ATM Tour – Casablanca – Day 1 – 11 January 2026

My flight to Casablanca from the Tunis Carthage International Airport was scheduled for 11.50 am. Ayman, my host, had informed me yesterday that a taxi cab be taken from near the Kasbah Square. I requested him to accompany me so that I would not have any problem getting a cab. He agreed to.

I had thoroughly enjoyed the stay in the superb Dar Meriem, a two-bedroom apartment fitted out with a decent kitchen. My favourite area was the living cum dining area where I spent the most part in the accommodation, especially on the comfortable L-shaped sofa. The apartment was way beyond my expectations, and it was an exceptional place to rest my weary body after a day filled with long walks. Ayman surprised me this morning, in a very pleasant way. Set to go to take a taxi to the airport I messaged him that I was ready to leave for the opportunity even by 8 am. He messaged me that he would take me to the airport.

I thought he meant that he was also ready to accompany me to the taxi stand. Instead, he took my suitcase down to his car and said he would drop me in it to the airport as he had to drop his daughter in town for some curriculum related work. That was a most pleasant surprise and I felt so deeply thankful to him for the kind gesture. Ayman dropped me at the airport by 8.15 am. As the flight was scheduled only for 11.50 am, it was natural that the check-in counters were not even declared.

There was confusion and almost chaos regarding the departure of a Tunisair flight to Frankfurt. The flight that was to have departed at 7.20 am still hadn't at 11 am and people's nerves were frayed. The airline staff were not able to provide any clarification as to when the flight would take off. Finally, security personnel had to be called in to quiet the irate passengers.

Another example of the ineptness of the staff concerned the boarding gate of my flight. I was seated at Gate 55 as per information on my boarding pass and the departure information display board. When the boarding staff showed no signs of showing up even at 11 am I enquired from the airport staff and got contradictory information. One said Gate 55 and another said Gate 50. After many minutes of the to and fro, I got one of the lady staff to reconfirm over her communication device the actual departure gate. It turned out to be Gate 50. It was indeed a most ridiculous and avoidable situation.

Fortunately, the Air Moroc flight to Casablanca departed a few minutes ahead of time. The three-hour flight was mostly over the Mediterranean Sea, with a decent meal served on board. Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is known for its blend of Berber, Arab, and European cultures, with coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, bordering Algeria and Western Sahara. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca, featuring diverse geography from mountains (Atlas, Rif) to deserts, and rich history reflected in cities like Marrakesh and Fes. Morocco is home to ancient civilizations, with Islamic and Arabic culture growing strong from the Idrisid period.

The country operates as a constitutional monarchy, with Arabic and Berber dialects as official languages. It is a stable kingdom that integrates its history with modernization efforts and diplomacy. It has a diversified economy with strong growth in sectors like tourism, agriculture, phosphates, automotive, and aerospace, even though the country is facing climate challenges like drought. The Moroccan Dirham (MAD) is about 10 INR. Morocco is a developing, lower-middle-income country that's experiencing significant economic growth, a rising middle class, and reduced poverty alongside persistent challenges like inequality and rural poverty. It's considered one of Africa's wealthier nations, featuring modern infrastructure in cities, but still has a substantial portion of its population below the poverty line, showing a mix of wealth and poverty. The per capita income is around $3,700 - $8,300 on Purchasing Power Parity basis.

The flight landed in the Mohammed V International Airport, a no frills one, with the airport brightly branded for the ongoing Africa Cup football tournament. Morocco is the 67th country I was visiting. Multiple flights had landed and the immigration did take some time. Fortunately, there were adequate number of counters to handle the rush. Immediately as I completed immigration, I found my checked-in bag on the carousel. The next task was to exchange some currency and decide on the transport to the hotel. The exchange rate offered in the airport was quite low, but I had to exchange some to pay for the transport to the hotel. From the information kiosk at the Arrivals, I found out that the airport transfer shuttle could be taken from just a few minutes’ walk from the Arrivals gate. From the hotel I confirmed that I had to get off at the last stop of the bus and walk a few hundred metres to the hotel. The smiling conductor of the bus put my bag into the bus and got me a ticket for 50 Moroccan Dirham (MAD). The ride took about 40 minutes. The road infrastructure was superb and I noticed that people drive responsibly observing lane discipline.

At the last stop, the Station Casablanca Port, I got off and took directions from the hotel staff to reach the arch of the entrance to the Old Medina. Hussain from Ryad 91 came there and piloted me to the hotel. Being the weekend holiday, the Medina was choc a bloc. The Ryad 91, a renovated and refurbished old house, is a hotel. The personable young man took my documents and gave me information about the Wi-Fi and breakfast.

All the rooms of the Ryad start from the first floor, and the restaurant is on the rooftop. After depositing my bag in the first-floor room and freshening up, I got back to Hussain to chalk out activities for what was left of the day. He suggested a walk to the Ain Diab Corniche, which he said would take about thirty minutes. It was nearly 3 km away and I wondered if I would be able to do that in 30 minutes. On the way, he said, is the famous Rick's Cafe and the Hassan II Mosque.

I passed the Casablanca Port and its offices on my way to the Corniche. The Port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in Morocco and in the world. Marsa Moroc operates the Port, which is 8 km in length and can berth 34 ships at a time. The Port annually handles a diversified portfolio of cargo, which also includes about 3.5 million TEUs of container traffic.

Another landmark on the way is the Bab Al Marsa, the gate to the city built in the 18th century. It served as a gateway to the Port of Casablanca till the French maritime attack in 1907. The gate has been restored and the facade is maintained under a special program of the government to rehabilitate and upgrade the Old Medina.

A few hundred meters from there is the iconic Rick's Cafe, made famous by the 1941 Hollywood release, Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Rick's Cafe was a major setting in the movie and with the movie becoming popular, the cafe and the city became destination for tourists. There were many tourists in front of the cafe, where admission is reserved, possibly due to the large number of tourists. There is a specific area in front of the cafe where those seeking admission to the cafe have to line up.

I reached the Hassan II Mosque just as the golden glow of the setting sun highlighted the mosque minaret. The Hassan II Mosque is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's second tallest at 210 metres. The mosque was completed in 1993, built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom.

The mosque stands on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prayer hall of the mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and another 80,000 can worship in the mosque’s commodious grounds. The works on the walls and the gates are stupendous. The workmanship is exemplary. The views of the mosque from the Ain Diab Corniche, with the setting sun is something that defies description.

There are vendors selling local snacks, boiled snails, dry fruits and fruits. A large area is reserved as kids play area where colourful balloons are sold and go-carts for kids accompanied by adults, are available on hire. The Corniche is the fashionable area of the city with many cafes, restaurants and sea facing bar terraces. It started getting quite cold and I thought it wise to walk back to the hotel.

On the way to the hotel, I went into the La Scala restaurant for a traditional Moroccan meal. I was wolfishly hungry and ordered a Tagine and a Moroccan salad. Soon came the traditional Khobz bread, harrisa, tomato chutney and black and green olives in brine. The Khobz bread is used by Moroccans as a utensil to scoop the sauce from the tajine, it is said. I had one whole bread dipped in the spicy harrisa and laced with olives. The food took some time coming. But the wait was well worth it.

The Moroccan salad consisted of chopped capsicums, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives and herbs with lemon wedges on the side. Oh, it tasted so good! While I was feasting on the treat came the Tagine, which is a traditional North African cooking vessel and the aromatic, slow-cooked stew is prepared in it. The vessel is ceremonially opened so that a curious visitor like me can take a video of it. I had first tasted Tagine in Luxor, Egypt. I took my time over the meal and not even a piece of the olive was left behind. The food is light on the stomach because no masala is used. Only herbs and spices flavour the meal. The experience was a super gastronomic one.

The short walk back to the hotel, by when the busy Medina was totally shorn of shoppers and shopkeepers, settled the meal well. I hit the sack thanking Him for the lovely day on which I was in the 67th country of visit.