Calvin Kline briefs and bus stampede

No day is complete without a trip to the media or shopping area. The closest we get int he US is a flea market, but that is not even in the same time zone. This is noisy and smelly and crowded and totally wonderful! There are the stalls on either side plus down the center anyone can spread out a mat and lay out shoes, bath salts, dresses, figs on a rope, kids clothes, more shoes, cell phones and small electronics, souvenirs like magnets and key chains, fresh herbs and bags of spices, and more shoes. Walking is a sideways slither. And every stretch of shops is not complete without a selection of Calvin Kline briefs in a variety of colors and sizes. I have a vision of all the men going to prayer and bending over to reveal identical labels.

 We Travel by bus now. It is only 4 little coins. Going to town we wait at the bus stop and get on #3 and get off at the medina. But coming home there is a turn around where all the buses line up. 10-12 of them with no indication on any of them what number it is. They wait until about 2 minutes before they are to pull out and then put the number up. This means people are constantly surging from one end of the bus que to the other as a number is revealed. Some run on any bus and then ask and get off and run to another bus, sometimes going in the front door and out the back! Others hover on the sidewalk after the number is shown and then at the last minute jump on. Racing around with a notebook is some sort of controller who is trying to keep them on time but with that many there is no we can pull out when they're bumper to bumper. All honking and yelling of course. Probably Bus Controller did not turn out to the the glamour job they described in the brochure...

Double and number of fit fights and arguments today as Ramadan ends and nerves a strained by lack of food and the holiday. The cops will watch intently until 1 blow lands on the opponent and then get in the fray as well. It's the medina!