Asilah
I had reached a writers block back in January and needed something different. Looking at the map the town of Asilah was seen and I wondered what it was like. The train ride there was cheap and only half an hour from Tanja, so I grabbed a ticket, second class this time and went. The car where my seat was contained all women with their children. The seat on my ticket had a little boy about two years old sitting in it so I saw an empty one a row or two further away and sat there.
The train station is about 4 kilometers from the town and there are taxis to take you in. The driver wanted 30 dirham, I gave him 20, the actual fare was probably 15. Leaving the cab I wandered for a bit and found what turned out to be a really nice hotel for a very reasonable price. It did not have the usual room with bathroom, it was a full studio apartment with all the trimmings. I even cooked myself a meal later on.
There is a street full of restaurants and it was like running a gauntlet of people all coming out to want you to eat at their place. There were no beggars or people trying to sell rubbish like there is in Tanja (Tangier) and some folk were just chatty, many spoke English.
This is the Atlantic Ocean and the further out waves were breaking at about five or six feet with maybe seven second rides. I had expected it to be colder there because of the Atlantic trade winds, but it was in the mid seventies.
So what is Asilah like? One very serious tourist trap! I walked all the way from the Dar Bouanani Hotel to the train station the next morning with the sun rising just to do it. Once there I couldn't find a way in and continued walking until a fence appeared with a hole in it. I got on the platform, walked all the way back to the ticket office and bought a first class ride for 17 Dirham back to Tanja.
The train arrived an hour late. So be warned, this is common and you cannot rely on train times except a departure from an end of line terminal. If your plane flies out, get back to whatever city you are flying from the day before your flight and stay in a hotel, otherwise you may miss the plane.
The train station is about 4 kilometers from the town and there are taxis to take you in. The driver wanted 30 dirham, I gave him 20, the actual fare was probably 15. Leaving the cab I wandered for a bit and found what turned out to be a really nice hotel for a very reasonable price. It did not have the usual room with bathroom, it was a full studio apartment with all the trimmings. I even cooked myself a meal later on.
There is a street full of restaurants and it was like running a gauntlet of people all coming out to want you to eat at their place. There were no beggars or people trying to sell rubbish like there is in Tanja (Tangier) and some folk were just chatty, many spoke English.
This is the Atlantic Ocean and the further out waves were breaking at about five or six feet with maybe seven second rides. I had expected it to be colder there because of the Atlantic trade winds, but it was in the mid seventies.
The kasbah is completely walled.
What I found interesting were the colors. Blue and white, the whole town has that theme.
So what is Asilah like? One very serious tourist trap! I walked all the way from the Dar Bouanani Hotel to the train station the next morning with the sun rising just to do it. Once there I couldn't find a way in and continued walking until a fence appeared with a hole in it. I got on the platform, walked all the way back to the ticket office and bought a first class ride for 17 Dirham back to Tanja.
The train arrived an hour late. So be warned, this is common and you cannot rely on train times except a departure from an end of line terminal. If your plane flies out, get back to whatever city you are flying from the day before your flight and stay in a hotel, otherwise you may miss the plane.
An aside
Nothing to do with Asilah, but there are now lists of the best places to visit in 2024 being published. Thanks to the news media for that, now I know which cities and regions I will completely avoid.Well, it was different...
Jun 16, 2024
More posts from: On the road
Minar Back in Tangier again Winter on the edge of the Sahara Thirteen Years The ruins Macedonian mess Orkoien Barasoain Beriain old town Etxauri Pamplona's parks San Fermin 2024 Charf Castletown Asilah Ksar es Seghir On the hill Tanja Kasbah A time in Tanja Beer Sheva disaster Local trips from Pamplona Pamplona in the Fall Visit to the Negev First time in Jerusalem
