First Impressions of Rabat

After being shepherded onto buses first thing after landing in Morocco, and promptly falling asleep from utter exhaustion after barely 10 minutes, we finally woke up when we hit the capital, Rabat. Stuck in traffic, I got a first glimpse of a major city, yet low-lying clouds marred any opportunities for a decent picture of the overall city. What I did see were large concrete buildings, but they followed the general example of the outskirts to Casablanca - modern, but nothing over about four stories tall. The European influence was also easy to notice, with traffic circles every few blocks at major intersections. One interesting note, is that traffic lights are amazingly difficult to spot, and pedestrian lights almost never function. So here, when someone says they had to "dodge traffic" to walk somewhere, odds are they were not exaggerating in the slightest.

But more on Moroccan traffic later. It deserves its own subject!

We had come to Rabat for our in-country introduction to the Peace Corps. Ahead of us were lectures, forms, and vaccinations, all sitting in our way of exploring one of the few cities anyone outside of this country has heard of. After all, the song "Rock the Casbah" literally refers to the Casbah that was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel!

Our first stop was at the Peace Corps Morocco headquarters. Apparently, we're the first group that has ever had the honor of dropping by the Rabat office after arriving in-country. It was indeed a very nice compound, but we're all haggard in our business clothes, and after being greeted by the staff in their flip flops, jeans, or traditional Moroccan dress, the embers of hatred for our misinformed directions in Philadelphia were seen blazing in the eyes of many, including myself. Well, the Country Director was in a perfect suit at least, so we weren't entirely out of place. He gave us a nice speech about why we had come to Morocco in the first place, and then we were set loose to explore the compound for a bit. A few of us got a nice and lengthy (but not lengthy enough!) look at the map which showed where every single volunteer in the country is stationed. Since we had arrived on 9/11, there was a quick ceremony and then we were herded back onto the bus. Frankly, the visit was nice, but as tired as I was I almost could have cared less. Except for the map of course!

After checking in to our hotel, we went straight into a safety briefing. Ironically, while the Embassy security officer is up front telling us all the statistics, interjected with the occasional "by the way, Morocco is entirely safe, so enjoy yourselves," other Peace Corps staff are horrified off to the side and looking worried that now we're going to go down some dark alleyways with shady tour guides and get knifed on our first night in the country. By the way, at this point I should probably mention that we're in a swanky hotel in a nice part of town, yet everybody wants to go to the mdina, the oldest part of the city, or down to the old harbor and the Casbah, the old Muslim fortress.

Once our briefing is over and the first absurd load of paperwork handed out, everyone immediately makes for the cameras, fanny packs, and dummy wallets. We're all tired as sin, but this was our first opportunity to explore, and we would not be denied. I made it out for a few minutes but decided that since we had a few more nights, I was going to get some rest. One of the others made it as far as the mdina, and reported back that it was a sight to behold. Over a Moroccan/English style buffet of crispy boiled/baked potatoes, what we think is lamb or beef, chicken, and a few other unidentifiable vegetables, my response was "food and sleep now, pickpocket country later!"

The next day was chock full of shots, medical information sessions, and the like, but that's all boring. You're here to learn about the mdina. Okay, so the mdina (translated, it means "city" and is pronounced medina, like the actual city in Saudi Arabia) is essentially a decently sized portion of the city that looks as old as it feels. Instead of white washed concrete buildings, you get yellow, sand-blasted stone that's piled sturdily yet unconvincingly in many buildings. The main streets are big enough for cars though there are few, with the side streets only large enough for people or the occasional wagon or buggy. Shops and food stands line both sides of every street, with the vendors selling everything from baked goods to clothes to toys to books, and even one electronics store. Carts full of tourist items line the middle and sometimes are even clustered in front of the shops, and a few sold food such as dates, fish, or butchered meat.

Our first report of the mdina had it so crowded that on my own first visit, I was petrified of bringing my camera, especially as it was near dusk. Boy, did I miss out, because I didn't get back there while I was in Rabat.

We continued on to the other side near the coastline, and after passing through a giant cemetary, we came to the ruins of the old harbor just as the sun is setting over the ocean. There was no beach proper, but the pockmarked cliffs were easy to climb and many of us ended up getting down to near the points where waves were gently crashing onto the rock. There are a few great pictures on somebody else's camera that I'm quite envious of right now. Nearby, an old lighthouse is warming up, and local kids are finishing their football (yes, I will be calling soccer football, and using American football for our version) games on impromptu courts on the cement pavilions lining the street.

Much of the group was pining to get to the Casbah, which we eventually found on the other side of the cemetary. We entered through a giant doorway, which itself was built in the Arab style, with a pointed and flared arch. As it was getting dark, we didn't go very far into the Casbah because now it is a largely residential area, and a dozen Americans looked pretty out of place on small streets that were rapidly emptying. Our intrepid tour guide nearly got us lost, but being the human road map that I am I got us back to the mdina and from there everyone knew where they were going.

It was quite the adventure, and at first glance, Rabat minded me very much of what you might expect in a Mediterranean city, though it's actually on the Atlantic coast. No towering buildings (apart from the minarets of the mosques,) very well planned, and clearly meant to be an attraction in and of itself. We did pass other tourists, and thanked the stars that we didn't stand out nearly as much as they did. I do have pictures, but as it's past midnight and I'm changing sites again tomorrow, they will have to wait a few days. There are more stories from Rabat, but this is all I have time for right now!