I visited Morocco for the first time this week for a conference in Marrakech, and, while that city or Fes, Essaouira, Tangier or Ouarzazate would probably have been my ideal landing places, Etihad's direct services offer the option of either Casablanca or Rabat.
Choosing Casablanca, I'm pleased to report that it is well worth a trip, even if only for a long weekend.
The city has wild Atlantic beaches, one of the world's biggest mosques, under-touristed medinas and a great diversity of architecture, including a large but dwindling stock of faded Art Deco buildings.
Francophile historians and architecture enthusiasts will feel particularly at home, though the city could do with a smart little boutique hotel, possibly in one of the Art Deco blocks, to shore up interest and help protect the remaining of what are considered the city's aesthetic assets.
Since I was staying near the beach, the best thing for me was the intoxicating sea air and views of the old lighthouse from the beach at Anfa.
The mist mixes with the sea spray crashing around the rocky headland; a view that hasn't changed in centuries.
This is the oldest part of the city, where the Phoenicians built a trading port in the 6th century BC. A few tips for others planning a trip:
1. The 1942 film Casablanca wasn't filmed there but in Los Angeles, so don't waste your time watching it before you go. Rick's Cafe has been modelled on the one in the film, but is a tourist trap and staff are rude, so don't bother with that either.
2. The best Moroccan food is prepared in the home, so most people go for French restaurants when eating out. Relais de Paris, just behind the Corniche near the lighthouse, is recommended. Alternatively, buy fresh fish at the Central Market and have it cooked for you in one of the neighbouring stalls. Just don't go in the month after Eid al Adha, when most fishermen are having a month off.
3. The beaches are beautiful, but dirty. The municipality needs to invest in some industrial beach cleaning machines to sift out all the discarded plastic and other detritus.
Even the sand is dirty in many places, but a good grooming would improve things massively.
Although slightly cold, it is worth having a swim as the water seems clean, but it's best to stay close to the shoreline for safety. I'd advise swimming at low tide, this is when you'll have a nice clean sweep of sand to enjoy, and the waves will be smaller.
4. Much of the city's Corniche, while worth seeing, is also grubby and needs hosing down.
There's a bizarre collection of decades-old, broken-looking restaurants and beach clubs, which even more strangely charge extortionate entry fees.
If you want luxury and cleanliness, go for the new Four Seasons or Pestana Casablanca. As far as the beachfront cafes go, La Terazza is probably the best.
5. The Hassan II mosque, one of the biggest in the world, is set on partially reclaimed land beside the sea.
The building is surprisingly beautiful and affecting. Hats off to the French architect Michel Pinseau. Tours take about 45 minutes and cost 120 Moroccan dirhams (Dh47).
6. If you're carrying on your trip from Casablanca to Marrakech, don't bother flying. By the time you've got to the airport, checked in, flown and arrived, a car could have beaten you to it.
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
