Backpacking during Covid-19
Oh, it was difficult then to impossible to travel in the year of 2020! My original plan for my 2020’s backpacking itinerary was first to China to finish my Tibet and Xinjiang Province then to Africa. Early January, I booked my flight to Shanghai in mid-February. Few days later, there were some news on coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. As the situation escalated, U.S. airlines terminated most of the flights to China. Well, I was forced to cancel my visit to China and got refunds back in late January.
Well, I did not realize this would become a world-crisis. How innocent and optimistic I was! I thought nothing would stop me from traveling to Africa! There I went, Casablanca, Morocco!
My budget long flight took me through Los Angeles, then to Barcelona, Spain, and finally landed at Casablanca. During this 24+ hour, I did feel the Coronavirus’s impacts on international traveling. As one of the hub airport to China, almost all Chinese airlines has flight routes at LAX. Due to the flight suspension, there were rows and rows of check-in counters closed. Barcelona (BCN) was even worse. I was not sure if that was due to the covid-19. The BCN was half empty and two of its terminals were completely closed.
It was not a good start for my African trip…
One-Day in Casablanca
Casablanca is the largest city and chief port of Morocco.
I got to know this city from the famous Hollywood movie Casablanca. To backpackers and tourists, the city is used as the transport hub to Fes or Marrakech. Personally, although it is a beautiful modern city, I did not find too much to do there. One day stay is enough to explore the city.
Hassan II Mosque
Sitting on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Hassan II Mosque is the largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 7th largest in the world
It’s one of Morocco’s top architectural wonders. The Mosque that was commissioned by King Hassan II, is one of the top things to do in Casablanca, taking seven years to build and holding up to a maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque’s outside ground
Now some information on Muslims and Islam, which I found useful to know to respect the religion, the culture, the people during my trip in Morocco.
A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. Mosques commonly serve as locations for prayer, Ramadan vigils, funeral services, Sufi ceremonies, marriage and business agreements, alms collection and distribution, as well as homeless shelters. Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental niche (mihrab) set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, ablution facilities (Wudu) and minarets from which calls to prayer are issued.
Wudu is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. Wudu consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and finally washing the feet with water and is an important part of ritual purity in Islam.
A common feature in mosques is the minaret, the tall, slender tower that usually is situated at one of the corners of the mosque structure. The top of the minaret is always the highest point in mosques that have one, and often the highest point in the immediate area. The tallest minaret in the world is located at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Before the five required daily prayers, a Mu’adhdhin calls the worshippers to prayer from the minaret.
The English word muezzin, derived from Arabic word Mu’adhdhin, is the person appointed at a mosque to lead and recite the call to prayer for every event of prayer and worship in the mosque. The muezzin’s post is an important one, and the community depends on him for an accurate prayer schedule. The call of the muezzin is considered an art form, reflected in the melodious chanting of the adhan.
The five daily prayers are obligatory (farz) and they are performed at times determined essentially by the position of the Sun in the sky. Hence, salat times vary at different locations on the Earth. Wudu is need for all prayers.
Lan’s experience on the call of the muezzin and five daily prayers, no offense here, but as a non-muslim traveler, I found it a little difficult to have a good continuous and undisrupted sleeping time-window…So that is really FIVE prayers per day and if you stay in the old medina, you will hear the call of the muezzin from like next door while you are taking a nap in the afternoon, at night or really early in the morning like (4-5 am)…Anyway, 5 prayers times are:
- Fajr (dawn): true dawn or the beginning of twilight, when the morning light appears across the full width of the sky – and ends at sunrise.
- Dhuhr (midday)
- Asr (afternoon)
- Maghrib (sunset): The Maghrib prayer begins when the sun sets, and lasts until the red light has left the sky in the west.
- Isha (night): The Isha’a or isha prayer starts when the red light is gone from the western sky, and lasts until the rise of the “white light” (fajr sadiq) in the east. The preferred time for Isha is before midnight, meaning halfway between sunset and sunrise.
This mosque is a showcase of finest Moroccan artisanship with hand-carved stone and wood, intricate marble flooring and inlay, gilded cedar ceilings and exquisite zellige (geometric mosaic tilework) abound.
Guided Tour
Hassan II mosque is one of few mosques that are open to non-Muslims in the country. However, guided tours are the only way for non-Muslims to enter the mosque.
Dress Code: Wear clothes that cover the shoulders, torso and come below the knees. Shorts and sleeveless clothes are absolutely forbidden. Women are not required to wear a headscarf.
Tours are provided in Spanish, French and English. The price for this 1-hour guided tour is 140 dhs (~ 15 USD).
The size and elaborate decoration of the prayer hall is simply spectacular.
And the second floor for women. Yes, mosques typically have segregated spaces for men and women. Thanks for my international studying/work experience with many classmates and colleagues from middle-east, I was equipped with some basic knowledge about the Muslim culture and religion. One senior lady (from Canada or U.S.) got very upset when the tour guide explained gender separation. There was a 2-minute heated discussion on this issue…
Beautiful wood work of the platform for women’s pray area. Photo taken from the ground floor.
OK, the niche (mihrab) facing Mecca!
And the wudu (ablution facility) is constructed in the basement.
Rick’s Cafe
The legendary saloon Rick’s Cafe from 1942 film “Casablanca” never existed, except on a Hollywood movie lot. No, no, no, this Rick’s Cafe is not over 70 years old but a re-creation of frictional saloon owned and founded by a former American diplomat, Kathy Kriger. While themed for this Hollywood movie, this is a serious restaurant with a great ambience, service and food. The restaurant has a dress code. I was lucky to had my lunch there with just outdoor outfits…A kind suggestion is to dress up.
And, my first formal meal in Morocco, lamb shank with dried prunes and saffron rice. Super delicious!!!
Another note, smoking is allowed inside the restaurant. Later I found, it is allowed inside most of the restaurants, bars, hostels, train stations and even airport?! If this bothers you, you may try to ask for a non-smoking section which I am not sure if that is something exists there.
Food in Casablanca
Well, technically I only had two nights and one day stay in Casablanca. So nothing very impressive except for the lunch at Rick’s Cafe. My exploration of Moroccan food was to be continued…
Breakfast at International Youth Hostel. Um, it was not a very exciting breakfast but was included in the room price.
Lunch at Rick’s Cafe, costed 165 dhs (~ 17 USD).
Moroccan Grilled Meat Dinner: 5 beef grilled skews, a tajin of grounded beef with tomato’s and eggs. Actually, I was not sure about what I have ordered exactly… Arabic is totally beyond my capability!!! Costed only 30 dhs (~ 3.5 USD) for everything on table.
And this was the counter that you can order your food. Use your common sense and imaginations please.
Taste was ok especially for this cheap price!
Log
Casablanca stay from February 26 to February 27, 2020.
Next Stop: Fes, Morocco (Bus to Fez at 11:00, Feb 27, 2020).
This post was published at Phoenix on August 13, 2020.