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Salam aleikum from Morocco. Thinking about the last three countries I traveled to, I realized something interesting: They all start with the letter "M". I wonder if anyone has ever gone from Malaysia to Mexico and then Morocco in that order -- and in a six-week period? Maybe all this travel has gotten to me, and I'm just out of my head. If so, please excuse my ramblings. At any rate, we left off last week at the Cancúun airport (here's the link). From there I flew to Dallas, L.A., New York and Casablanca. If you're up for accruing some serious frequent flier miles and joining me on my maiden trip to North Africa, then hop on. Our Royal Air Maroc plane is boarding, and we're getting set to explore Marrakech.
Cancúun to Dallas to New York
To save a couple of hundred dollars I flew through Dallas
to get
home to L.A. That was almost a mistake, because I've never seen a longer customs (not immigration) line than DFW's. Usually the immigration line is time-consuming, but not here. I felt bad for travelers with tight connections, because there was no way they'd make them. Luckily, I had two hours between flights.
New York City
I flew
to JFK, where once again Delta
treated me (a lowly Gold Member) to a free upgrade. How sweet is that? Click here to find out how this happened. I was in Manhattan for only one night, to attend
a European Conference at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel. I stayed with a friend -- not at the Waldorf -- but the hotel sure is beautiful (and huge). A NASCAR event was going on one of the floors. But I didn't even have time to track down my boy Jimmie Johnson, because I had to rush back to JFK for a red-eye flight here. For transportation
options to and from JFK, see this webpage.
Royal Air Maroc
Terminal 1 JFK:
I was running late, and thankfully check-in for Royal Air Maroc did not take
long. I was given a pass to the Lufthansa lounge, which Royal Air Maroc rents out. The lounge entrance is BEFORE you go through security;
unfortunately, I did not realize this until after I already cleared. How stupid is that? The idea of a lounge is so passengers
can relax before a flight. That can't happen if you still have to go through security. No one ever knows how long security will take.
With only 30 minutes before boarding time, there was no way I was going back through with both my bags just to snag some free drinks, snacks and a comfortable seat.
JFK to Casablanca
The 767-300 plane was two-thirds full. I scored a bulkhead seat in the first row of economy. I had plenty of legroom, and an empty seat in between me and my cool Canadian seatmate. The mostly young and attractive flight attendants passed out small amenity kits
with socks, eye masks and headsets to all. It was a nice gesture, but they gave everyone (including yours truly) some serious attitude. And this was before I rang the call button 20 times (just kidding). At least the chicken
(or fish) dinner with chocolate mousse cake they threw down without a smile was some of the best coach food I've ever had. The breakfast tray
of yogurt, a croissant and blueberry muffin served 90 minutes prior to landing was just okay. The best part of the flight
(besides -- obviously -- landing
safely) was that it only took 6 hours and 18 minutes. Who knew Africa was so close?. For more information on
Royal Air Maroc,
here's a link to their website. Warning: It desperately needs a revamp.
Getting There
Royal Air Maroc (tel. 800-344-6726) is the only airline from the U.S.
offering nonstop service to Morocco (Casablanca). Flights start at approximately $900 roundtrip. To fly more cheaply,
try pricing out one-stop service on British Airways or Air France. You can also fly to Europe and then board Royal Air Maroc's new discount airline, Atlas Blue (tel. 0820-090-90). One-way tickets from London (a 3-hour flight) to Marrakech are as low as $37.
When we landed at the Casablanca Airport the plane parked out in the middle of the tarmac. Passengers deplaned
using stairs. Actor Laurence Fishburne
(who seemed like a nice guy) and the U.S. ambassador to Morocco (I think) both sat in first class, and had private cars
waiting for them at the bottom. Meanwhile, everyone else shlepped their bags on the bus to passport control -- which was far from orderly. After getting cut a few times I just muscled my way to the counter -- of course, with a smile.
Morocco
Morocco is located on the northwestern tip of Africa. It's just nine miles from Europe -- a short boat ride away from Portugal and Spain. (It's five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time). No wonder the late King Hassan II of Morocco once said, "Morocco has its roots in Africa, but branches in Europe." He was spot on. At times I kept having to remember where I was?even during the day. Looking out at the arid landscape, I felt like I was in Africa -- but then sipping
sweet mint
tea
outside Café les Negociants (tel. 04/443-5762) at the intersection of heavily trafficked Avenue Mohammed V and Boulevard Mohammed Zerktoun, I thought I was in Europe. Then, seeing all the locals dressed in traditional garb, and trying to decipher their Arabic language, I thought for sure I was in the Middle East. It was amazing.
Morocco has a long history which I can't even go into (Here's an informative link) but you should at least know that the country recovered its political independence from France in 1956.
Getting Situated
The two main languages
here are Arabic (official) and French. Few people speak English, but everyone is very friendly so communicating has seldom been a problem for me.
(In the real touristy areas and hotels, English is spoken often.) The first thing I did after clearing customs (and you should too) was get some
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) from the ATM. US$1 equals
MAD8.3. Our dollar goes a long way here. As you can see from this
"Where Does the Dollar Do Best?" page, a movie ticket costs just $3.46, bus fare is 40¢, a cup of regular coffee is 57¢ and a moderate, three-star hotel room for two can be found for $40.45.
I am here because the Moroccan government invited me for a three-city tour. They supplied me with a tour guide named Andaloussi Ahmed
(tel. +212/6151-4041; andaloussiahmed@yahoo.com) who was excellent. He's been a nationally accredited tour guide (badge number 518) for 22 years, and speaks Arabic, English and Spanish. The official tour guide price is MAD350 (US$41) for a full day. Said lives in Marrakech, so if you want him for a day tour of that city, no problem. But he and other guides are available to travel around the country too, so I had him as my guide for almost a full week. If Said's not available, I'm sure he can recommend a colleague. Otherwise, your hotel or the Moroccan tourist office can arrange one. I recommend having a guide for at least the first day -- just to show you the ropes. If not, be prepared to get thoroughly lost, or else deal with the same experience of walking out of a JFK terminal: All the gypsy cab drivers pester you to choose them.
Casablanca to Marrakech
The drive from the airport to downtown Casablanca takes 30 minutes, but I wasn't headed to that port city yet. My tour began in Marrakech. Getting there requires either a 22-minute flight on a Royal Air Maroc 737 (around $150), or a three-hour drive. I chose the latter, because I would have had to wait four hours for the next flight. I felt bad, because I had not slept much on the plane and could barely keep my eyes (and ears) open for Said. But I perked up after getting some goodies
at a popular rest stop halfway
to Marrakech.
Next Week
Next week: Marrakech. Stay tuned.
John E. DiScala (aka Johnny Jet), is the founder of www.johnnyjet.com, the ultimate travel website and weekly newsletter. He logs over 150,000 miles a year, has been featured in over 850 articles (including Frommers.com, USA Today, Time, Fortune, the New York Times, CNBC and MSNBC), and has published the book, You Are Here Traveling With JohnnyJet.com.
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