Rabat

It isn’t easy to begin writing about a trip after busy months caught up in the daily grind, and as it no longer feels special enough to spark inspiration. This laborious cycle of traveling - taking photos - writing is unpaid entirely, and in the age of AI bots bombarding traffic and crawling information everyday, my only left motivation to write is to preserve something I might rewind later - a time of solitary wandering.

I’ll start the series with a post about Rabat - a city not many tourists cross by when they arrive in Morocco. Rabat gave me far more than I’d expected: not a bustling modern metropolis, but a gentle, charming city where everything seems to be at the right spot. And of course, Rabat reminds me of Sur, where memories tied to these two cities overlap unbelievably.

A Bus Journey from Marrakech

Honestly when planning the trips, for destinations like Rabat I tend to call them ‘gap-fillers’: traveling by bus from Marrakech to Chefchaouen takes far too much time, so what could be better than stopping somewhere in between for a day or two?

And even so, this journey was already quite long: I had to wake up at 5am to get ready for Marrakech CTM Coach Station (nearly missed the bus as all announcements were in French). The trip departed at 7:30am, passed through Casablanca, and only until 12:30 under the midday sun did it reach the destination. Without snacks to munch, or if the sceneries outside the window weren’t captivating enough, you’d be nodding off for a full five hours (luckily they are beautiful).

The bus swiftly rode on the A3 Casablanca - Agadir Expressway, crossing low mountain ranges with gently rounded peaks and fields spread across the arid lands of the Moroccan Meseta.

The fascinating view outside the window was that this seemingly barren landscape, on a year end’s autumn morning, was shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. The bus was as if dashing through the clouds, to the traveler it’s a magical sight, yet to the locals it’s an everyday scene they’re familiar with.

The journey ended at Rabat Bus Station (Gare Routière Rabat), an impressive piece of architecture and one of the cleanest, most convenient bus stations in Morocco I’d ever experienced. Hungry, I stopped by the restaurant area on the second floor, which was fairly empty. After a few days in Morocco, I opted for a safe choice - the kebab with French fries - but it turned out to be another culinary disappointment: they’re served over a layer of cold macaroni and salad which didn’t seem to be matching at all.

Taxis in Rabat were a plus: no overcharging, proper meters and inexpensive fares. A blue taxi drove me quickly along the straight, quiet Hassan II Avenue lined with neat rows of buildings on both sides. My homestay was in a small apartment at the corner of Rue Zanzibar and Rue Athens, and the gatekeeper was an orange cat hiding behind my suitcase to shelter from the sun. The elevator was somewhat old-fashioned, yet the room was decorated nicely in shades of blue, accompanied with a balcony overlooking the deep blue ocean - though I didn’t have much time to enjoy it.

An Afternoon by the Bou Regreg River

After a short nap to recharge, I took an inDrive bike to the Medina within the city’s main tourist area. The driver didn’t hesitate to stop so I could step down and take my first photos of the Atlantic Ocean in Rabat - and the seascape here didn’t disappoint at all: between the winding coastal road and the vast ocean lies a park corridor of lush lawns and rows of palm trees.

Perhaps I was still tired after the long bus ride, or perhaps everyone was drowsy in a deep afternoon lull that I didn’t find the Medina engaging; but anyway the place is far more orderly and less chaotic when set beside Marrakech. Coincidentally, in Sur I had also stayed in a homestay, visited the Souq first, and then hurried off to the sea to catch the sunset.

Rabat is truly beautiful once we stroll along the Bou Regreg River (أبو رقراق) - where charming boats and speedboats glide gracefully over deep blue waters, and when looking towards inland from the distance, there stands out the spaceship-like shape of the Mohammed VI Tower on the side of Salé, the tallest building in Morocco. And do you know which one is the second tallest structure? It’s the famous Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.

Some Moroccan young guys were swimming and when spotting the camera, they’re eager to jump into the frame, which was totally opposite to the shopkeepers who always shied away from the camera.

Sunset at the Kasbah of the Oudayas

It’s about time the sun neared the horizon, I climbed step by step towards the observation deck within the kasbah.

Just after entrance that I saw cats, lots of cats lounging carefree despite streams of tourists wandering around them.

Surrounding me were walls painted in white and blue, and elegant little shops in the kasbah. Seen from outside, it looked like a miniature Santorini.

I don’t have any word in mind to describe such lively and open atmosphere at the time - people laughing and chatting, vendors calling out their bread, teenage boys playing with football, young couples as well as visitors from the West.

Looking as far as the eyes could see, to the west the sun was performing a wonderful sunset display right above the Rabat Lighthouse, to the east was the deep blue ocean with white sandy beaches full of people sunbathing and relaxing.

Up and down, back and forth, I couldn’t let any moment or angle slip through. That greedy me only had one afternoon with the Rabat sunset, and that’s all.

Soft, curving lines leading towards the lighthouse, and sunlight softened by a veil of sea mist rising from the Atlantic Ocean:

And I call this moment ‘Love Like This’, when the sea glows with golden streaks of light.

As night fell, my camera could no longer capture good shots, it’s time to take an inDrive bike back to the homestay. I had a sense that riders in Rabat were genuinely kind, even with short rides costing just 10 - 20 MAD, or sometimes they had to detour quite a bit to pick me up, they still returned every last coin of change.

By this point my body had taken its toll from the long journey and the harsh afternoon sun and wind. I settled for a bowl of instant noodles bought from a convenience store nearby and crawled under the blanket shivering, it turns out that travel has never been healing at all.

A Morning Stroll

Just like in Sur, there was a beautiful afternoon and an unwell night, still I had a morning left to wander this lovely city.

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

From my homestay I hailed a ride to Mausoleum of Mohammed V, traveling across the coastal avenue and the Bou Regreg River; it was such an incredibly refreshing feeling while seeing the blue sea from a distance, trams moving back and forth between Rabat and Salé, and the morning light illuminating the rows of trees by the river. I seemingly had forgotten about the previous night’s sickness.

In front of the mausoleum lies Hassan Square, where we can see the remains of a mosque that was never completed, with 348 columns and the unfinished 40m-high Hassan Tower. By original plan the tower was intended to exceed 60m, but construction halted in 1199 after the death of Caliph al-Mansur of the Almohad. What you see today is more than eight centuries old.

A Modern City

I strolled along the same road to head downhill towards the sea. To my right, the riverside park shimmered in the morning light, and the majestic Mohammed VI Tower’s faintly veiled in mist. Below, the avenue traced a gentle curve before crossing the Bou Regreg River. Trams were gliding back and forth before my eyes. Sometimes I came across stray cats and people walking their dogs beneath lush green tree shades.

On the calm river, boats of every color lay moored, and everything looked so peaceful.

Facing the Atlantic Ocean

Before bidding farewell to Rabat, I stopped by the Atlantic for a while to sense the sea vibe as waves crashed against the cliffs.

In the distance, a few people were fishing with patience. Not to miss the seabirds wheeling overhead. We can’t swim here, but we can chill: we linger a little longer to blend ourselves into the atmosphere, taking in the world with our bare eyes, not via any screen or lens.

And so the short trip came to an end, I returned to my room, packed my things and continued on another long bus journey to Chefchaouen. Rabat was without a doubt my most memorable place in this country.