Day 229
12 hrs, 0 kms

My bags are packed . I've moved out of my apartment. I'm now staying in a hotel downtown as I finish up the final days of my work contract. It feels strange to feel like a wandering backpacker in the city that has been my home for the last five years.

During this time I've systematically explored every corner of this city and the surrounding region. I've visited 527 towns in this country. And now it's time to bid it farewell and move on to look for a new "base camp" for my wanderings.

I feel I need to add just one more Adventure Day in Casablanca... just to give this Great Journey some closure. But what should I explore since I've already explored it all?

Well--how about a walk down memory lane... doing a quick tour of the city, focusing on the places that have changed dramatically in the last 5 years? That could still count as a "new discovery" because I'm seeing new things in this city--things that weren't here back in 2008 and 2010 which I did my Grand Tour of the city .

So let's start... Right in the heart of the city: Place Nations Unis. This is one spot that has been completely transformed. Back in 2010 it was a grimey, noisy intersection... lined with buildings whose beauty faded long ago. This spot was an acute reminder of why Casablanca is not a draw for tourism.

Well, now there's a wide, clean stretch that's only for pedestrians, lined with little benches that are a bit too short for bums to sleep comfortably on... There are palm trees... Yes, there are still a lot of questionable characters loitering around, but this does feel like a place that respectable people can just sit and relax.

It's a whole new concept for downtown Casablanca. Typically here, the only places you can feel at ease are on private property (your house, a cafe, etc). Any time you're in a public place, you'd better be on your guard. Thieves and glue sniffers rule the streets, prowling about looking for easy prey, so you can never be completely relaxed . This plaza/pedestrian street feels like a breath of fresh air.

I walk up Mohamed V boulevard, also for pedestrians only. Many of the shabby colonial era buildings have gotten a fresh coat of paint--I guess because the king passed through here when the tramway was inaugurated. But the paint only got so far. After a couple blocks, the buildings look completely run down again.

A bit farther, and off to the left is the giant 5 star hotel that is almost finished. It caught my attention back on my 2010 Superhike due to it's location: a run down warehouse area near the port. Since then I've been told that this whole area is going to be transformed into an upscale business district.

Then there's the Casa Port train station that's being rebuilt... even the walls of the Old Medina have been spruced up a bit--along with the houses atop the wall that are facing outside recieving a fresh coat of paint (of course, it's all just for looks ... go inside and the old medina is as run down as it's always been--but hey, at least Casablanca is showing it cares a little bit about its image!)

On down the road there are two new malls--one of which claims to be the biggest mall in Africa. it's actually quite impressive as malls go, with a giant aquarium in the center (which you can actually dive in) a dancing fountain at night, and an enormous food court with everything from Thai to Lebanese to Indian fast food.

One thing I like about this mall is that it's a place (perhaps the only place in Casablanca) where girls can walk around without being sexually harrassed. So I'm not going to complain about this imported shopping model. And with its high prices, it's not going to threaten Casa's bustling souks and street market districts anytime soon.

So... these are some changes for the good in the city... what about for the bad?

The first and most serious is crime . Now Casa has always been a city with a relatively high crime rate (compared to other Moroccan cities) but not like it is now. The typical thing before was a shifty looking fellow coming up to you, discreetly showing you that he has a knife, then politely asking you for money. It used to be whenever I encountered these types of fellows I always sensed that deep down they had a conscience--and a real fear of getting caught--so I could always evade them, or just keep talking to them until we reached a place where there were other people.... and the theif would always end up empty handed.

I always had this feeling that all people here--even the thief, the prostitute, the glue sniffer go by a moral code--sure they might do some bad things, but there seemed to always be a line that they wouldn't cross. So as long as I could stay one step ahead of them, I felt safe.

Now that's changed. Over the last couple of years I've heard many stories--and experienced first hand--a new generation of thieves . Thieves who rob you and the beat you up afterwards. Thieves who attack elderly people. Thieves who have absolutely no fear of getting caught because they know that the police don't really care. Thieves who aren't afraid of going to jail--because jails have become much nicer than they used to be...

It used to be (and still is in other parts of Morocco) that if anyone called "thief!", every man in a 500 meter radius would come running and administer quick street justice. Nowadays, no one wants to get involved when someone is being attacked. So the criminals are just getting bolder and bolder, and the the rest of the population is becoming more and more fearful.

A colleague of mine was robbed and then had his glasses smashed into his face. A few months later I asked him how he was doing. "I don't walk places any more, I just go by car". That seems to be the response more and more people are having: just isolate yourself and avoid contact with people in public as much as possible .

And this takes us to our next problem. It's a sort of catch 22: safety and public transportation is getting worse and worse. So more and more people are seeing buying a car as an absolute must. As a result traffic is getting worse. As a result of that, public transportation is getting worse--taxis flat out refuse to go to many neighborhoods because of the traffic jams there... so more people are buying cars...

Sometimes I feel that the problems here are just typical "big city problems" which is just the price you've got to pay if you want to live in a big city where there are more jobs and opportunities. Other times I feel that I'm watching an urban disaster in slow motion. I play out different scenarios in my mind of what the city is going to look like if the attitude of "collective apathy" continues, and the good people of this city continue to do nothing, and the bad people continue to get bolder and bolder. None of those scenarios look very good .

A couple months ago I got a glimpse of what total chaos might look like. I was taking a collective taxi back home through downtown when there was some trouble brewing ahead. Here I saw something very intriguing: young people on foot running as fast as they could towards the trouble... and people in cars getting away as fast as they could! Yep. When the sh-t really hits the fan, you're going to need more than a car to be safe.

After things quieted down a little, I headed towards downtown to see what had happened. Along the just spruced up Mohamed V boulevard, there was broken glass everywhere, car windows smashed, shops looted. There was a surreal calm as people were quietly sweeping up the glass in front of their shops. Not a policeman in sight anywhere.

"This has happened before" I heard a woman exclaim in disbelief.

Yep. A lot of things are changing here in Casablanca . I'm certainly not saying it's the most dangerous or chaotic city in the world--far from it. It's still a very pleasant, safe city compared to some others. But I've never seen a city change for the worse as I have here in Casablanca over the last 5 years.

The Tramway

And then there's a bright side: Casablanca's brand new tramway, a project to help solve the city's traffic problem.

Now most people here we're pretty underwhelmed by the tramway, saying a city like Casablanca should have a subway system or an elevated train by now--the tramway has just served to make Casablanca's narrow streets even narrower. And the opening ceremony last December, with marching bands and folklore dances from all over the country was kind of over the top. But before I pass judgement, I suppose I should ride it, shouldn't I?

So today, I'm going to "discover" Casablanca one more time . This time, instead of on foot, it'll be from the comfort of a sleek air conditioned tramway car.

I step aboard and immediately feel like I'm in another world. Rather than the Casa bus experience where you've got to deal with thieves, gropers, angry people shouting and very unruly gangs of boys going to the beach, the tramway is an oasis of calm. I look at people's faces. Most of them are just staring blankly--just like that do on the subways of Europe, completely disconnected from the world around them--rather than always having to be on alert. And... what's that? people are READING?! Reading books while taking public transportation in Casablanca?!!?

It almost brings tears to my eyes.

I had a thought: treat people with respect. Provide them with clean, secure transportation, for example, and they will behave respectably. Herd them onto dirty, dangerous buses like cattle and they behave disrespectably . Or at least the disrespectable people will take over.

I get off at the very end of the of the line in Anassi neighborhood, which I explored 3 years ago during my Superhike... then I head on back, soaking in the experience. Maybe if people riding on public transportation can change for the better, the whole CITY can change for the better... maybe?

This is my hope for this city that has been my home for the last five, wonderful years of my life.

Goodbye, Casablanca.

But I'll be back someday.

Conclusions on Semester 2013A

This last semester was centered around one goal: to bring a feeling of closure to my exploration Morocco and Southern Iberia. Not to completely finish exploring this region (I know I'll want to come back someday!), but to be able to leave without feeling that I have a bunch of half-finished projects .

This I managed to do with flying colors: I finished or added to a whopping 13 Superhikes in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Every single one was a positive experience--from a pleasant stroll in the Fes Region to absolutely amazing experiences in Lagos, Tafraoute, and Toubkal Regions.

It's a bittersweet feeling: on one side there's the satisfaction of having accomplished something big and excitement at knowing there will be fresh adventures ahead. On the other hand, there's the realization that I will probably never have such a special bond with a country like I've had with Morocco. I put this feeling into song:

Enjoy it while you still can
Once it's gone you'll never get it back
You're gonna look back on this someday
And realize it was your life's most beautiful phase...