Day 257 : El Jadida

I packed my gear and got ready to leave Aziz’s apartment in the morning.  Aziz suggested that I take a Grand Taxi to El Jadida, which leaves almost every 30 mins, rather than relying on a bus, which comes through Oualidia 2 times a day. 

A Grand Taxi is an old school Mercedes car, and for the route to El Jadida, it was usual for them to squeeze 7 people including the driver – 4 people in the back and another 2 in the passenger seat in the front.  I had previously took one for the route from Ouarzazate to Ait Bin Haddou, but that was just a 20 mins ride and without luggage. 

I had to wait till the Grand Taxi is filled with passengers before we can make our way.  The trip to El Jadida was 1hr 10 mins long, and it got uncomfortable enroute.  Comfort level got better when a couple of the passengers got off after about 30 minutes on the road. 

At El Jadida, there are no established hotel or hostel network online either.  It was a good thing I checked for accommodation using Carmen’s Lonely Planet for reference for El Jadida, Casablanca and Rabat.  I made my way towards the hotel and quickly settled down before heading out to check out the sights.

El Jadida was previously a Portuguese fort, and the main attraction is the Cistern, the site where the movie Othello was filmed.  For the first time since Meknes, I was required to pay an entrance fee to visit an attraction.  This must be really popular!  Although it was a small token amount, as a tourist who visited the attraction, I was rather disappointed, as there was not much write-up or guide to explain about the Cistern.  To me, it just seemed like an underground structure with numerous curved arches surrounding a well.  On the ceiling on top of the well is a circular opening and in the day time, the light from the ceiling reflects in the water creating an interesting picture.

I stayed for perhaps about 10 mins, took some photos and left the attraction. 

The Cistern is located near the fort area, and so I explored around the fort walls and soon found myself at a fishing port.  Hills of red was scattered across the ground, as fishermen sat around the red nets mending them

 

I subsequently found myself walking along the beach. The beach of El Jadida was not very nice, as the water was dirty and it was too windy. There were people playing soccer around the coastal area, and one person was even attempting kite-surfing! There were even pony and camel rides on the beach area.

It started to get late and I walked back towards my hotel which was located within a Souk.  Seeing that it was almost around dinner time, I took the opportunity to explore what the Souk had to offer and find dinner.  Came across a familiar sight which looks like roti prata! 

Didn’t have that for dinner though, but settled for some kebabs wrapped in bread, sold by a street vendor.  The locals definitely looked at me when I tried ordering, as I guess they don’t get much Asians patronising the street stores.