This is Rabat.
Located right on the Atlantic Ocean,Rabat is the capital of Morocco, and became so in the early 1900s after the French invaded and established a protectorate. Rabat appeared to me to have major class differences, and also is the home to Mohammed University V, so there were many students. (Every major street or important building is called Mohammed.) We stayed in the cleanest hotel room yet our first night in the city, with clean sheets and even our OWN bathroom with hot water!
Cemetery facing east near the ocean
Rabat also seemed to be the place of the most political unrest. Daily we saw and encountered protests, such as here:
Part of the revolutionary wave of Arab Spring (sparked throughout the Arab world especially after the protests in Tunisia and Egypt), people demonstrated on the main street as a full force of National Security Guards looked on. My friend and I kind of got caught up in the middle of it all when suddenly guards started chasing the protestors.
Before we knew it a man was beaten and on the ground, comforted by other onlookers.
This photo almost got me arrested. I had been inconspicuously shooting the protests and was readjusting my camera in my bag when a National Security guard spotted me.
"Madame, let me see you camera," he began nicely, marching towards me.
"Oh no, no," I said. I didn't trust anybody in this situation.
"Lets just have a look," he continued. A crowd was starting to gather, and other officers starting forming a circle around us. I kept backing away and soon was in the street, and Katie helped block me a bit.
"Give me the camera," the guard said. He was not happy at this point. Who knew what he might do? Why hadn't I switched out the memory cards?! Where to go?
Just before possible arrest, smashing of camera, deleting of photos or worse, a university student intervened.
"She was just
about to take a picture..." We took off briskly down the street, without looking back. Once we were a few blocks away we could finally breathe. Soon the university student found us and explained the situation further.
"I'm already on their list, I talked to him, it's all okay," he said. "But freedom of the press is illegal here, so watch out."
YIKES.
Peace out Rabat!
After a train ride through scenery such as this,
we bargained our way through riads to find a good one for 50 Dirham, or about 5 Euro, a night, in a central location right off of Djemma El Fna, one of the busiest squares in the world.
We actually did some sightseeing in Marrakesh, and visited old palace ruins as well as the tombs of some dead guys. The best part was watching the birds, which looked prehistoric to me.
