If you want to
leave your luggage there you have to put your unlocked bag in a big plastic
bag (buy it at the newspaper booth inside the train station) and close the
bag with some rubber. It is accepted!! The number of tourists for the visit is huge we are
at least 200 to buy a ticket. As French are the majority of the travelers I decide
to join an English group to have explanation in a smaller group (15 persons).
The price of the ticket is expensive for a mosque but it is the price to pay
to see inside the building.
The mosque is so big. It was built in 1989 and looks
like a cathedral but the place lacks of soul as the emptiness is the first
thing you notice. But it is a normal thing as the mosque is closed apart from
the prayer times. I find the mosque cold, inhuman but it is surely because it
is only a tourist attraction. At the moment we are all tourists and our
guides present us the building with a great amount of figures that have no
sense for such a place:: Cost: 500 millions of US Dollars Area: 200 00m2 Capacity: 25 000 persons Minaret: 200m (lift for the muezzin) Sunroof opening time (3 minutes) and closing
time (2 minutes) Chandeliers going down electrically…
A succession of figures far from the reality and the
use of such a place. After the visit of the prayer room, the visit goes on
with the ablutions room and finally the hammam. The funny aspect is that
these last elements are closed at all time except when the King decides to
use them. For the hammam it has been used since the opening of the monument
in 1989!!! In a word, it is a visit to see the 2nd mosque in the
world after the one in Mecca but nothing more.
The ablutions room and the hammam I spend the afternoon wandering in the streets and
in the souks in the medina. I even go to a supermarket to buy spices because it
is the only place where you are sure of the quality pf the product and where
the price is well written. The ACIMA supermarket (great idea to buy products before
trekking in the mountains) is at the corner between Mohammed V boulevard and
the street Mohammed Smiha (street where is located the CTM bus station). Then I go back to the train station to take the
shuttle to the airport because my flight is at 7am and I don’t want to pay
the official rate for a taxi to the airport (200 DH minimum). So I will try
the free hotel there: plastic benches at Mohammed V Airport. Around midnight good surprise to see the 2 Italians
they are also here to catch their plane tomorrow morning. It is really great
to see them again before our departures. Main expenses of the day : Bus Chefchaouen – Casablanca: 65 DH Hassan II Mosque entrance fee: 50 DH with a student
card otherwise 100 DH Night at Mohammed V Airport: 0 DH !!! Drinks (water, soft drinks, tea…) + Lunch and
evening meal: 80 DH |
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Other travels (Syria,
Jordan, Egypt, USA...) (Hotels, Transportation
timetables…) D1 :
Luxembourg – Paris – Casablanca D4 :
Meknes – Volubilis – Meknes D9 :
Tinehrir – Ouarzazate – Marrakesh D13 :
Refuge – 4167m –Tizi Ouanoums D14 :
Tizi Ouanoums – Amsouzert D16 :
Azib Likemt – Tacheddirt D17 :
Tacheddirt – Imlil – Marrakesh D19 :
Essaouira – El Jadida – Tangier D22 :
Chefchaouen – Casablanca D23 :
Casablanca – Paris – Luxembourg |
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Last update : January
2003
Contact : pindavid@hotmail.com
