Morocco - Girls, Girls, Girls & ...Phosphate

As I travel, my world travels with me. Absolutely, mindless quote with no philosophy behind it. If you want, I can create some logic or thought behind that. Okay, lets leave it there.

Morocco, is where the project took me next after Korea. From +5 hours from home to now, -3 hours. Quite a time zone switch. Already been here in Casablanca for a week and its the best weather I have seen as yet compared to Germany, Egypt, Jordan or Korea. Warm and cosy but not sweaty. Good breeze. Good beach-type weather. No rain, but nicely balanced cloud cover. Pretty good.

However, when I asked somebody, "What is famous about Morocco?", I got the reply, "Girls." A little surprised, I mean OK fine, there are girls in other countries also. So I ask, "Whats the best export you guys have here?" You won't believe it folks, I got the same reply, "Girls." I got what he was trying to say.

Morocco is the centre-point of girls/women being smuggled to Europe for all the wrong reasons. Its the hub for all Middle Eastern men who want to do what they can't do in Middle East. Hence, it is a centre of attractive and cheap womenfolk available to please men in whatever way required.

I stepped out of my hotel and a taxi driver offered to take us around the city some day probably on the weekend. I asked, "Where will you take us?" He winked. I said, "Whaa..?" He said, "I'll take you to the *wink* right places." I was actually disappointed in how the local folk are selling their country.

Lots of old cars were seen. Mercedes, Renault and Peugeot are common. The taxi works by the meter but sharing taxies is common also. It almost works like public buses. The taxi will stop if his car has space and the passenger can climb in if he is going in the same direction as the people already sitting. The new passenger pays and we pay as well by the meter. Strange but good for the taxi guy.

I sat with one of my colleagues on the first day and asked him similar questions as above. He said well basically its a tourist site. I asked whats to see here, like museums, history etc. I got the same redundant reply, "Girls." I said "Come on man, there has to be something more that runs the economy here. What do they export from here...?". Here's a new flavour to the conversation. "Well you mean other than Girls? They won't accept but there is lots of drugs trading as well..." I am thinking, I have entered Mafia town or something. He goes on like he remembered something, "Oh yeah, they have good phosphate here. That is one of the exports." I said thank God, something legitimate came up.

So it took a lot of conversation to know that Phosphate is one of the good exports otherwise the strategy is quite clear. Girls/Women/Drugs. Supply the world what they want most and get it the hardest. Make it easy for them to get what they want.

Morocco is the gateway to Europe from Africa with connections and lots of history with French, Spanish and Italian People as well. It shows and reflects in the languages spoken here. French and Arabic are the most popular but as we go northwards, Spanish and Italian is common also. The mix of culture reflects clearly as one can see different shades of skin and facial features. I wouldn't be surprised if it is because of the Girls :P.

Discos are popular here and even though it is a Muslim Country, alcohol is available quite openly. We visited the 3rd biggest mosque in the world and attended Maghrib prayers there. They have made it a tourist site and people were visiting it like a park. Maghrib was at 9pm. Only saw that timing for Maghrib when I had been to UK 2 years back. The sun just doesn't set it seems :).

Not too much of an eventful trip travel-wise as yet. It reflects as an old city with old buildings and lot of people. It is a poor country with a high percentage below poverty level. We'll probably go to the beach tomorrow but otherwise it is an OK place, probably not to be visited again.