4-25-2009 -- 4-27-2009
It is now the fourth day of our Moroccan vacation and today we rented a car to drive cross country. The plan was to drive from Marrakech to Fes, from Fes to Rabat and then from Rabat to Casablanca. Morocco is a relatively small country, so this was a doable journey in just three days. A representative from the car rental agency met us at our hostel in the morning to sort out the rental deal and to deliver the car. We were all nervous about driving in Morocco, but little did we know that our biggest problem would be the reality of renting the thing.
Romina was in charge of renting the car as she was its greatest advocate. The car was successfully reserved and the rental fee had been paid in full, however she failed to read the entire contract, and so she was ignorant of the fact that we had to leave a 1,000 euro deposit in case of damages. The deposit would be refunded once the car was successfully returned, but none of us felt comfortable leaving our credit card number with the possibility of being charged 1000 euro. This was a huge dilemma and we spent a good hour debating our limited options. The Moroccan man was right in the middle of our conversation. He sympathized with our concerns and like all good Moroccans, he made us a deal. He said we could purchase "extra insurance" for a small fee and in this case our credit card would only be charged 350 euro if we damaged the car in some way. I felt more comfortable with this and so I agreed to give the man my credit card. I really just wanted to be done with the entire fiasco and I desperately wanted to see Fes. The man (his name was Hussein) took us to the car and showed us the way to Fez.
Navigating through Morocco was surprisingly simple. Poor Romina had to drive the entire time because the car was manual and Caitlin and I can't use a manual car. Pathetic! Also, Romina was the only one with an international licence. It took roughly 7 hours to drive from Marrakech to Fes and we arrived in Fes around 7 p.m. We had planned to stay just outside Fez in the small town of Saffrou, but when we arrived at our hotel, the man informed us that he did not honor our reservation and there was no room for us to stay. This was a blessing because we ended up finding a nice hotel in Fez not too far from the medina. We unpacked the car, relaxed for a bit and headed to the medina for dinner. Driving in the city was pretty difficult and Romina had to deal with the two worst backseat drivers on Earth. Caitlin and I were yelling at her every 5 minutes to slow down or to turn right ...
Finally, we found the medina, parked the car and meandered to the nearest restaurant. We were starving. We ate kefta, soup and soda. I loved eating within the medinas because the food was better and cheaper. It was immediately apparent that the medina in Fez was spectacular and we couldn't wait to experience this place during the day. The next morning we ate breakfast at our hotel and drove back to the medina. I had heard wonderful things about Fez and the old city exceeded all of my expectations. There are 9,000 small streets within this medina. This was certainly the best part of our trip.
Fes el Bali is the name of the old city in Fes. The souk/marketplace here is believed to be the largest car-free urban area in the world. The intricate labyrinth of alleyways contains stalls and workshops full of artisans, merchants, fragrances, colors, and the most fantastic treasures to be bought. The souk in Fez is irresistibly vibrant and full of life. We made friends with some locals within the medina and they took us to the best carpet shops, restaurants and pharmacies. The pharmacies in the old cities are extraordinary. Most of the products found within these places are 100 % natural and certainly exotic. I found the following explanation of these pharmacies online ...
"Even if you're feeling perfectly healthy, don't miss the chance to visit a Moroccan pharmacy. Like a witch doctor's den, these mysterious shops tucked in the souk's alleys, offer local residents cures for everything from toothaches to arthritis to broken hearts. Powders and potions, concocted of local herbs, not to mention dried lizards seen hanging on the walls, provide a cure for whatever ails you.
Travelers will be especially interested in the spices and perfumes. Saffron can be purchased for about US$2 per gram (minimum of five grams). Moroccan curry, a different blend than Indian curry, and a heady mix of Moroccan spices called "Head of the Store" are popular choices.
In the natural pharmacies, you'll also find stencils for henna designs (US$1), kohl eyeliner (US$3), musk (US$3 per gram) and numerous oils."
I loved the pharmacy. I bought soaps, perfume, eyeliner and some lipstick made from henna. I could have spent all day testing the oils and perfumes here, and I can't help but feel like I should have purchased more. It was so cheap and so good.
We met a guy named Younes and he showed us all over Fes. He told us he was Berber and that he moved to Fes with his father when he was 13 years old. I bought a carpet from his family (this was carpet # 4) and I met his father as he was constructing a wool blanket on a large loom. He took us to the tannery, which is one of Africa's most photographed sites. Fes is home to the largest traditional tannery in Morocco, and I believe it is one of the last ones in existence. This tannery had been in operation since medieval times and little has changed. I was absolutely fascinated! The only bad thing about seeing the tannery was the smell. The leather is died in vats that contain everything from pigeon poo to chalk and the smell is absolutely horrific. We had to hold mint leaves to our nose to cover the odor.
After a full day of walking the streets of Fez, Younes invited us to drink tea with him in his home. We accepted his offer and entered his very humble abode. He invited his friend Mounir to join us. We loved Mounir. He entered the room speaking to us in Arabic. Then he spouted, "Oh! You don't speak Arabic!!!???" From then on, he spoke to us in perfect English and we talked with him about everything from popular American music to Dr. Phil. We spent a few hours at Younes' place and then Mounir invited us to see a spectacular view of Fes el Bali from his rooftop terrace. The view was magnificent and so was his home. Mounir lives in a traditional Moroccan house that was built in 1317. It was incredible. The ceilings were made from carved and painted cedar and the tile work was so beautiful. The house was huge, and he lives there alone with his brother. Seeing this house made me want to move to Morocco!
None of us wanted the night to end, so we invited Younes and Mounir for dinner. We figured it was the least we could do for our very hospitable hosts. They accepted our offer and suggested we drive to an outdoor restaurant ten minutes from the medina. We did exactly that and we all shared another huge Moroccan meal. After dinner it was very late and time to part ways. We drove our friends back to the medina and said our goodbyes. Then we drove to our hotel and fell asleep only to wake super early to drive to Casablanca. So much driving!
It is now the fourth day of our Moroccan vacation and today we rented a car to drive cross country. The plan was to drive from Marrakech to Fes, from Fes to Rabat and then from Rabat to Casablanca. Morocco is a relatively small country, so this was a doable journey in just three days. A representative from the car rental agency met us at our hostel in the morning to sort out the rental deal and to deliver the car. We were all nervous about driving in Morocco, but little did we know that our biggest problem would be the reality of renting the thing.
Romina was in charge of renting the car as she was its greatest advocate. The car was successfully reserved and the rental fee had been paid in full, however she failed to read the entire contract, and so she was ignorant of the fact that we had to leave a 1,000 euro deposit in case of damages. The deposit would be refunded once the car was successfully returned, but none of us felt comfortable leaving our credit card number with the possibility of being charged 1000 euro. This was a huge dilemma and we spent a good hour debating our limited options. The Moroccan man was right in the middle of our conversation. He sympathized with our concerns and like all good Moroccans, he made us a deal. He said we could purchase "extra insurance" for a small fee and in this case our credit card would only be charged 350 euro if we damaged the car in some way. I felt more comfortable with this and so I agreed to give the man my credit card. I really just wanted to be done with the entire fiasco and I desperately wanted to see Fes. The man (his name was Hussein) took us to the car and showed us the way to Fez.
Navigating through Morocco was surprisingly simple. Poor Romina had to drive the entire time because the car was manual and Caitlin and I can't use a manual car. Pathetic! Also, Romina was the only one with an international licence. It took roughly 7 hours to drive from Marrakech to Fes and we arrived in Fes around 7 p.m. We had planned to stay just outside Fez in the small town of Saffrou, but when we arrived at our hotel, the man informed us that he did not honor our reservation and there was no room for us to stay. This was a blessing because we ended up finding a nice hotel in Fez not too far from the medina. We unpacked the car, relaxed for a bit and headed to the medina for dinner. Driving in the city was pretty difficult and Romina had to deal with the two worst backseat drivers on Earth. Caitlin and I were yelling at her every 5 minutes to slow down or to turn right ...
Finally, we found the medina, parked the car and meandered to the nearest restaurant. We were starving. We ate kefta, soup and soda. I loved eating within the medinas because the food was better and cheaper. It was immediately apparent that the medina in Fez was spectacular and we couldn't wait to experience this place during the day. The next morning we ate breakfast at our hotel and drove back to the medina. I had heard wonderful things about Fez and the old city exceeded all of my expectations. There are 9,000 small streets within this medina. This was certainly the best part of our trip.
Fes el Bali is the name of the old city in Fes. The souk/marketplace here is believed to be the largest car-free urban area in the world. The intricate labyrinth of alleyways contains stalls and workshops full of artisans, merchants, fragrances, colors, and the most fantastic treasures to be bought. The souk in Fez is irresistibly vibrant and full of life. We made friends with some locals within the medina and they took us to the best carpet shops, restaurants and pharmacies. The pharmacies in the old cities are extraordinary. Most of the products found within these places are 100 % natural and certainly exotic. I found the following explanation of these pharmacies online ...
"Even if you're feeling perfectly healthy, don't miss the chance to visit a Moroccan pharmacy. Like a witch doctor's den, these mysterious shops tucked in the souk's alleys, offer local residents cures for everything from toothaches to arthritis to broken hearts. Powders and potions, concocted of local herbs, not to mention dried lizards seen hanging on the walls, provide a cure for whatever ails you.
Travelers will be especially interested in the spices and perfumes. Saffron can be purchased for about US$2 per gram (minimum of five grams). Moroccan curry, a different blend than Indian curry, and a heady mix of Moroccan spices called "Head of the Store" are popular choices.
In the natural pharmacies, you'll also find stencils for henna designs (US$1), kohl eyeliner (US$3), musk (US$3 per gram) and numerous oils."
I loved the pharmacy. I bought soaps, perfume, eyeliner and some lipstick made from henna. I could have spent all day testing the oils and perfumes here, and I can't help but feel like I should have purchased more. It was so cheap and so good.
We met a guy named Younes and he showed us all over Fes. He told us he was Berber and that he moved to Fes with his father when he was 13 years old. I bought a carpet from his family (this was carpet # 4) and I met his father as he was constructing a wool blanket on a large loom. He took us to the tannery, which is one of Africa's most photographed sites. Fes is home to the largest traditional tannery in Morocco, and I believe it is one of the last ones in existence. This tannery had been in operation since medieval times and little has changed. I was absolutely fascinated! The only bad thing about seeing the tannery was the smell. The leather is died in vats that contain everything from pigeon poo to chalk and the smell is absolutely horrific. We had to hold mint leaves to our nose to cover the odor.
After a full day of walking the streets of Fez, Younes invited us to drink tea with him in his home. We accepted his offer and entered his very humble abode. He invited his friend Mounir to join us. We loved Mounir. He entered the room speaking to us in Arabic. Then he spouted, "Oh! You don't speak Arabic!!!???" From then on, he spoke to us in perfect English and we talked with him about everything from popular American music to Dr. Phil. We spent a few hours at Younes' place and then Mounir invited us to see a spectacular view of Fes el Bali from his rooftop terrace. The view was magnificent and so was his home. Mounir lives in a traditional Moroccan house that was built in 1317. It was incredible. The ceilings were made from carved and painted cedar and the tile work was so beautiful. The house was huge, and he lives there alone with his brother. Seeing this house made me want to move to Morocco!
None of us wanted the night to end, so we invited Younes and Mounir for dinner. We figured it was the least we could do for our very hospitable hosts. They accepted our offer and suggested we drive to an outdoor restaurant ten minutes from the medina. We did exactly that and we all shared another huge Moroccan meal. After dinner it was very late and time to part ways. We drove our friends back to the medina and said our goodbyes. Then we drove to our hotel and fell asleep only to wake super early to drive to Casablanca. So much driving!
I told you to learn how to drive a stick shift before you left!
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