[RABAT-SALÉ-KÉNITRA] Budget and Itinerary

ESTIMATES

Qalam Wa Lawh (Colloquial Moroccan Arabic x8 Weeks) - 11,880.00

Qalam Wa Lawh (Apartment Single Room x8 Weeks) - 12,960.00

Qalam Wa Lawh (Lunch M-F x8 Weeks) - 1,600.00

Laundry (x8 Weeks) - 400.00

Dinner Allowance (MAD50 x8 Weeks) - 2,800.00

Petit Taxi Allowance (MAD20 x8 Weeks) - 800.00

MAD30,440.00

[DRÂA-TAFILALET] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 5 March 2016

ONCF (Rabat Agdal - Marrakech) - 127.00

Airbnb (1 Night) - 190.00

Car Rental (2 Days/4 People) - 80.00

Gas (/4 People) - 70.00

McDonalds (6 pcs Nuggets w/Fries & Coke) - 44.50

Eatery (Tajine + Coke) - 30.00

Admission Fee (Ait Benhaddou) - 10.00

Restaurant Messina (Chicken Cutlet w/Fries & Coke + Choco Mousse) - 95.00

MAD646.50

[OUARZAZATE] Welcome to Yunkai

To be honest, I really haven’t seen Yunkai yet on Game of Thrones. My last marathon ended on that episode where Dragon Mama lovingly asked Drogon to barbecue the evil jerk in Astapor who tried to trick her during their negotiation for the army of the Unsullied. So yeah, they haven’t even reached Yunkai yet. If we decided to go to Essaouira, then I would have easily recognized Astapor, but Ait Ben Haddou seemed to be the more popular option, and getting there is not simple at all.

[OUARZAZATE] The Atlas Mountains and Letting Go

Dear Atlas Mountains, I get you. I totally get you. Sometimes in life we reach that certain point where we lose track of who we are and we just don’t have an effing idea of who we should be. And it sucks, maybe because society dictates that this dilemma should be long gone by the time we hit our late twenties or early thirties. And how old are you again, 60 million? That’s fucked up, but you don’t have to be sad, because that’s what makes you beautiful. I think I just quoted a One Direction song. Shit.

[MARRAKESH-SAFI] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 20 February 2016

ONCF (Rabat Agdal - Marrakesh - Rabat Agdal) - 254.00

Airbnb (1 Night) - 222.00

Petit Taxi (Gare - Medina) - 30.00

Admission (Badi Palace) - 10.00

Admission (Bahia Palace) - 10.00

Kasbah Cafe (Vanilla Milk Shake) - 45.00

Admission (Saadian Tombs) - 10.00

KFC (3 pcs Chicken w/Fries x2 + Coke) - 65.00

MAD646.00

[MARRAKECH] Dead in Marrakesh

I knew that the 3 AM train was a bad idea but given my strict schedule, I had no choice. I mean, you just sleep on the train, right? It was quite difficult to find a full row of four vacant seats not because there were a lot of passengers, but rather because most of them were already asleep lying on those seats. I found one right across a shady middle-aged man who won’t stop talking to himself. I thought hard if he was going to stab or mug me while I slept, but I was just so sleepy that I lost consciousness really fast.

[TANGER-TETOUAN-AL HOCEIMA] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 12 February 2016

CTM (Rabat - Chefchaouen - Rabat) - 170.00

Airbnb (2 Nights) - 145.00

Los Mariscos (Seafood Platter + Coke) - 68.00

MAD383.00

[CHEFCHAOUEN] Crayons Out, Children

Chefchaouen is famous thanks to its penchant for the color blue. It’s as if its inhabitants one day decided to paint the town but didn’t have enough motivation to commit so they just let their kids do it. Like, okay, children, crayons out! We’re painting the town blue today! Voilà, Chefchaouen. This is the part where I tell you that there is nothing to see here aside from too much powder blue, but for some reason that I could not explain, I really enjoyed staring at those houses. They must be hypnotic like that.

[SETTAT-CASABLANCA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 6 February 2016

ONCF (Rabat Agdal - Casa Port) - 37.00

Petit Taxi (Casa Port - Morocco Mall) - 28.00

Burger King (XXL Double Cheeseburger w/ Fries + Coke) - 68.00

Starbucks (Choco Chip Cream) - 47.12

Petit Taxi (Anfa Center - Mosque Hassan II) - 12.60

Petit Taxi (Mosque Hassan II - Casa Port) - 10.00

Asia (Riz Cantonais + Coke) - 68.00

ONCF (Casa Port -Rabat Agdal) - 37.00

MAD307.72

[CASABLANCA] The Mall Life, the Beach Life

I just echoed what Wikitravel said, that Casablanca felt a bit like Los Angeles. I don’t know if it was the combo of the palm trees and the coastline that gave me that idea. Anyway, my teacher let out a big laugh when she heard this and my only classmate followed her lead, so I just laughed with them. The Rabat – Casablanca rivalry might be true after all. But yes, Hassan II Mosque aside, I think people just come here to laze at the beach or go shopping, which is so very SoCal in my opinion. Right?

[RABAT] The Supermodel of Chellah

I never really knew that I'd find more Roman ruins in Morocco. In fact, all the Roman ruins I’ve been to are in Morocco. When you geek out about it, it’s actually fascinating to think how immense the empire once was. I mean, come on, this is like the edge of the Mediterranean, more like the beginning of the Atlantic, really. Oh no, verbal diarrhea much. Let’s talk about the ruins of Chellah, which is less than ten minutes by taxi from where I reside.

[RABAT] Dead and Still Sunbathing

I chose Rabat over Fez because they have an ice skating rink here. I’m not so sure if I would be leveling up soon. I left Manila almost taking the FS2 exam, but sometimes the Christmas holidays are just hard to predict. The plan is to just practice here so I can take the test at once when I go back to Manila this April. Was I wrong to base my decision to learn Colloquial Moroccan Arabic in Rabat? I don’t think so. Besides, the school I enrolled in is reputable enough as far as online feedback is concerned.

[FÈS-MEKNÈS] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 16 January 2016

Ryanair (Paris Beauvais - Fez) - 50.59

EUR50.59

[MEKNES] Fancy Fancy Mausoleum Is

Meknes has two train stations: Meknes and Meknes Al Amir. The second one is where you want to go if you're planning a trip to Volubilis, although getting off at Gare de Meknes is also fine because petit taxis are everywhere anyway. The main difference is Al Amir seems closer to most of the attractions in the city itself. I’ve been to both but I recommend Al Amir if Meknes is your main destination and you like taking a stroll and seeing what the city center is like.

[FEZ] Camel with Fries, Please

I don’t have to reiterate how life sucks when you just love to travel but you own a Philippine passport. The few countries you can visit without visa hassles are usually halfway around the world and the flight tickets alone will already cost you an arm and a leg. Brazil? Peru? Morocco? But our plans sometimes change. Finding myself welcoming the new year in Hamburg, the prospect of a Moroccan adventure suddenly became more feasible. And so I booked a flight via Ryanair: EUR 50 from Paris to Fez with 20 kg in tow.

[MEKNES] Gaga Ooh La La, Want Your Bad Romans

Volubilis is highly recommended not just by Wikitravel but also by other travelers who have already been to the place. It has been on top of my priority list since I started planning this Moroccan adventure. True enough it has served as my first stop for sightseeing when I got here. From Fez, you can take any train passing through Meknes. Although there are tours from Fez and Rabat, I really suggest that you just go there on your own for it will be way more affordable that way. How cheap is it, you ask?