How is it possible that it takes me almost 2 whole days to get from Casablanca to my site but right around 36 hours to get from Casablanca to Buenos Aires? And that’s with a generous layover partway there. Let me tell ya something, I didn’t expect to realize that I had taken ease of travel for granted! This has been one of the most insistent realizations though. Pretty much no matter how I spin it, it takes darn close to 6 hours (if I am lucky) to get to the nearest big city, and almost 24 hours to make it to the Atlantic Coast. 24 hours on the way out that is. It’s at least 36 hours in the other direction, if not nearly 48. It’s funny, because it really isn’t that far if you calculate the kilometers/miles. It just the transportation system. Either you take grand taxis (downside: you have to switch in each city most times, so sometimes you get stuck partway) or the suq bus (stops at every small town on the way, dramatically lengthening the trip) or a transit van (same problem as suq bus) or the train/high-end bus (expensive and only available in big cities).
Thus, traveling takes a while, and you never can predict what is going to happen. Once, the taxi I was in got stuck in 2 foot deep dust. It was supposed to be a short cut ("short cuts make long delays," anyone?) but the driver slowed way down before heading off road. ‘Keep going!’ I thought. Nope. He slowed waaaay down. So that our previous copious inertia was reduced to zip, and instead of scooting over the dust, we just sunk straight into it. It’s a habit of drivers here to slow waaaay down whenever they go over a bump or rough terrain. Good for the shocks I guess but makes you way more likely to get stuck. We spent a good 10 minutes revving the engine and spinning wheels (ie. sinking deeper in the dust). A kind transit driver stopped by, and attempted to pull us out with a very light weight rope. It broke. Twice. Then another vehicle got stuck nearby attempting to go around us. A bus went by to my destination… I contemplated jumping ship… er… taxi. Another truck came along with a chain (‘Ah ha! I thought. ‘Now we are getting somewhere!’) With difficulty we found a place to hook it on, positioned the truck, stuffed dead bushes under the taxis wheels and all the men got over there and pushed. (Yes, I tried to help, too) And, with a bit of spinning of wheels and a LOT of flying dust, we were free.
Or all that flooding washing out the road, and I had to get out and hike 5 km to meet another transit.
Or the time(s) I said, forget transit, I will take my bike and carry it across all the wash out zones.
Or the time I got stuck in Sefrou and had to stay with a Moroccan family overnight.
Or the time I got stuck between four carsick people, all vomiting at the same time. Good thing I don’t get carsick! Actually, it was pretty funny, because I had my kittens with me, too, and at that exact moment when I and the transit conductor were both realizing I was surrounded by vomiting on all sides my kittens started making a racket trying to escape (who can blame them?). The guys were like, "her cats are sick too!!" and we all laughed.
Or the sheep, goats, chickens, bags of flour, crates of grapes, blocks of cement, Tvs, beds… everything… that get packed into the transits with people.
Yup, transport is an adventure. I know volunteers who have even made a game of it, see who can find the most creative transport method from point A to point B. Any method will do… makes for good stories.
Nope, that’s right. Never a dull moment!
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