Fes, Morocco's Imperial city

Once in Fes, we jumped in a taxi (8DH/$1) and went to the entrance of the medina, Bab Boujeloud. We took off in search of a place to crash and were immediately (and constantly) nagged, questioned, and annoyed by the kids trying to take us to their hotels (which would have increased the price no doubt). We searched on our own but everywhere we visited was either full or too expensive (1,000DH+ per night/ $125+). We made our way back to Bab Boujeloud to try going down another street and we found the Dutch and Mexican girls we had been traveling with sitting at a restaurant. They informed us that they had found a beautiful riad but it was too expensive for them (400DH/$50). We asked if one of them could take us there, and they did. We booked two nights there for the price of 700DH ($87.50). Sadly, after we entered the riad, one very annoying young tout grabbed the Dutch girl and she pushed him off her, causing the Moroccan to threaten to beat and rape her for touching him. AHH!

Fes is an absolute labyrinth. There are a gazillion little streets in the medina and they are all very narrow and hilly. It's recommended to hire a local guide, but we decided we would wing it and take our time wandering the streets (thank you Lonely Planet for the self guided tour!) and if we got lost (which we did), then that adds to the adventure! We walked all over the city, admiring its beauty, the trinkets for sale, and spending most of our time trying to figure out where we were on the map while ignoring touts. We ended our tour at the Andalous court, high above the city. There a kid approached us and said he only wanted to practice his English, so we let him show us around. He took us by his Koranic school and the best spot to get a panoramic shot (both of which we would have found on our own easily). He was very nice conversation and nice company but when we were trying to leave, he demanded a tip. GRRR. David handed him 10DH ($1.25) but of course he wanted more. So when he pushed the money back towards David and asked for more, David took the money and walked away saying goodbye. David eventually gave him the 10DH to get him to finally leave us alone.

While wandering, we found a beautiful house that was open to the public for viewing, free of charge according to the man in the front. But when we entered, a swarm of locals surrounded us, wanting to know what language we spoke so they could give a guided tour. David insisted that we didn’t want a guided tour, that we just wanted to look around for a few moments. This made them very angry and they asked us to leave for being so rude and brushing off “the owner of the house.” So David apologized (if only they could be a tourist in their country!!) and we got a tour of the house, which had a beautiful view of the city from its roof. It turns out these houses are open for the purpose of selling carpets and we weren’t interested in the slightest bit in buying one, so we promptly left.

Then we visited the legendary tanneries of Fes. After randomly selecting where to enter (there are numerous touts asking that you follow them down alleys to their view), putting mint leaves up to our noses to repeal the stench, and ascending up a staircase which seemed to get narrower and narrower, we arrived at the roof with an amazing view of the tanneries. Enormous round vats are filled with different colored liquids and men are working around, between, and in them. The entire process can be seen from beginning to end—the skins are brought it, stripped of fat, placed in white vats of water and lime to remove skin and hair, then dried and placed in a colored vat to soak for days or weeks at a time. This process has changed little since medieval times, being passed down from generation to generation, and serves as an excellent example of how Morocco is sticking to its old traditions and ways of life. But from the roof we could also see satellite dishes on top of nearly every single house, which was an interesting juxtaposition between old and new.

We didn’t know what to do or what to see next, so we thought we would wander around the streets and see what we found. Unfortunately, an annoying, very annoying, man started to walk next to us and ask us where we were going. After intentionally ignoring him for a few minutes didn’t work, we told him we were just walking. He started to tell us stories about the city (which meant he would want a tip) so we told him we were not interested and wanted to be by ourselves. This didn’t stop him, and he persisted in following us and making conversation. David told him goodbye several times, and even stopped him, put his hand on his shoulder, and said “please do not follow us, we want to be alone, goodbye.” But this didn’t dissuade him. In fact, it seemed to make him want to talk to us even more.. until he saw a group of tourists without anyone harassing them, and then he was gone.

We found our way back to the hotel (with no help) and took a mid-day nap to escape the heat. Then we ventured out again. This time we visited the Jewish neighborhood and saw the royal palace with its beautiful golden doors. We also did a little shopping—earnings and several key chains for 34DH ($4.25) and four silk scarves for 80DH ($10). For dinner, we stopped at a popular restaurant bordering the medina entrance and for 120DH ($15) we feasted on chicken kebabs and pastilla. Pastilla is a pie of sorts, but it’s made with crepe-like dough, with pigeon, vegetables, and spices inside, and cinnamon, sugar, and almonds outside. Delicious!

Alas, our time in Fes was over, so we caught a taxi (10DH/$1.25) to the train station and got tickets (18DH ($2.25) each) to Meknes.

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