The trip from Fes to Asilah was hell. It was the end of a religious holiday and half the country was returning home from visiting family. On the first train we had seats but when that train dropped us off there were already hundreds of people waiting in the pouring rain for the second train. When the train finally arrived two hours late we were soaking wet and had to fight everyone to get on, then spent 5 hours sitting on the floor in the hallway of 1st class car because there wasn’t room anywhere else.
When we finally arrived at the train station in Asilah we could not get out because there were so many people blocking the way and people were fighting at the door. We finally had to start pushing and yelling because people wouldn’t move and I finally had to jump out of the moving train with my pack on my back to get out. It was awful.
We arrived at the train station in Asilah tired from the train trip. A guy was waiting there who offered to show us a pension he had in his house. We agreed to go with him and check his place out. We went to his house and the rooms were nice so we agreed to stay there. It was located next to the beach and the roof deck looked out over the ocean. We paid for his wife to cook us local food and Gaby cooked with her.
The weather was warmer than Fes, but it was stormy and the waves in the sea were huge. We were told that this year it rained like in the “old times” 30 years ago. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with our timing.
When we finally arrived at the train station in Asilah we could not get out because there were so many people blocking the way and people were fighting at the door. We finally had to start pushing and yelling because people wouldn’t move and I finally had to jump out of the moving train with my pack on my back to get out. It was awful.
We arrived at the train station in Asilah tired from the train trip. A guy was waiting there who offered to show us a pension he had in his house. We agreed to go with him and check his place out. We went to his house and the rooms were nice so we agreed to stay there. It was located next to the beach and the roof deck looked out over the ocean. We paid for his wife to cook us local food and Gaby cooked with her.
The weather was warmer than Fes, but it was stormy and the waves in the sea were huge. We were told that this year it rained like in the “old times” 30 years ago. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with our timing.
Asilah is a beach town of white whitewashed walls located close to Spain. It is known for its 15th century Portuguese stone fort and beautiful whitewashed old town.
Because of its proximity to Spain the town is a hot spot for Spanish travelers during the summer and many Spaniards have summer houses in the old quarter. This heavy European influence made the town feel less “Islamic” and more like a sleepy resort town when we were there in December. For me it was great because most people spoke Spanish and I could communicate with people instead of relying on Gaby´s French. We ate Paella and Tortilla Española (some of our favorite foods.)
It was quiet when we were there due to the weather and the time of year. There were few other tourists so we enjoyed the towns old world charms and whitewashed houses almost by ourselves with the locals.
We spent a couple of days wandering the areas beaches, harbors, exploring the medina and the old town. It was a pleasant and relaxed time.
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment