now for the positive part

as a side-product of sitting where i am, i can see lots of casablanca, including the gorgeous and gigantic Hassan II mosque, the biggest behind mecca.
I've met some amazingly cool moroccan people - i talked to the moroccan young lady next to me on the flight for a good solid 3 hours, all en francais! two very helpful moroccans aided me at the airport, and even offered for me to crash at their place. the helper guys at the train station were awesome, and i BSed with them in this arabic-french mix for a good hour or so. besides the goddamn cheating cabbies, all the people have been amazingly nice, and despite the rather "negative" tone of my last post ( sorry, i REALLY needed to vent), i've been nice in return, and its really made what's happened so far bearable. i'll post a lot more observations later once i get more grounded/showered ( another perk of this ridiculously expensive hotel - hot showers!)