A day in Rabat

Already have a print out of my boarding pass. Paper copy required for this flight.

Need a bus to the airport. Check National Express website, not cheap, so could just pay the walk up cash price. Cheap bus available on easybus.com. Go to book, and then check again and even cheaper, so book the cheaper one instead. Then realise I need to print it.
£3.99£3.99

Print shop, a single page isn’t cheap.
£2£2

Sandwiches from the supermarket, didn’t go for the meal deal as already have a bottle of water.
£3.70£3.70

Eat on the tube to Liverpool Street Station, from there I’ll catch the airport bus.
£2.80£2.80

Free water bottle refill from a shop after airport security.

Meet Stef and get a drink from the Wetherspoons.
£4.85£4.85for a pint of Guinness.

Ryanair flight booked 2 months in advance.
£28.55£28.55

Arrive in Morocco, flight is slightly late. Look for rental car company. Get told to look outside near the police. No one has a sign with my name on it.

Head back into the airport. We have to put our bags through an x-ray to get back in. Ask information desk if they can call the Moroccan contact number for us. Another lady lets us use her phone. Rental company speaks English well, say they will be there in 5 mins.

We head back outside. A man with limited teeth asks us something we don’t understand. Then the lady whose phone we used pulls up in a car and we realise it’s the limited teeth guy who is looking for us.

We follow him away from the airport and as we continue down a side street in the semi dark, we share a knowing look. There is a car parked up with its doors open and a man with a clipboard appears. We are told to put our luggage in the boot, which is then closed. The man starts on the paperwork, lit from the street light above. He talks on the phone and then says this isn’t our car but another one further up the road.

We get a Citroën, diesel. Not mint condition, but then it won’t stick out as a rental car. Guy checks my email for my prepaid deposit.
£94£94

He puts a 11000 MAD11000 MAD hold on my credit card and then after some friendly directions, sends us on our merry way.

Follow his advice initially then use maps.me for offline map navigation.

First roundabout is a bit of a fail and I get tooted at, but then it’s all smooth sailing from there.

Look for parking and our accommodation. Park up briefly to get our bearings and spot a cash machine. Withdraw the maximum 2000 MAD2000 MAD

ATM fee.
22 MAD22 MAD

Locate accommodation, Stef jumps out of the car to ask about parking. They only speak Arabic and French, which we do not. We knew this when we booked, but weren’t deterred. Told to ask at the service station or something like that.

Decide to fill the tank as rental is quarter to quarter, despite me booking full to full.
400 MAD400 MAD paid by card.

We ask about parking and they say we can park here at the petrol station overnight until 10am for 20 MAD20 MAD. We also ask where to eat that’s not touristy. They tell us the name of a place and gesture in a direction. Happy with ourselves, we park up right in front of the office near the pumps and head off.

We check in to our accommodation.
193 MAD193 MAD for 1 night.
Get shortchanged by 4 MAD4 MAD

Check for bed bugs. Then head out for dinner.

Wander in a direction of our choosing, then just kinda find the place the service station staff suggested without even trying.

Baba ghanoush, falafel, shawarma, pizza and Moroccan tea.
47 MAD47 MAD

Go for a bit of a walk in the dark. Head down a market street. Friendly locals.

Buy 250g of strawberries for only6 MAD6 MAD.

Buy a 5 litre bottle of water from a small shop on the way back to the hotel, hardly wanted to serve us.
12 MAD12 MAD.

No towels provided. Can’t find showers. Bed.

Total spent: 810 MAD810 MAD