Tagine Fatigue

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Today we both felt better and well enough to look around Meknes. Neither of us particularly likes the place so we want to see it so that we can leave. We began our sightseeing in the main square which was previously the only part we had managed to see. We dodged the café owners and dived into the covered market for a loo, around. The first row we went down was just packed full of stalls which sold the little pastries which look ever so colourful. We walked down amazed at the hundreds of different varieties and the hoards of wasps. We turned at the end of the row and found ourselves amongst the meat stalls. I made the foolish mistake of looking at the first stall and hastily looked away. I'm not overly squeamish but the treatment of animals is unbearably cruel and the amount of debris around the stalls was sickening. There is even an automatic chicken plucker.

After the market was the start of the souqs, we moved through fruit and veg Souqs on to more interesting musical instrument souqs and then on to metal workers making beds; welding without masks. At the top of the souqs was a mosque (closed to non-Muslims) and is part of the more extreme practices in Morocco.

We both felt slightly weak still but were not really in the mood for food. We found a café in the main square that said they would do me a cheese sandwich whilst Rob had his sausage sandwich. They brought out a small baguette with a greasy omlette inside and smothered in mayonnaise. I obviously wasn't as well as I thought because my stomach lurched and I really couldn't bring myself to eat it.

We decided that we should visit some of the recommended sights in Meknes so we consulted Lonely Planet and devised a route. We began by walking up past the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail but it was closed to the public for prayer times. We continued up past the royal palace to the Agdar basin which was basically a stone lined lake. By this time we were both shattered again and so we found an unoccupied bench to sit and watch the world go by. We stayed seated until the rain began at which point we realised that the mausoleum would be open.

The mausoleum of Moulay Ismail was empty when we were there so we had it to ourselves. The rain made the tiles in the outdoor courtyards glisten and the sun was almost blinding as it reflected off them. We were allowed to see the tomb but not approach it as we weren't Muslims.

As we left the mausoleum we saw a curious looking street with pink walls and yellow floor tiles. We went to investigate but as many interesting roads in Morocco; it resulted in a dead end. It was raining pretty heavily but we needed to find something to eat for tea, so we headed back up the hill to new town.

Our tagine fatigue has driven us to such lengths that we now opt for tiny, dirty cafes just because they offer a menu so diverse as to offer novel foods like pizza and steak. The food was dire and we were watched constantly by the other Moroccan diners who appeared to question our motives for eating in such an establishment. We finished up quickly and left no tip when the owner brought the bill and told us service wasn't included.

Soaked to the bone we were at a loss as to what to do for the evening. Returning to our damp room where we spent so long being ill just didn't sound like a bundle of laughs. Instead we nipped next door to the internet café and watched the film Constantine online. It would have been a great idea however it took four hours to watch as it took so long to buffer.

We are packed and completely ready to leave Meknes. We are both hoping for Fes to be a bright and lively city where the sun is bright and hotel rooms are dry. Night night. Stob.

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Photos

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Its exactly like one in Lonely Planet