Nice is Nice, Moroccan ships are nicer

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Now in Nice, and it is by far the nicest place i have been in France. The people seem nicer, there is significantly less dog shit on the streets (in Marseilles it was like a doo-doo mine field).

We made it out to the bar last night, and were very pleasantly surprised to find that there were women there. Every other place that we have been, the bars are filled with men, and nary a woman in site. Why would anyone pay 6 euro for a pint of beer to sit around and look at a bunch of dudes? It was a pleasant surprise.

We are staying at the nicest hostel ever. It is clean, beautiful, and has 1/2 litre cans of beer for one euro in the very nice common room. Internet is free, and if you need laundry they will do a huge basket of it for 5 euro. The staff is really nice, and there is a good friendly party in the place every night. The staff are usually the last ones up drinking, I think the partying might be part of the interview process.

Perhaps I should try to get a job here...but...I may have found a better job....

So Brian and I met up with a very nice Moroccan guy named Salim in Marseilles, and he came with us to Nice. He is a Muslim, and a strict one, no alcohol, prays 5 times a day etc...He works as an officer on a ship, and has for a few years. We were having a discussion about his job, and he explained that when he works, he works on the ship every day for say 2 months, and then gets one month off. Or 6 months and 3 off, etc....

So I said to him, "gee, it must be hard to maintain a regular relationship with a woman". He agrees that yes it is, but then adds in a very matter-of-fact manner "off course there is the hostess". I'm like "the what?" He explains that she is a woman on the ship. I'm like "you mean a prosititute?" He says "no no no, she is only for the officers, she is the hostess, not a prostitute". Still a little confused, I ask "can you have sex with her?" He laughs and says "of course!"

It turns out that on Moroccan ships they provide a "hostess" to look after the ummm "needs" of the officers.

I am dumbfounded, but ask how many hostesses on a ship, and he tells me that it depends on the size of the ship, sometimes one, sometimes 2 or 3. He then tells me the best story yet, it went like this:

Salim: But this summer it was really terrible.
me: why?
Salim: Well, I was on the ship, and we had our regular hostess, but then they sent 5 hostesses in training.
me: So there are now six women? How many officers?
Salim: Only two, but then it got worse, one week later, they sent six more.
me: So there are now 12 women for 2 men?
Salim: Yes
me: So you and one other man are spitting up 12 women?
Salim: Yes, but the other officer is married, so he won't do anything with them but talk.

So, in the end, Salim spent his summer with 12 hostesses in training on his ship, splitting his time between them, and apparently getting no almost no sleep. He was using two cabins, so they he could have a woman in each room.

I have found my new career! Crazy, just crazy.

Tomorrow we have a 10:00 am train to Milan. This will be the end of France. I have had a good time, but must say that the French seem pretty grumpy a lot of the time. I don't know how they live with each other...that said, Nice seems a little better than the other places we visited. If anyone is coming here, and they want a bit of a party atmosphere, the Villa Ste Exupery cannot be beat.

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Photos

tourist may NOT walk around in tighty-whities
No doubt inspired by the Terry Tait incident in Japan

another church
yawn

Brad Possessed
Okay, sorry to the Christians for the slight sacrilege, click on this one so it comes up big and look at my eyes. My friend sprinkled me with holy water after that to see if it burned. I still have blisters