Casablanca

It was a bit like coming home. Casablanca reminds of Malaysian cities. The grubby bustle, friendly faces, desperate driving and kamikaze pedestrians. The faded, unloved lovely architecture, here a mix of Moorish, French colonial and art deco, is being overwritten by ugly shopfronts as its facade crumbles, just like the streets of Chinese shophouses in Malaysia.

Hassan II mosque is quite something. Built at the cost of half a billion somethings – I forget what – it is the third largest mosque in the world and the pride and joy of most of Morocco. Those who were displaced, uncompensated, when their homes were destroyed to clear the site are said to feel differently. As well as looking enormous, it managed to look both traditional and modern. Its size, decoration and design are quite awe-inspiring and fairly took my breath away.