MoroccoFès-MeknèsFes-MedinaLmellahOued Mariz34°3’27” N 4°59’22” W
September 19, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
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MoroccoFès-MeknèsFes-MedinaDhar Lbatha34°3’42” N 4°59’3” W
September 20, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Founded in the 9th Century, Fes is a former capital of Morocco and a current centre of artisan crafts and foods.
Our first day after arriving we went down to explore the old Medina. Very quickly we found ourselves wandering through the narrow alleys that had transitioned into the market (or souk). While being the same as the narrow alleys we’d wandered the night before to our Riad, the key feature that differentiated the alleys from the souk was makeshift roofs of lattice, wood and even carpets installed to enclose the alleyways. This was exactly the essence I’d expected for Morocco. Bustling colourful souks with all kind of foods and trinkets all merged into a steamy hotpot of smells and activity.
The Medina of Fes was founded in the 9th Century, but reached its heights in the 13th–14th Centuries when Fes was the capital of Morocco. With Fes having 9454 cobbled alleyways the souk itself is a myriad of alleys with various stalls lining either side.
Seemingly unintentionally, as you wander through you realise you’re naturally passing through different sections designated to a particular craft. Spices, fruits and veggies, woodworking, leather crafts, clothes and dress shops, shoes, sweets, metal working, lamps and more. But at the same time each of the offerings had each others crafts mixed in. The best part was that most of the stalls selling handcrafts actually had someone in the back of the stall producing their wares. Whether it was someone moulding copper into an intricate lamp or weaving a new rug it was all done right there in the souk.
The next day on the advice from Saad, our Riad host, we took a tour with a local guide. A great option to help navigate the maze and learn about a lot of the history surrounding us. Starting the day at a pottery factory we gained an understanding of where all the mosaics that cover the town come from. Everything from making tiles to bowls to Tangines (a clay pot and lid that is unique to Moroccan cuisine). From mixing the clay and forming the tiles in the sun to dry, the factory had a production line running right through to painting and kiln firing the products. Our first impression of Fes was how almost every doorway, floor or wall had intricate tile mosaics or carved stone. Seeing the work that went into the initial creation of this made the place even more impressive.
From there we went back into the old Medina. Our guide Hamid took us down a few of the back alleys we hadn’t dared wander the day before and up to a filthy rooftop mezzanine that had a shoe factory on it. We joined a handful of guys cutting stencilled leather from hides and hand stitching them to the soles.
Possibly the second main attraction of Fes after the Old Medina is the leather tannery. This place was incredible! While there’s a few tanneries in Fes this one is the biggest. They say that tannery in Fes dates back to the early 12th century. Now the leather comes from local butchers. Hides of cows, sheep, goats, and camels are brought here to be conditioned and dyed.
We went up to the rooftop of a leather goods shop that had a view over the whole operation below. Before heading up the stairs we were handed a bunch of fresh mint leaves and told “this is gasmask”, and gestured to hold it in front of our nose.
The first stage is conditioning which is done in the "white wash" vats (the left of the picture). The mixture is made from cow urine, pigeon poo, quicklime, salt, and water. The urine and pigeon poo are used as natural sources of ammonia and the process has gone unchanged for hundreds of years. As we looked down on the tannery below the need for the “gas mask” become obvious as the smell was putrid! Hides are left in the white baths for 2-3 days to remove the hair and get the hides ready for dying
For dying, natural colors are used such as poppy for red, indigo for blue, and henna for orange. The leather is then hung put to dry in the sun which with temperatures in the high 30’s and hitting over 40C in summer it doesn’t take long.
With over 300 mosques in Fes, the Medina has some of the most incredible mosques I’ve ever seen. Decorated with amazing tile mosaics and wood carved doorways and ceilings these mosques are spread around the whole city and interspersed through the souk as well. Right in the middle of the souk is even the oldest existing and continuously operating university. Al-Qarawiyyin mosque was established in 859AD originally teaching mathematics and arithmetic becoming so well known around the world that Pope Sylvester II travelled to Fes in the 10th century to study here. Now focusing on Islamic and legal studies the mosque is an incredible reminder of how Fes and Morocco have been a key point of trade and joining cultures over many centuries.
My greatest takeaway from our trip so far is how close Africa is to Europe and the Middle East. From the various ethnicities and obvious influences seen through every part of the city it becomes clear that Morocco has been a key trade route for each of these regions to mix and trade. From an Australian perspective it’s so hard to grasp the concept of time in this place. For now though it’s time to escape the hustle of the souk and find one of the many rooftop terraces to enjoy a “Moroccan whisky” (mint tea).Read more
MoroccoDrâa-TafilaletEr-Rissani31°12’44” N 4°1’1” W
September 22, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
This trip became another chance to learn the Moroccan lesson of “Trust there is a system”. We were offered a tour out to see the Sahara by our friendly Riad owner Saad. It came about while sitting on the Riad terrace one evening when Saad came up to ask us what we had planned for our stay. We explained that we had an open schedule and no plans so were happy to see what was on offer. He kindly explained that the tour would start with breakfast at a nearby cafe. Then, we would take a drive out to the Sahara. Once there, we would ride camels into the dunes to witness the sunset. Then ride the camels back to a camp in the dunes where dinner, local African drums and dancing would be had around a fire. Hard to resist an experience like that!
After another day in Fes to explore and relax on our own, we left at 7:30 am to meet our driver. We were picked up by our country and western-loving shuttle driver from a few nights before and drove into the Medina for a typical Moroccan breakfast of baguette, eggs and jam. As we were dropped at the cafe our driver told us we would be going in another car from here and he left. This cafe was obviously the meeting point for a lot of tours as it was full of travellers each being given the same set breakfast menu and a thrive of locals hustling around different tour vans parked up on the kerb.
After finishing brekkie a guy started asking who was going to Merzouga to which we said we were and we were directed onto a waiting bus. Having been told by Saad that our car would be up to 6 people we already felt like this was going to be another case of the Moroccan lesson. Now in a full bus of about 15 people, we started our 10-hour drive south.
The surroundings of Fes were immediately a bare arid landscape. But, almost unbelievably, the whole drive so far had been various plantations of apples and olives and stone fruits. Literally paddocks of well-irrigated crops set in barren rocky fields.
We’d also been told we would stop at a monkey forest along the way which I really couldn’t imagine. Nowhere we’d seen so far looked like a forest and it definitely wasn’t somewhere I’d expect monkeys. My previous experiences with monkeys have been mostly from a distance with shy little Pygmy monkeys in Peru that you only saw occasionally, or loud howling monkeys in Guatemala that were high in the trees of the jungle and you couldn’t even see them. Or the grubby bag-snatching monkeys in Thailand that would chase any unsuspecting tourist that wasn’t watching their gear. In what was an attraction solely for tourists, the “Monkey Forest” was better than expected. We pulled off the side of the road that had a handful of make-shift stalls set up and immediately in a small patch of trees were about 15-20 decent-sized monkeys. Literally just chilling on the ground watching the ridiculous busloads of tourists that stopped by for their 15-minute stop and a photo. As soon as I got off the bus one of the larger ones came straight towards me and was only stopped from climbing my leg when I shooed him away. Kind of shocked why he’d come straight up to me, I realised as I walked off that the rustling of the empty muesli bar wrapper in my pocket had another one heading my way.
The rest of the bus trip dragged on through the day with us crossing over the Atlas mountain range before eventually arriving to a waiting Hilux. After our stop for lunch we’d expected we were running late so were anxious as to whether we’d make it in time for the sunset over the dunes. Again with no apparent system, the passengers from the bus were separated into different vehicles before heading off in different directions. With Jessie and I sitting on a tray load of luggage, we went off-road to find our camels waiting at the base of the dunes. On our last day in Fes we spent searching the markets for some traditional Moroccan clothes and turbans so now our moment to play the part had arrived. Out the side of the hilux we changed into our possibly culturally-inappropriate robes and off on the camels we went. No more than 15min into the dunes we reached a crest and dismounted to watch the sunset. So apparently the system works 🤷♂️.
Our camel guide hilariously directed us to strike different poses for photos. Then, we got back on the camels and headed to the camp. We arrived at a campsite at the base of the dunes. The campsite had permanent tents and a large communal area. The area was beautifully lit by Moroccan-style lamps with people sitting around enjoying the desert evening. This looked great, and after our day of trusting the system would work we felt relieved that we’d finally made it. We grabbed our tea and found a cushion outside to finally relax and enjoy the serene desert experience. Except before we could even take a sip of tea, a driver called out to us and said we needed to grab our bags. Not what we wanted to hear.
We were transferred to another camp that was extremely bland by comparison with absolutely no atmosphere and a cold reception. Regardless we still had the dunes right there for us to go explore in the beautiful warm evening air. After dinner (which was at a third camp!), we grabbed a pillow and went out to lay on the crest of a dune. Once the moon had set the stars were incredible. Almost as a sign that our day was complete, a massive shooting star shot straight across the sky in front of us.
The next day we wandered back into the dunes to enjoy the incredible colour change of the dunes during sunrise. Afterwards, we returned to the camp for another typical Moroccan breakfast of instant coffee, dry croissant, dry roti and dry cake. We had booked into a hotel in the nearby “town” for the next night of our desert trip so after getting a lift in we had the day to ourselves. We had been told the hotel had a pool but as we would come to realise, it was important to keep our expectations low and hope for the best. The Hotel was much better than we expected, especially after being shuffled between three different camps the night before, and the continual change of vehicles that seemed to happen on every trip. The pool, while physically there, wasn’t quite the refreshing oasis we hoped. A stagnant milky brown colour we opted to sit by the side in the shade and take some time to read and snooze before it got too hot. The day got to about 38C which meant there wasn’t much for us to do through the day. We snuck out to stroll through the town's single Main Street to find some lunch and then explored the “Park” that was shown as a 5-star rating on Google Maps. Turns out the park was just a Date-palm plantation but nice to wander through regardless.
Our hotel was facing directly to the rolling red dunes of the Sahara with one dune in particular standing proud high above the rest. Since we had nothing else planned we decided we would climb it for sunset. We left the departure till as late as possible to try to avoid the peak heat of the day but even an hour before sunset the heat was still easily above 35C. We donned our Moroccan clothes and trekked into the dunes on our summit adventure. Besides the heat of the sand it was easier than expected and in about 35mins we made it. The view was unbelievable! By far a massive highlight of the trip so far!
The next day we were picked up at 8 am and started another full day (12hrs) bus transfer to our next destination. Marrakesh!Read more
MoroccoMarrakesh-SafiMarrakech-MedinaMarrakesh31°38’2” N 7°59’31” W
September 24, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Our bus ride from Merzouga was much like the trip there from Fez, slow and tedious. We had arrived in Morocco only 7 days after Marrakesh had suffered a severe earthquake. Over 2000 people had been killed with the news stating that Marrakesh was the epicentre. Curious to see how affected the town would be, we arrived at about 8 pm. We were dropped off by our bus on the opposite side of the landmark central city square. With absolutely no evidence of any disruption to normal life from the earthquake, the square was a buzz with activity. Like crowds you’d expect in the main pavilion of the Royal Easter show. There were throngs of people zig-zagging amongst the various stalls and street performers with everything from snake charmers to local dance displays. Very much a bigger tourist centre and entertainment scene than what we experienced in Fez. Loaded with both a large backpack and a small day bag strapped to our fronts we began the challenge of making our way through the crowds. Our Riad was in a small side alley just off the main square. Dumping our gear we went and found dinner in one of the many terrace restaurants that overlooked the entertainment below.
We’d booked 2 nights in Marrakesh to give us a full day to explore before heading off to the coast. Having already spent enough time in souks and markets we had marked a few different points to visit. One highlight is the highly recommended Jardin Majorelle. A beautiful house and garden estate once owned by the famous French designer Yves St Laurent. Morocco has a reputation for its amazing textiles and over the years has attracted various artists and fashion designers. None more so than Yves St Laurent who had spent significant time here before his death. He had bought Jardin Majorelle and created an incredible garden environment. In the centre is an iconic two-story house characterised by its electric blue exterior. The property had been converted into a museum of sorts providing a peaceful oasis amongst the hustle of the hot streets outside.
Unaware that pre-booked tickets were required, we were forced to get tickets for an afternoon slot so set off on a wander around the rest of the city. While we had only seen sporadic evidence of damage from the earthquake, a lot of the other main tourist destinations were closed. It turns out that the epicentre of the earthquake was out in the nearby High Atlas region which suffered the worst of the damage. Having seen enough of the markets we found a few rooftop terraces to waste some time and relax for the rest of the day.
Having now seen both Marrakesh and Fez, we are definitely happy that we spent more time in the more authentic and quieter town of Fez. We settled in for the night and early the next day got ourselves to the bus terminal. Extremely thankful that this bus was a full coach and only 3.5 hours we were on the road again.Read more
MoroccoMarrakesh-SafiEssaouiraJorf Barmil31°30’44” N 9°46’2” W
September 26, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Finally stopping for longer than a couple days, Essaouira has been our first try of the “staycation” we’ve been seeking. The unpacking/packing of our backpacks and moving every day is definitely the first thing that gets tiring when living out of a bag. We’d heard this place mentioned a few times to be a chill coastal town with a bit of an art and live music scene. After our previous full-day bus trips, the short 3.5-hour luxury coach from Marrakesh was a welcome change.
We’d booked an Airbnb for 6 nights with the idea that we could settle for a bit and get into a more normal routine for a week. Some exercise, some work on our projects, some time to hit the sun and sand and just read a book. (where I finally started this journal and found FindPenguins). Basically stop for a week and chill out.
We arrived about lunchtime and immediately noticed how much cooler it was. While still at 26°C it was so much more enjoyable than the mid 30’s we’d had the previous week. The one downside that we’d heard to Essaouira was that it is always windy. While not immediately noticeable we soon realised that the plan to sit on the beach, or lounge on the terrace, wasn’t that practical.
Very much a tourist town, there is the typical Moroccan old Medina that has been built up inside an old fort. Originally built in 1769 the modern town sprawls away from the fort. The Medina is similar to Fez and Marrakesh with the various souk stalls selling oils and handicrafts. But where Essaouira stands out from the others is a big port full of blue fishing boats and a long flat beach stretching out away from it. With the constant trade winds this beach attracts windsurfers and kite boarders all year round. And an entire end designated to camel and horse rides.
The 7 days here have been great for what we were after. A chance to give the staycation a go in a cheap place while still having some things to do. We had a go at cooking up a Moroccan dinner by shopping in the food markets and buying spices and meat from the stalls. Getting vegetables was easy so we grabbed some staples for a diced pan fry. Next was to find some spices which took us into a spice stall where the stall owner turned out to be a guru on all medicinal herbal remedies you could think of. He proceeded to open every jar off the shelves and had us smell each while explaining what they were and could help with. Everything from menthol crystals to ginseng as a Viagra. Even opium poppies to add to tea to “help you relax” 😂. We grabbed a spice mix of paprika, ginger, cumin, pepper and whatever else and then went to find a butcher. Something you definitely learn when travelling to countries like this is that the food service standards we have in Australia don’t apply here. Butchers here, whether it be red meat, chicken or fish, don’t use refrigeration. The meats are laid out all day on display. Apparently it isn’t an issue in the heat with flies all over them 🤢. We stopped at a little butcher stall with primal cuts of beef (we think) hanging off the roof and sitting on the bench. When I asked for some steaks the butcher casually carved off a chunk from the slab on the bench and threw it on the scale. So with a scoop of couscous from the next stall that was dinner I guess. While definitely nice to have a home-cooked dinner, the reality was we were better off grabbing a cheap chicken Shawarma (kebab).
We’d worked with a pretty cheap budget for the week so the second last night decided to find a nice seafood restaurant. As a complete fluke, we found the most incredible food and service of our entire time in Europe so far. After being seriously underwhelmed by the minimal flavour of the foods in Morocco, this place blew our minds. With a modern twist on Moroccan food, this place served up some incredible flavours. So much so that we went back the next night. Absolute standouts were the Monkfish with saffron cream and the crab linguine that tasted like a bouquet of flowers. Not to mention the local Moroccan wine!
So all in all, Essaouira was everything we were after. After the first couple of days of persistent wind that made it a bit hard to be productive, the second half of our stay was perfect. Some crazy sea mist that lingered one day led to no wind for the last 3 days. Happy with that!Read more
