Smile, You're in Fez!


One of the best things about travelling is not only discovering another culture, but you get to discover yourself as well; hidden abilities that you didn't know existed (what? I can read a map?), how you handle misadventure and that you have an intense case of bus sickness!  That is why when we finally got off the bus from Chefchaouen to Fez, we were so relieved!

How to describe the Medina in Fez? It is like being transported back to ancient times - it's hard to believe that we were in an AC-ed bus just a couple of minutes ago. 
Just like most Medinas, the narrow streets are like a labyrinth. But in Fez, it's labyrinth level 1000! We were warned not to follow strangers in Morocco when they try to help because in a lot of cases they force you to pay them. But in Fez, we got so lost (and it was super hot!) that we gave up and followed whoever that offered a hand. Perhaps we were lucky but all the people we followed turned out to be kind-hearted locals that pitied us

Fez is well-known for its traditional leather tanneries. The men take the raw leather and soak them in the dye vats for hours under the blazing sun until they become soft enough. The vats contain natural pigments, acids, pigeon droppings and cow urine. You can imagine how smelly the tanneries are (we were given mint leaves to block the odor). 
We also visited the Madrasa Al-Attarine: the tileworks, carved plaster and cedar wood took our breath away. Needless to say, we got into full Asian-tourist mode and started snapping photos as if our life depended on it!



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