Fair Trade Culture

August 15th, 2007 by Dominic

My journey to Tiznit was a unique one. The first leg of the trip was a bus out of Marrakesh bound for Agadir, where I had to get on a second bus. I generally take the first bus departing to any given location. This time it was an older, funkier bus that seemed to be on its last voyage.

They really cram people into these old buses, with no air-conditioning, and people standing in the aisle. I was lucky enough to have a seat, five across in the back row next to the door that was held shut by a bungee cord. My bag was securely fastened to the roof with the chickens.

The bus stopped inexplicably in the middle of nowhere for the better part of an hour. By the time I arrived in Agadir (my transfer point) the last bus to Tiznit had departed. I was told I had to catch a cab for the remainder of the trip but no cabs were in site.

Some nice man, seeing I was obviously clueless and lost, escorted me about Â½ mile down the road to a â€˜taxi standâ€™. The taxi stand was a dirt lot filled with at least a hundred 1960â€™s-1970â€™s blue, diesel, Mercedes sedans (240 D). Each clump of cabs was going to a different town. My guide found the clump of cars destined for Tiznit, soon weâ€™re on our way. Forty-five minutes later, I arrived in Tiznit to continue my questâ€¦

Tiznit is a walled city built as a garrison town in 1881, located between the Atlantic coast and the Atlas mountains, sitting on the fringe of the Sahara Desert. Thereâ€™s sand everywhere, from a film on every surface to larger drifts built up in the less frequented corners. Strangely enough, the only rain I saw in Morocco came while I was in Tiznit.

The town is the most well known city in Morocco for silversmiths; however, itâ€™s far from a tourist destination. In fact, I never encountered another one in my short 2 day stay. I wish I could have given this remote part of Morocco more time. Itâ€™s a different life out in the dunes. Iâ€™ve heard the stories and would have liked to investigateâ€¦unfortunately there was no time to plunge into the sand. I had a plane to catch back in Marrakesh.

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