Hi there. I know it's been nearly a month since my last post. What have I been doing? Well, as a result of the live-in housemaid taking a month off to visit her relatives way down south past Agadir, little ole me has been filling in and doing the household chores. I am pleased to say that she returned yesterday and now I have my life back! When I get sick of using my computer to do my studies etc, I buy "TelQuel" magazine, an independent liberal French-language Moroccan weekly, which has gained a reputation for addressing sensitive issues - such as the salary of King Mohammed VI - in a direct and uncompromising way. For an idea of the type of issues they cover, check out their website here:

TelQuel Magazine

I take the magazine and a small pocket French-English dictionary to the Majestic Café where I park myself for a few hours drinking coffee and moroccan tea and eating moroccan halawa (biscuits made from almond - some coated in chocolate, others with dried fruit mixed through, others rolled in sesame seeds etc). This costs me the enormous sum of around DH28.00 (approx. A$4.60) depending on how many halawa I eat ... normally about 8, since I am abit of a little piggy and they are so mooooorish that it is hard to settle with just one or two. In Australia, I would barely be able to get the coffee and the tea for that price. And the halawa ...... the equivalent are the Italian almond biscuits, which, in Australia cost about A$2.00 each (DH12.00). So, if you want to really enjoy your coffee, tea and halawa, and still have money in your pocket for another day, come to Morocco!!!

Well, the ship carrying my gear finally arrived in Casablanca a couple of days ago. Received a call saying that the container in which my gear was stored has been taken off the ship, and they are now processing the paper work. We figure if we get to Casablanca sometime next week, everything should be ready to be picked up. Yaaaaay! Also, hopefully will have my Moroccan ID completed by the end of the month. If not, I'll have to go to the police to get a special permit stamped in my passport allowing me to stay abit longer as I only have the right to stay for 3 months without a visa afterwhich I have to leave the country - hmmm, I suppose I could fly to Spain for a few days - I think I need a holiday after all the housework I've been doing recently!

Well, that is about it for the moment. In closing, a rare photo of Najib and I together in Rabat enjoying the evening festivities. The city council put on a street concert for about 6 weeks during the summer, which featured local artists of all types of musical persuasions. The crowds loved it, though many of the restauranteurs along that particular strip were unhappy as business dropped away through the inability of patrons to park near the restaurant (the street being closed to traffic from about 5.00pm onwards).



Bye for now and hopefully photos from Casablanca soon.

xxx Zohra ooo