Dear friends and family,
Today was a day for mixed emotions. I didn’t sleep well last night and this might have contributed to how I felt at certain points of the day.
We began the day with a breakfast consisting of seven different types of Moroccan beads, honey, jam, yoghurt, packaged cheese, eggs, orange juice and mint tea. Obi had hardly an appetite and I’m struggling with some bathroom issues as well. We think our stomachs might have reacted to the prickly pear. We’d been warned not to eat any fresh fruit, but in the moment yesterday it was hard to refuse even after we’d already politely refused multiple times. We’ve learned people here are extremely forceful in their will. During breakfast I did manage to sample the breads and ate a full meal, my top bread was the Moroccan flat bread with honey. After which point we ventured out to meet someone we’d meet yesterday as a guide. Fes is an extremely challenging labyrinth unless you’re familiar with it, or have a highly developed spatial awareness, good luck! The amount of twists and turns without points to orient with except for chicken stalls, grain and spice racks, clothing stands, leather shops, shoe shops, etc. To someone new these stalls look so familiar, it feels a little like a house of mirrors.
Needless to say, a guide was required and so we found the man we’d met yesterday who asked his friend to join us. Two young men, acting as not official guides. They took us to the usual spots the tourists like starting with a view of Fes and then down into the Medina. Because they are not official guides they would tag team and split up, one in front, another looping around a corner street to meet us. There were times we couldn’t see either one, and then suddenly they’d appear almost as if they’d materialize from the cracked cement wall. Walking with them was certainly informative as they shared facts about the city. They were very proud of the UNESCO identifying Fes as an official heritage site, when this happened they said each house received $8,000 dollars to repair and improve their homes. Then they said houses only got $4,000 and the government took half. It was unclear who got what money, but throughout the tour they’d show us fountains for potable water which were placed everywhere and wooden beams installed to reinforce structures. They spoke to us about the limited opportunities for work, which we could observe as well. Mainly because it seems like there are three categories of activities for people, people are shopping (women and children), working (inside the home mostly women and outside the home mostly men) or looking to make money in any way possible. Almost every male not behind a shop counter is walking around/near our seated at a shop socializing looking to speak with a tourist and offer a type of service for payment. It’s a challenging environment to live in they explained and this was evident. Our guides were well known around the town, often shaking hands with people. They took us to some shops with the hopes that we’ll buy some things. I did purchase a few items but declined many other offers. It’s a bit taxing to decide often, but it’s evident that tourism is a true revenue source and so they have to keep trying.
The most unique place we went to visit was the tannery cooperative. The tanneries are leather processing plants which date back thousands of years. The process of turning animal hides into soft rot proof leather. The tanneries are near a water source and ideally away from residential areas because the odor is highly unpleasant. These tanneries were directly in the middle of Fes, and it was a smell I’d been noticing since we arrived. The first step is to soak the hides and remove the hair. They are rinsed in a huge tumble dryer type wooden machine and then soaked in a liquid solution mixed with vats of pigeon poop. We learned that pigeon poop is high in ammonia which breaks down the fat from the hide. The smell comes from this stage, and it’s a smell I’ll never forget. It has a mix of rotting meat, rancid fat and chemicals which have been nearly boiling in the sun for days on end. Men stand inside these small containers waist high in the liquid with bare hands stomping and mashing the soft hides in the liquid solution. You can imagine how wine was made years ago, stomping on the grapes. The “cleaned” hide is then dyed and dried in the sun. Finally mules are loaded up with 30-40 hides which transport them through the narrow streets of Fes to local craftsmen who cut and sew the leather into anything you can imagine.
I came to realize today that while I enjoy seeing such unsuall and different ways of life, being beholden to a guide is extremely frustrating for me. As an independent traveler, not being able to go where I want is aggravating and if we did venture off we’d most likely get wildly lost. This began to weigh on me. The tour was certainly worth it, but after a few hours I was ready to transition. Obi and paid the guides at the end of the tour what we thought was a fair price but they insisted we give the same amount to each of them and pay for the entry to a terrace for a view of the university mosque. It was unclear if they actually paid for us, but either way we got to see the city.
Obi and I took a rest at the hotel in the afternoon and decided to drive over to the new part of Fes, which didn’t require a guide to see the town and the palace doors. Despite the heat, Obi was at my side. We easily found parking and started walking along. I was finally at ease, relaxed and confident in my whereabouts. At one point we stopped to check our map, and a man came up saying politely the palace gates were around the corner. He said the way we wanted was only one gate guarded and the other way we’d see seven. We followed his advice thinking it was innocent, but it was a full on trap. We turned the corner he indicated and no sooner do we turn around he’s directly behind us, indicating to follow and he’ll show us. It happened so fast but he guided is instantly into the Jewish quarters of Fes, another highly complex labyrinth of streets. He kept saying the gates are here, but they weren’t. He was taking us on a tour talking about history, showing us very old homes, iron work, synagogues, the Star of David on homes, teaching us about the five pillars of Islam, explaining how the Jewish cemetery is designed and even takes us to a fence with a whole cut into it so that we could photograph the tombstones. I politely declined every opportunity he gave us for pictures, and while the information was absolutely fascinating I couldn’t concentrate or enjoy myself at all. I was so angry inside. I felt trapped and anxious. I despised not knowing where I was or how to get out. I couldn’t think about anything else but escaping. Obi could tell I was loosing it inside despite my best attempts to be polite. I really tried but I needed to get out. I did not like that he tricked us, this made it worse. Eventually I said stearnly that I wanted to exit so he took us back out, and then wanted to walk us to the palace gates. I said no. He then wanted money, I said no again. He kept pushing. He didn’t realize that in my book, no means no. And I meant it. My heart was beating, I was surprised by how strongly I didn’t like being so trapped but it was challenging for me to control. Obi helped me to settle down.
After I de-escilated we went the way we should have gone for the palace and saw the seven stunning palace gates. Golden in all of their glory. Given the intense heat we took some pictures and made our way to the car, with food on our minds. Unfortunately when we got back on the road the tire pressure sign came on again! We found a tire shop and a young boy covered in black oil and dirt checked our tires and added air. He used the tire air pump with such fluidity. He really knew what he was doing. We paid and thanked him.
Back at the hotel we decided to see if they’d have a recommendation for a restaurant. We were hoping for something different than what we eaten the last two days, couscous and vegetables. While delicious, a third night would have been less appealing. The hotel recommend a place and made us a reservation. It was in the city though which meant we’d need a guide to get us there. Sigh. We were desperate for something new to eat so we accepted and the hotel employee walked is there. I was watching carefully so that I could get us back home. But as we began the restaurant was too far away that I struggled to keep it all in my head. When we got to the restaurant the man said he’d come back to get us. We enter the restaurant and we’re the only guests, certainly no need for a reservation. The place is huge and ornately decorated. We sat in a cozy nook with cushions hoping someone else would come in. The waitress said she knew we were vegetarians and said the only thing she had was… couscous and vegetables!!!! The exact meal we were trying to not eat again. What were we to do? Risk going back and getting lost? We’d just gotten there? If we returned the hotel could only offer is the same food as well!? We asked if there was any other vegetarian option, she talked to someone else and she came back to report they could cook rice with the tagine sauce and grilled veggies. We accepted. We waited a while and finally the food arrived. We were so hungry at this point. Upon looking at the food we realized the veggies were not grilled, they were exactly the same as what would have been on the couscous. Instead of the couscous we had rice in a tomato sauce. I served two plates and we began eating. Upon my fist bite I tasted lamb. I like lamb but didn’t want to eat any and Obi is a strickt vegetarian. I didn’t say anything because there was no meat in the dish, I just tasted something like lamb. I figured since the hotel called and said we were vegetarians and we told her, AND she made this meal especially for us… There would be no meat and this was all in my imagination. I thought it just a new Moroccan spice I was unfamiliar with and kept eating. No sooner do I have these thoughts Obi finds something hard in his mouth. Upon inspection it was a rice grain. Fine. Then two bites later another hard thing in his mouth, rice grain again? NO! A chunk of bone! Okay, we think that’s odd, and cautiously keep eating until he takes a final bite to discover TWO more chunks of bone! That’s it! We’re done. I told him, it’s lamb, the bones confirmed my suspicion. Oh it was so disheartening. We told the women (who was very apologetic). We were still hungry but at this point just wanted to get home. But alas… Were in the middle of the maze, alone! Obi said, “adventure time,” and I kicked into survival mode. I navigated us again right out of the maze home with only one wrong turn which we corrected.
Anyhow, today left me with many feelings, some moments of curiosity and amazement (it’s impossible to not acknowledge how hard working the men at the tanneries are), feelings of high anxiety, disappointment, fright and see. J
Despite all of this our day ended with Obi and I sitting on the terrace with food coop nuts watching the lunar eclipse listening to the final day’s evening prayers bellowing from the many nearby mosques. Absolutely pleasant.
My friends, tomorrow we’re driving to Chefchaouen, locals say it’s the “Amsterdam of Europe.” Let’s hope our car cooperates.
With care, Franziska
thefranimal.travel.blog 