Hello Morocco!

We arrived in Casablanca about lunchtime bang on schedule (thanks Emirates) at about 12.30. The flight from Dubai was very smooth. We had to make a slight deviation to avoid some middle eastern trouble spots and flew pretty much due west to Casablanca.

Initial impressions are that there is a lot of building going on, it is very flat, there are a lot of cars, and it is very chaotic. Thankfully it is on the coast and a sea breeze was keeping it cool at about 22 degrees. Our driver dropped us at the hotel no problem and after dumping our stuff we went for a walk.

We seem to be in an up market part of town with a number of big brands (Adidas. Gant, New Balance) being close by. The ubiquitous chains are here (Starbucks, Maccas, KFC, Burger King) as expected. We walked up to Casablanca Cathedral - which is no longer a church but a cultural centre - and did a bit of a loop back to the hotel. Have to say crossing the road is very scary. Pedestrian crossings are largely ignored, and even if you do cross at the lights you need to be careful.

Anyway we survived and made it back to the hotel. After a couple of Casablanca Beers and a light dinner we crashed. The last 24 hours were spent either on a plane or sitting in airports waiting for one.

Tomorrow we scope out the neighbourhood some more.Read more