Fez

We left Chefchaouen with big smiles on our faces and hopped on a bus to Fez with our new friend and trusted guide Hicham. His company (www.awesomemoroccotours.com) is perfect for people like us who are looking to do a customized trip with the natural feel of an adventure shared amongst friends. He helps arrange a trip wherever you are in Morocco with his specialty being the desert and the gorges and valleys leading up to Marrakesh.

In Fez we stayed in a low budget Riad (former home of a wealthy family with a central courtyard) on the edge of the famously laborynthian medina. As we were only spending one evening and part of the next day, Hicham arranged a guide for the medina so that we could be sure to see all main sights. Given more time, it would be really fun to get completely lost in the maze of winding alleys which has the feel of being transported back in time to a medieval city. Our guide expertly led the way.

The traditional tanneries, which have not changed in centuries, were a serious eye and nose opener. As proof that the process is all natural, the workers wade through vats of coloured liquids as the leather is transformed into goods starting from piles of furry pelts. After a determined bargaining session, Ben picked up a nice leather man bag and Patricia a pair of Moroccan style leather slippers. It was a great personal touch to work on the final adjustments with the local craftsmen.

Fez is not only known for its leather goods. It is a haven of traditional craftwork. The textiles are also really well done and we got to see the process of making a blanket on a horizontal loom.

Round the next bend we heard the clangs before we saw men lined up on stools banging copper into containers and cooking pots.

In the medina everything seemed to be worked by trained hands, including a street filled with elaborate wedding thrones, the likes of which we had seen at the wedding in Chefchaouen – very fancy!

We also stopped in at a Medersa (school for Islamic teaching) to take a look inside – one of the few to allow non-muslims inside for a peak.

Although brief, we felt we got a flavour of the medina and thus were excited to get on the road to begin our official 8 day tour with Hicham. First up was a road trip to Hisham’s home town, Rissani, located in an oasis on the edge of the desert. We knew our driver Ibrahim from our time in Chefchaouden so it was a comfortable fit for all in his smooth running VW. He was diligent to maintain this sweet machine along the way as Ben surveyed the local scene.

We passed the time listening to our front seat Berber DJ’s mix a variety of African music and chatting away in Spanish (our group’s most effective language). We also got to experience another typical occurrence for Moroccan’s traveling by car – being pulled over by the police at random checkpoints. When these local highway thugs found out that we were coming from Chefchaouen, an area of huge cannibis cultivation, they set to work on a full scale search of the car and baggage. Meanwhile we stood outside in a Moroccan snowstorm (seriously!) as we were crossing one of the many high mountain ranges. Luckily for us, Ibrahim had been through this routine before and even though there was no reason to detain us further, our resourceful driver provided some grease to ease our way back onto the road. We were finding out that local Moroccans can be similarly frustrated by their own countrymen making life difficult.

As Ibrahim is also following the nomad path, he had not seen his family for some time. We therefore decided that since we were passing near to their village, a stop for tea and snacks was a great idea. It was a really special visit with the family and kids who were all there to greet us. Patricia was even able to provide medical advice to Ibrahim’s parents who were both very grateful to receive professional attention that would cost them dearly to seek on their own. Ibrahim’s sisters painted some Henna on Patricia’s hand as a friendly and thankful gesture. Meanwhile, Ben was hard at work exchanging magic tricks with the kids…

As it was getting late, Ibrahim had the fantastic idea to fill the backseat with blankets and pillows to make a nest for his touring guests. As he valiantly drove on through the night, we slept comfortably until Rissani where we tumbled into Hisham’s family home to sleep away most of the morning. We awoke to a great breakfast provided by Hisham’s friendly brother Rashid and chatted away on the terrace. Soon we would touch the Sahara…