2010.01.20: Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: Travel in Morocco Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Morocco: Peace Corps Morocco : Peace Corps Morocco: Newest Stories: 2010.01.20: Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: Travel in Morocco Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

By Admin1 (admin) (151.196.40.252) on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 1:41 pm: Edit Post

Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: Travel in Morocco Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: Travel in Morocco Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

Sometimes when traveling to remote areas, out in the country, one is forced to hitch hike. It's a common practice and most people who own bigger vehicles are aware of this and use it as a chance to make a little money. Someone might charge you just a small fee to catch a ride with them. I've only had to do this once, and I truly don't prefer it. I was riding in a old, beat up van, with about 10 strangers. I was with one other volunteer and looking at each other we both were thinking, everything we've ever been taught in our lives has just gone out the window. It's all part of the experience.

Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: Travel in Morocco Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

From Morocco: Travel Requires Patience, Flexibility, and Acceptance

By Alexandra Cash

January 20, 2010, 7:01AM

Caption: School Bus in Morocco "No one, not even police, seems to care about this." Photo: Pedro Lozano Attribution 2.0 Generic

Morocco is roughly the size of Texas, the second largest state in the USA. So imagine squeezing the whole of Morocco in just a small portion the USA. To drive across the state of Texas would take roughly 12 hours, according to Google Maps. This is not the case in Morocco. With the Atlas mountains, a beautiful yet time consuming obstruction, lined diagonally across the country, travel around them takes some patience. Not all roads are paved with US quality, and cars can not drive at American speeds due to the cracks and bumps along the way.

The most common method of travel is by grand taxi. Grand taxis are stationed in each city and have fixed routes that take people from city to city. When riding in a taxi you pay a rate for just one seat and the rates are fixed and vary depending on how far your destination is. Most of the time travel by taxi requires a lot of patience. Seeing as each taxi has room for six passengers the taxi will not leave until all six seats are filled. If you've got the extra cash to spare you can pay for more than one seat if you would like the taxi to leave in a more timely manner.

Most taxis in Morocco are older style Mercedes Benz sedans. All still in decent running condition but by the looks of them they would receive the label of "beater" in the USA. I am always reminded of my rides to elementary school in my dad's BMW because the smell of the leather seats still holds on. With an American view point they would fit four passengers, but Moroccan taxi drivers squeeze four passengers in the back seat and two on the frotaxint seat. Seat belts are non-existent in taxis and there is also no such thing as personal space. At first I was squeamish about the thought of being squished up against a stranger for a long car ride, but after becoming used to the process I accept I must do it if I want to ever get anywhere.

From big city to big city you can catch a more comfortable and more spacious ride on a train. Train travel is much safer than travel by car, but is a bit more pricey. Trains are set up with individual compartments and an aisle running along the side. In my first train ride in Morocco I felt like I was on the Hogwart's Express. (For those of you non-Harry Potter fanatics, it's a reference from the books). It's a nice way to see the country while riding more luxuriously.

Buses are also widely available to for travel between big cities. The national bus line of Morocco is called CTM and it is like Greyhound in America. It is the most expensive bus ticket but it is very comfortable and reliable. There are smaller bus lines that go to a variety of destinations but make multiple stops along the way, so this method again, requires patience. It is best to have a flexible attitude and to plan specific time for waiting into your travel plans.

Sometimes when traveling to remote areas, out in the country, one is forced to hitch hike. It's a common practice and most people who own bigger vehicles are aware of this and use it as a chance to make a little money. Someone might charge you just a small fee to catch a ride with them. I've only had to do this once, and I truly don't prefer it. I was riding in a old, beat up van, with about 10 strangers. I was with one other volunteer and looking at each other we both were thinking, everything we've ever been taught in our lives has just gone out the window. It's all part of the experience.

As Morocco and Texas are about the same size travel across them is defiantly not the same. If you want to jump in your car and drive from end to end of Texas you could do so in a day, maybe switching driving duties with a friend now and again. Here in Morocco you are forced to embark on a wild, twisted journey of taxis, buses, and trains and sometimes all three in the same journey. It's common to have to use more than one mode of transportation and switch tracks multiple times. Peace Corps has a policy of restricting travel after dark, for our protection. Because of this policy, if you have a long trek ahead of you it may have to be broken into two days.

Travel in Morocco requires a lot of waiting patiently, flexibility, and acceptance of the system. It is definitely a skill to be learned and little by little I think I am finding my way.




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Headlines: January, 2010; Peace Corps Morocco; Directory of Morocco RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Morocco RPCVs





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