IF THEY COULD ONLY SEE ME NOW! I just have to tell you about my trip down south last week.

I went out to the taxi/bus area (which is on the highway just a half-block from my house) at about 6 a.m. to catch a taxi to Ouarzazate. It appeared I had just missed a taxi, and a transit (old panel truck) pulled over. A guy got out and opened the door for me; I started to get in and saw my spot was in the back with a sheep. I said in English, "Oh, Connie gets to sit in back with the sheep!" then a guy in the front seat opened the door and let me take his spot. Understand, they can't understand English, but sometimes it doesn't matter, they get the point. So I sat in front with the driver and two guys. By the time we had gone a few more miles down the road, in back of the front seat were about 10 men and 3 sheep in this old rattle-trap. What a hoot. Wish I had a photo of it! The transit arrived at its destination, so I got out and then into a station wagon taxi. I kept asking how much and the driver just kept telling me to get in, which was a little cause for concern as I feared he would try to overcharge me. I was in the back by myself for most of the next little trip, and then it stopped because I needed to take a different taxi to Oz. The charges were reasonable, however, for all means of transportation. It just took me a bit longer than usual to get to where I wanted to go.

After a night in Oz, I took a souk bus to my next destination. I think those busses got their name because that is how many people used to get to the souqs, but now they are just a numerous and cheap means of getting from town to town. It would seem that the leg room is made for people 5 feet tall or shorter. Very uncomfortable.


I assisted a volunteer there by doing basic business skills
workshops for a group of women, plus a discussion on the same subject with another entrepreneur and it was very enjoyable. They had no previous knowledge of costing out various items to determine the most cost-efficient items to make, and that was an interesting exercise to do, as well as a conversation about customer service, which is a passion of mine.


The town I visited is an oasis. Here is a picture of date palms and wheat fields. The ownership is separated by dirt rows. The wheat here is already heading out, quite a bit ahead of the wheat in my area. The southern part of Morocco is where all the dates are grown, from inexpensive ones to very pricey dates.

To close out the story, I will tell you that I took a CTM bus all the way back home. This is one of two bus lines that have comfortable seating and you can actually reserve seats prior to departure date. They are also faster than the souk busses as they don' stop for every person standing along the road, or at every tiny town, like mine. Therefore, to get the better busses to travel south on my road, I have to go into Marrakech, which of course takes more money, time and hassle. The "good" busses are a bit more expensive, as well. None of the buses have toilets, but do make a pit stop about every 3 hours. One learns not to drink a lot before or during a bus trip.