Morocco, day fourteen: Oulfa
No tourism today, only sums.
As Thursdays have become my busy day, I've not had time to do much.
El Oulfa is one of the biggest districts of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city. It's beyond the reaches of the tram, but is well served by petits taxis and buses and there's also no shortage of InDrive cars around in the event you need to get to somewhere quickly. I didn't brave the buses, for no reason other than not having time to do anything or anywhere to go.
It's a curious mix of building site and well-to-do apartment buildings and while there are some shops and cafés and restaurants, it's not really a place that inspires a visit. I did have a little walk around in the evening to see if there was anything that might arouse some kind of response, but failed. I practised crossing the road a few times, though, so that was exciting, and went up onto the roof of the apartment building and got a good view of everything going on.
So far my train experiences have been great fun and great value for money. The cost of the direct Al Atlas train to Fès from Tangier was 165 dirham, which if you divide by ten gives you more or less the cost in euros. It was a comfortable air-conditioned journey, and the first class coach was laid out in a two plus one arrangement, like a French Intercités train (I think they are old SNCF units). The only sign that we might not be in Kansas any more was the toilet, which was literally a hole in the floor with a seat on top.
Still, for a standing-up toilet – if you'll indulge me the details – it's a great game of skill and something to do along the way. It serves its purpose and so long as you remember not to have anything in your pockets that can suddenly fly out, all will be fine. Of course, the views along the way – not from the toilet – were breathtaking.
Prices for the Al Atlas trains seem to remain the same no matter when you book. In price, for a tourist, the difference between first and second was not shocking between Tangier and Fès. The difference between first and second when it's a compartment train appears to be the number of people squished into the carriage, and there is little difference in service provided. In second, the compartments hold eight people whereas in first the seats are much bigger and comfier and there are only six places. There seemed to be a mix of compartments and open coaches, and the open coaches in second looked as if they could be better than the closed compartments of eight, for personal space.
The trolley service is regular and serves a selection of hot and cold drinks as well as sweet and savoury snacks. I got the impression that at one end of the train there was a service compartment where the trolley went to recharge, because on the Fès journey it never seemed to go past empty. There's no modern frippery such as wifi or sockets providing electricity, but 4G connectivity with Inwi remained strong throughout the journey -- even in what would appear to be the remotest parts of the country -- and so scrolling to while away the hours is an option if that's your bag.
Fès to Casablanca was another glorious journey but there wasn't quite as much to look at for the whole journey. There was another hole-in-the-floor loo – much fun – and another trolley service, which again never seemed to go past empty. The difference in cost between first (240 dirhams) and second was 80 dirhams, and on this train it looked as if it was worth all of them.
I briefly considered a trip to Oujda to see Morocco's first railway station, but ultimately decided against it because most people looked at me quizzically when I mentioned it and then, if I hadn't been deterred sufficiently by their expressions, would mention something about proximity to Algeria with an undertone of scorn. The reason I fancied a trip to Oujda was because I also fancied a go on an night train somewhere, but in the end common sense won out and from Fès I came here where I promptly engaged in no tourism whatsoever and got very lazy, hence this filler post which is one step up from two hundred words of Lorem Ipsum.
Due to what some would consider a lack of features, voyages-oncf.ma is an absolute pleasure to use. There is a slight surcharge for using a non-Moroccan bank card, but nothing shocking. The ATMs seem to to the same as well; Banque Populaire charges 33 dirhams for any cash withdrawal which is essentially 0,70€ cheaper than Société Générale.
Apparently I'm off to Marrakech tomorrow, such is the depth of my planning so far.
