We eat almost anything. And during our Moroccan four-day Casablanca tour opener, we wolfed down every new thing we see, from McDonald’s burgers we haven’t seen elsewhere but in Morocco, to mystery meats being grilled along the corners of the medina. We really don’t have much money, so we almost exclusively ate along the streets and alleys of Casablanca. No fancy restaurants for us—even if we really wanted to. But okay, no, we don’t like eating on fancy restaurants, lol. We like to eat what the locals eat, and that includes fast food.

It was totally unexpected that we’d be scared of Casablanca. Isn’t it supposed to be all glorious beaches and syrupy romance? But that’s what we felt the moment we came out of the train that brought us from the airport to the Casa Port station. Without saying a word to C, she also sensed it. The guide books and blogs don’t mention it, but there’s something about this city that makes you keep your phone in your pocket and your cameras zipped tight inside your bag.

SUNSET AT CASABLANCA’S MEDINA

We arrived at Morocco’s largest and one of its oldest cities after a grueling twenty three-hour flight from Singapore to Casablanca via Jeddah. Tired but elated that we’re finally in Morocco, we stepped out of the plane and got the shock of our lives. It’s cold. Like sixteen degrees cold. Like total ignoramuses, we expected Africa to be hot, especially during the summer months. The summer months in South East Asia, that is. We’re in Northern Africa, dufus, and we didn’t have a single winter clothes with us.

The objective, to fly from the Philippines to Morocco, the cheapest way possible. The plan, roam around South East Asia first, then from Singapore, take a connecting flight to Casablanca via Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The problem, a lot.

Singapore is one of the cheapest places to fly off en route to Morocco, so we made sure that our route for our two-month annual summer trip, SEA2africa, lands on the Lion City midway through. From Manila, we flew to Bali, then East Timor, before finally flying to Singapore. This is it. We’re finally bound for Morocco!