On the way to join Vera in Cadiz I met a guy named Yuiry in
the Sevilla bus station bathroom. Odd place to meet someone notwithstanding, I
found out he was on his way to Morocco as well. We exchanged information in the
hopes of joining forces at some point in Morocco. It never actually worked out
as Vera, Laura and I were in Chefchaouen and he went on to Fes and was planning
to go back to Tangier the day we were heading to Fes. So it seemed reunion wasn't meant to be. But by Jupiter if we
didn’t run into him in the bus station in Fes anyway!
Talking about what Fes was like, his description for the medina was, “it’s crazy, it’s
just like New York City but in like 800 AD.” Honestly, I couldn’t have said it
better myself. When you step into the Fes medina, the largest pedestrian area
in the world, hold on to your hat (and wallet) as you are traveling back in
time. The medina itself is a labyrinth of narrow streets impossibly lined with
shop after shop selling virtually everything you could possibly imagine. As I
walked past stall after stall in a bit of sensory overload I couldn’t stop
thinking of the line from Cowboy Bebop where Spike asks Rashid if he knows
where he can find a bean shop and Rashid replies “And why not? You can find
anything on Moroccan streets.”
The night we arrived we met a Californian named Adrian who
offered to show us a good place to eat. One thing to beware of in Fes- when you
enter the medina you enter as a mark. Nearly everyone in there is trying to get
money from you in one way or another. Some work the shops, some try to get you
to eat at their restaurant, some offer to guide you and then extort you (we’ll
get to that later), and most commonly there are a host of kids who will try to
lead you to their parents’ restaurant/tannery/store/etc with the expectation of a tip for their services.
We were trying to get to the Blue Gate where some of the
better restaurants in the medina are located and somehow acquired an impromptu
young guide who directed us not to the gate but to his family restaurant. Then,
after we declined of course, he demanded a tip (in euros!) for his “services.”
Just something to be aware of and expect when you visit Fes; not that it should
prevent you from coming by any means. We eventually did find the Blue Gate and
I finally got to try the Moroccan soup (harira), which may be my new favorite soup. I
also had a kafta (meatball) and egg tagine which was similarly outstanding.
Fully rested, the next morning we were ready to hit the medina in full force,
but not before soaking in some great views from the terrace at the Funky Fes
hostel.
Wandering through the medina we came across a man who
offered to guide us to a tannery he worked for, stunningly at no cost. The
tanneries are a very big part of the Fes medina and are a must visit if you
find yourself there. The basic process is that the hair is shaved off the
cow/goat/sheep/camel skin and the skin is then soaked in this tub of pigeon
shit for hours or days depending on the material. Then, the skin is washed and soaked in
the dying vats (by people using their feet) to absorb the color and ultimately
washed and hung to dry. Then there are various other processes to smooth the
leather before ultimately being used to make anything from jackets to wallets
to bags.
As you may imagine the process is a bit odorous but most of
the tanneries are nice enough to give you a fresh spring of mint to keep under
your nose. That being said, it looked like a tremendously difficult and tiring
job and one I’m very thankful not to have. Next we visited a carpet making shop
where they displayed the great variety of Moroccan carpet (in styles,
complexities, and of course prices).
For lunch Adrian and I stopped into this literal hole in the
wall where a guy was grilling up some form of meat and serving it in a bread
pocket. Hell yes, I’ll take one of those! It was actually outstanding and I’m
hoping I can track some more of these grilled meat pockets down before I leave Morocco.
We wandered the medina a bit more before coming across
another man offering us a free tour. Only this time, we were not so lucky to
avoid the demand for a ridiculous fee. Our “guide” took us to another tannery
by way of what could only be described as a scrap yard. After viewing our
second tannery of the day he took us up to a hill behind the scrap yard where
we could hike to the old city wall and take some great photos of the city.
On the way back out through the junkyard, however, it was
time for the shakedown. We were suddenly introduced to a new man deemed the
“guardian” who informed us we needed to pay him 50 dirhams each to leave the
scrap yard. My first instinct was to tell him to “fuck off” and start walking
the opposite direction. I was bigger than both of them, fairly fast, and carrying
a knife- I figured if push came to shove I could take them. Thankfully,
Adrian’s cooler head prevailed and he negotiated a 60 dirham total fee for the
“guardian” to be paid by the “guide.” Once we were safely out of the scrap
yard, Adrian gave the “guide” an earful and we declined to give him more than
what he had fronted for us. Feeling slighted we made our way back up toward the
Blue Gate again passing by a number of shops.
At the gate we discussed our misadventure over coffee and
then decided to take a taxi back to the hostel, our medina excursion complete.
It was resoundingly decided that apart from dinner what the group needed most
at this point was a drink. Well ladies and gents, Mike Steele to the rescue.
Providing my sole contribution to the collective Morocco planning effort, I
tracked down where we could buy some booze in Fes. Pro tip: if you’re in
Morocco you can usually find it in French/international restaurants or tourist
hotels and there are also shops that sell it but you have to negotiate your way out of the
medina.
After eating at likely the sketchiest restaurant in Fes (the
guy didn’t have half the menu available and had to run to other stores to
procure most of what we ordered), we found the liquor store and absconded back
to the hostel with our glorious bounty. The rest of the night was spent
playing card games on the terrace and secretly drinking our booze as it is
technically illegal to drink in public and was heavily frowned on by the
hostel.
At the end of the night it was time to say goodbye to two
great travel companions Vera and Laura and a new friend in Adrian. Thanks for
the great time guys- you will be missed! The next day called for an early train
and long journey to Essouira to join a friend from Madrid by the beach. Score
one for sun, sand, and surf (I hope)!
Bonus photo: butcher shop displaying the whole head of a
camel.
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