As much as I love Casablanca, I need to address the incident that took place on my first night in the city.

What happened

I was walking down Avenue des FAR, just strolling around, without a major purpose, when I realized that I was being followed.

He must have been around 20–25, and was staring blatantly …with excitement. Or fascination. Or something else – I’m not sure as I didn’t want to maintain eye contact for too long. But in combination with his erratic pace, unhinged body language and ragged clothes, he made for a disturbing view.

I tried to lose him by quickly crossing the busy roads around Oued El-Makhazine Place, but, sure enough, he was catching up with me. My sense of direction blurred for a moment, and I knew I was still quite far from my accommodation. So, I walked into a random café. I think the waiter realized what was going on and asked me to sit down at a table. All the while, the guy stood outside, still staring with that manic expression!

Eventually, the waiter popped outside and shouted something at the guy, making him finally go away. I thanked the man before dashing out and walking straight to my hostel in the Old Medina. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night in the safety of my room!

What I learned

It’s hard to tell what the stalker’s intention was. Part of me felt that he was acting out of genuine curiosity towards a foreigner, but my intuition told me to get out of that situation. No way was I going to find out and interact whatsoever.

I was wondering whether to write about it at all as I don’t want to perpetuate stereotypes. Especially that I felt safe throughout my whole time in Morocco which that one incident can’t outweigh. If anything, this post can serve as safety advice. 

The fault here was all mine and I take full responsibility for it. I shouldn’t have been walking there by myself at night in the first place, and I’m lucky that what happened was actually quite tame. I found myself in a much scarier situation a few days later in Tunis…

Visit Casablanca

Enough of bad things! Here are some nice views of Casablanca to inspire you to give this city a go.

View of the Hassan II Mosque from La Corniche

Gorgeous sunset near the Arab League Park

Casa Voyageurs train station – the original 1923 building

…and the 2018 extension

Bookish kitty

…and a kitty at a phantom theatre (Old Medina)

Coupole Zevaco and the clock tower (United Nations Square)