23 pieces of luggage and sugar crystals!

June 25th
Retrieving lost luggage is never a pleasant task! But, we were successful in picking up every single lost item! 23 pieces in all ...In Fez, the people at the "Lost and Found" counter, and at customs, tried their best to assist us! Jelani, Azeb and I had a whole system worked out to organize the identified vs. missing items, the processed vs. unprocessed luggages, the many passports, claim checks and luggage tags. Truly, this required some major logistics! Finally, success! After loading the minivan with our loot, there were exactly 4 seats left in the van. This turned out to be a blessing! I was now sitting next to our driver, Mr. Ahmed. A native of Ifrane, he had returned to his hometown after a five year stay in Lybia. He had worked at the university since its inception. We talked about our families, our kids, about the diminishing availability of firewood in the Middle Atlas, about the recent climate changes, the resulting devastating floods, the extremely low temperatures (-19% Celsius this Winter) and finally, I learned a skill I might need:
How to tell the difference between real honey and the local imitation made from sugar.
Step 1: take a drop or two of honey and rub it between your thumb and index finger
Step 2: place a small piece of paper between your drenched fingers and soak the paper with the product
Step 3: burn the paper...if it's real honey, it won't burn easily; if it's "imitation honey" it will burn right away, because the sugar crystals caramelize instantly!
Et voila!
Footnote: It is preferable NOT to use the fire test for "imitation honey" in the middle of the forrest (where it is being sold) due to increased fire hazard! :)