So this past weekend we had a “puente” (long weekend) and we decided to go to Morocco. I think I mentioned before that two of my friends, Margo and Maureen, and I tried to go on a tour, it didn’t work out, and then we tried to plan it ourselves and it was difficult so we kind of gave up. Well despite the initial difficulties, we decided to try again to plan a trip and this time we were successful. It was still a ton of work to plan by ourselves but we put in the effort and many facebook messages trying to get everything in order, and we successfully planned the trip ourselves. Part of the difficulty of planning the trip was the numerous types of transportation involved. Flights were really expensive since it was so late, so we had to take a bus to Algeciras, the port town in Spain, stay overnight in a hostel there, take a ferry in the morning to Tangier, and then a train or bus from Tangier to Fez (we decided to wait on buying tickets for transportation in Morocco since we weren’t sure about timing.) After getting a little sleep in the hostel Thursday night we woke up early to change money, eat breakfast, and get on the ferry. Everything went smoothly and we made it on to the boat with time to spare. The ferry was fairly smooth and had some gorgeous views – including the Rock of Gibraltar! (Though I have to admit we weren’t sure if we were seeing the Rock of Gibraltar or just some large rock until we got home and google-imaged it). After at least an extra half-hour of waiting because the port in Tangier was full and enduring the screams of an extremely adorable but cranky child, we made it to Africa! It was sort of surreal to think that I was in a different continent after such a short trip and it actually didn’t feel that different for a little while because the landscapes of northern Morocco are fairly similar to those of Andalucía. Since the ferry was late, we were rushing to get to the train station, so it was a good thing that customs only consisted of a woman with a fever scanner to make sure we didn’t have swine flu and a really dinky x-ray machine. After that we had our first experience with bartering while trying to find a taxi that wasn’t overpriced. We got the price down to almost what we had originally wanted and booked it to the train station. We got there at 10:45 and the train was leaving at 11, but of course when we got there, the computer system was malfunctioning and they weren’t printing tickets. After we waited for five minutes, the ticket vendors decided to use paper and pen instead so we bought our tickets and got on the train with five minutes to spare. We decided to splurge on first class since it was only an extra 3 euro, and it turned out to be a great idea. The first class compartments had assigned seats with only 6 spaces and they were very comfortable. We ended up sitting in the same compartment as a middle-aged French gay couple. They were really cute and we had a funny, stilted conversation in English where we discovered that they think of the show Cold Case when they hear Philadelphia. They got off the train at the second stop and waved to us from the platform (so adorable) and then we had the compartment to ourselves for a while to enjoy the scenery (lots of sheep, goats, and melons) and rest. After about an hour we stopped in a big city and we were joined by a man who was wearing the traditional Moroccan slippers and tunic. His name was Mohammed and he told us he was coming from a conference in Rabat about Moroccan tourism because he works in the tourism office in Fez. We talked for a while about travel and asked him for recommendations of things to do and places to eat in Fez. He told us about the different guides and warned us about false guides and people on the train who try to befriend you and then tell you which hotel to stay in, etc. He also offered to get us an official government guide sent to our hotel. Of course we were a little wary of the offer because we had heard so much about people trying to scam you in Morocco, but we saw his badge from the tourism office and agreed to have him send one because we could verify at the hotel if it was legitimate or not. It was really interesting because at one point, it was one of the times of day for prayer, so he used a stone for the ritual washing and then started praying right in our compartment. I felt a little strange because I didn’t want to stare but also was fascinated because it is a complex prayer ritual, but he was very nonchalant about it so it wasn’t really awkward. As we got closer to Fez, the scenery changed to more mountains and long stretches of earth and then after what felt like a fairly short ride but was really 5 hours, we arrived in Fez. We thanked Mohammed and said goodbye and then went to find a taxi. This turned out to be much harder than we thought it would be because there were more people trying to find taxis than actual taxis and so we waited a while before finally finding a petit taxi to take to our hotel. Actually, we stayed in what is called a riad, an old converted house in the medina (old section of the city) that has been turned into a very small hotel. I think that staying in a riad instead of a hotel in the new city or hostel was the best decision of our trip. Even though we had to splurge a little, it was worth the extra cost because it was such a beautiful and comfortable place to stay and almost a sight in and of itself. It’s probably as close as you can get to traditional housing in Morocco without staying in a host family because people actually do live in houses like riads in the medina. It was a comfortable haven in a stressful city where we could still feel like we were in Morocco but not be hassled. And the views from the terrace were incredible. Although we actually had to switch riads for one night because the original riad was full, the stay in the riads was still a great experience and it was kind of cool to see two different ones and compare. When we first arrived, we sat in the atrium and had our first glass of mint tea (which were told many times is also called “Moroccan whiskey without the alcohol.”) The tea was heavenly – so refreshing and sweet but not overwhelmingly so and it also came with these little pastries that were like mini funnel cakes but crunchier. After relaxing in our room for a little while – a tiring hike up four narrow flights of stairs but right next to the terrace – we decided to go to the new part of town for dinner in one of the restaurants Mohammed had recommended. We found a taxi near our riad (cars can’t enter the medina because the streets are extremely narrow and it is literally a maze) and it turned out to be quite the interesting ride. First of all, there was a picture of Tupac covering the entire ceiling of the car, but unfortunately we never found out how the cabbie came to like Tupac since we couldn’t exactly communicate. Also, Moroccan drivers are ridiculous. It is best to close your eyes while riding in a taxi otherwise you might have a heart attack from how close you come to other cars and the general lack of respect of normal driving laws such as lines in the street or stop signs. We got out on what we thought was the street of the restaurant and started walking up the street to find it. As we were walking, we noticed that all of the people sitting in restaurants on the street were men. I think this is when it started to sink in just how different of a place we were in. After wandering for a while, we decided to go into a hotel to ask for directions. The hotel that we chose happened to have a security guard, so we decided to try to ask him first, which did not accomplish very much. I think talking to Mohammed on the train gave me a false sense of how much English would be spoken in Fez, since he spoke English so well. I knew that since he worked at a tourism office, he would know more than the average Moroccan, but I didn’t realize how little everyone else would speak, which made the language barrier that much more frustrating when we ran directly into it. Well, after realizing that hand gestures and funny faces cannot communicate everything, we went into the hotel and found a concierge that spoke English. He gave us directions and we headed toward the restaurant, but not until Maureen played paddycake with security guard on the way out! Even though we had a hand-drawn map from the concierge, we ended up getting lost again and asking for directions once more. Finally, mercifully, we found the restaurant (at that point I was so tired and hungry I was ready to go anywhere that had food and seating.) The restaurant was fairly empty but in no time it filled up with tourists. We later found out that all Moroccan cuisine restaurants in Morocco are basically for tourists because most Moroccans eat that type of food everyday in their house, so if they do go out to dinner, it will be to a different ethnic cuisine. I also found this frustrating because when you’re traveling somewhere it’s nice to feel as though you are somewhat experiencing the real regional culture, even if you know you are still being a tourist. But because we stand out so much in Morocco and the lives of tourists and locals are so different, you know as a tourist you are being treated completely differently and it doesn’t feel like you get any sort of cultural immersion, more like you are watching a show from the outside than experiencing it from the inside. Still, the meal was very enjoyable. We each got a three course menu and shared everything. There was couscous, vegetable stew, different types of chopped veggie salads, delicious lentils, and a really yummy fruit cocktail with a delicious mint sauce. I wouldn’t say the couscous was that much better than couscous at home but the meat was really good (and yes, I had lamb.) Of course we also had mint tea to finish off the meal – so good! – and then returned to the riad to finally sleep.
Saturday morning we started off with a delicious breakfast of bubbly Naan-like bread, Moroccan pancakes, yogurt, eggs, French bread, honey, jam, and cheese. It was quite the spread and since I don’t drink coffee in the morning, I had mint tea again! Great way to start off the day. Then the woman from the riad told us that our guide was here – and he was exactly the guide Mohammed had told us about and was definitely an official guide – so we hadn’t been wrong to trust our instincts. We gave Hamid, our guide, the list of places we wanted to go and started walking into the medina. We started off in the food market – passing by some small sharks, weird bright red fruit, lots of dates and almonds, and one camel head denoting a butchery. It was quite a sight – and the beginning of the sensory overload that is the medina – a new scent, smell, and sight greet you at every turn. Of course, since we were with a guide we didn’t have much time to meander, which is usually my favorite thing to do in a new place, but I wasn’t too worried since I figured we would have time to go back. Our first stop was one of the many tanneries, where we got to see the process they go through to make the leather. The smell wasn’t as horrible as I had been expecting, since most of the guide books warn you so strongly about it. Of course after being given a little explanation of the process, we were invited to browse the merchandise. There were so many things to see, about four floors of leather goods, that it was really overwhelming. Also, browsing the merchandise included being followed around by the store owner who constantly asked us if we liked something and wanted to see it. Finally we did make our decisions on what we liked and began the bartering process. Personally, I hate bartering because I find it really stressful, especially when I’m bartering for something I really want, such as a nice leather bag. I eventually got the price down to something reasonable, but still had the feeling that I was being taken advantage of, especially since Hamid inserted himself into the bartering process and kept telling us to accept the price we were given since it was so good. I think the tannery was a really bad place to start off the day because it left us tense and with a bad taste in our mouths, which is the exact opposite of the attitude you should have when faced with such a new and different situation. From the tannery, we went to see a really old mosque and university in the medina. Since non-muslims cannot enter mosques in Morocco, it was hard to fully appreciate but a beautiful building nonetheless. Then we went to a madrassa where they used to teach math and science and saw some more intricate plaster carving and mosaics. Then Hamid took us to the carpet co-op, where we had another presentation from the owner and then were shown a fraction of the hundreds of carpets stored in the building. I wasn’t planning on buying a carpet while in Morocco, but there certainly were some beautiful designs, and Margo and Maureen were seriously considering buying one so we looked at a lot of rugs. Two of the rug workers rolled out a rug and we would say whether we like it or not – it must be very tiring for the workers to do that all day. After narrowing down the selection, we were taken on a tour of the rest of the building while the owner gave his presentation to the next group. You can tell this all so perfectly orchestrated so that we are given a tour right after seeing all the rugs so that we have time to think and get really attached to one. Despite again having the feeling of being somewhat deceived, it was still interesting to see the demonstration of how the rugs are made that they have on the top floor. Also, while we were standing on the roof, the call to prayer sounded and we could hear many different muezzins calling from different minarets, which was a really cool way to experience the call to prayer. When we got down, the bartering began, but the rugs were really expensive and out of our price range, so we left empty handed. After that, we were ready for lunch and Hamid dropped us off at a restaurant without even asking us if it was the type of place we wanted or anything. It was also pretty obvious that again he was taking us to his friend’s place since he told us the waiters would call him when we were done. Even though it was a touristy restaurant, we were starting to realize that there were no other alternatives and could at least appreciate the beauty of the design of the building. The food turned out to be pretty good too – the bread was the best of the weekend in my opinion – and we were entertained by one of the tables nearby us filled with a group of teenagers who were really awkward. After lunch Hamid took us to another rug place that he claimed had really good prices and quality and we went through a similar routine as the last place. This rug place, however, had rugs of distinctly lower quality and aesthetic merit, so we were much quicker to leave and didn’t even find out the prices. As we left the store, the shopkeeper poked his head out and Hamid asked him something to which he shook his head. It was pretty obvious to us that Hamid had been hoping for a commission on our purchase even without this little exchange but that just cemented our frustration with him and we told him no more shopping for the day. We could tell he didn’t particularly like hearing that and we realized later that Mohammed had possibly told Hamid that we would spend a lot since we had talked with Mohammed about traveling and told him we were staying at a nice riad, which made us seem like way higher rollers than we are. Still, Hamid took us out of the medina to see some more of the sights on our list as we had asked, but first we had to find a method of transportation. He told us we should rent a van since we were going to different places and it would be cheaper, so we did. It turned out the seating in the van was three benches in the back that were not attached to anything, meaning that with crazy Moroccan drivers we ended up flying all over the place. We visited the royal palace, Jewish quarter, and the blue gates, but since Hamid had basically given up on us at that point we got very little historical information on the places and had to specifically ask to get out of the car in the Jewish quarter instead of just driving through and “seeing” out of the tiny windows of the van. The one really cool part of this whirlwind tour was when we were at the blue gates, there was a jazz band playing and a huge group of people surrounding them and cheering. Finally we returned to the riad, where we couldn’t wait to say goodbye to Hamid, get our stuff, and head to the next riad. Even though we were exhausted by the time we got to the next riad, we of course had to accept the mint tea they offered – still delicious – before climbing the stairs to our room. This riad was also gorgeous, although trying a little to hard to be authentic with its rack of traditional tunics in one corner of the atrium and a mini display of guitar, poufs, and other items in another corner. Again, we were right near the terrace, so after showering and resting for a bit, I decided to check out the view of the sunset from up there. It was the perfect way to de-stress after a day where my jaw was clenched and my heart was pounding for the majority of the time. For dinner, we decided to head back to the new part of town to try another recommendation for dinner. This time, we took the taxi all the way to the restaurant to avoid confusion. The food was really good at this restaurant too – meatballs in tomato sauce that looked a little weird when it was served but turned out to be delicious and other yummy items. We had planned on doing a little people watching on the main street after dinner, but by the time we left the restaurant (10pm) the streets were almost empty and we just got in a taxi and went back to the riad instead. We asked for tea on the terrace, about the only thing we could communicate to the man at the riad, and then climbed up to enjoy the view and wait. The stars were really beautiful in Fez – a little bit less light pollution than in other cities and mountains in the distance – and we thoroughly enjoyed our tea.
Sunday we decided we still wanted a guide for the medina just because we needed someone to help get us places and especially get us out, but also decided we would try to be more assertive with this guide so as not to have the same experience as the day before. After a very starchy, but still yummy breakfast, we tried to communicate to the man at the riad that we wanted a guide. We didn’t get very far so he ended up calling someone who spoke English and had us talk to the that person. We told the person we wanted a guide and were told one would arrive in 15 minutes, but after we hung up we realized we needed a place to put our luggage but couldn’t communicate that either. Again we talked to the mysterious phone translator, but there didn’t seem to be a luggage room in the riad, so we decided we would just put our stuff in the first riad (where we would be staying again that night) when the guide arrived. Looking back it was a ridiculous and funny situation but at the time it was another annoying encounter with the language barrie. Since it was in a hotel, where you usually expect English to be spoken, and not just on the street, it was particularly frustrating. Eventually our guide did arrive and we put our stuff in the other riad before heading out. Oh and of course, our guide was again named Hamid! We started off at the blue gates and worked our way into the medina. First Hamid took us to a Berber spice and herb shop where we were given yet another presentation. We did get some tea there since it smelled incredible but after leaving explained to Hamid that we would prefer fewer presentations and just needed him to lead the way. Eventually we made it to our destination – a marketplace of ceramics. Finally, we got to explore on our own while Hamid 2 sat and waited. It felt so nice to be able to go at my own pace, exploring and deciding what was worth bartering over. I think that was on of the biggest frustrations of the weekend – not feeling like we had the ability to be independent. With the language barrier, the lack of knowledge of cultural practices, the fact that we were three girls, and the labyrinthian medina, we didn’t feel like we could just go out and explore by ourselves, which for me is one of the best parts of traveling and being a tourist. Generally, I don’t like having a guide, so to feel forced to have a guide that you know is trying to take advantage of you and help you spend your money at every turn was very very difficult for me. Which is why I was actually happy when Hamid 2 basically uninvited himself as our guide. After I was done shopping for ceramics, I went to sit with Hamid 2 and wait for Margo and Maureen and as I sat down, he said that we could stay in the medina by ourselves if we wanted because we weren’t far from our riad – evidently he too had realized we weren’t going to be cooperative customers and got fed up. After discussing it with Margo and Maureen, we decided we would have him take us back to the riad to deposit our ceramics and then we would ditch Hamid 2 and try the medina on our own. It was a little bit scarier being in there without a guide because it is very easy to get lost and you know the second that you stop to figure out where you are, about ten Moroccans will come up to you trying to “help” you find your way but way more fun for me. When we first got back in, we went to a restaurant called Café Clock. It’s not traditional Moroccan but more international and owned by an Australian who hasn’t left Fez in two years, but it was really fun and we didn’t mind at all that we were yet again in tourist central. It was great to hear someone who spoke English as a native language and the restaurant was a really funky house with weird decorations and really friendly waitstaff. The food was good too – I split a cheese and grilled eggplant sandwich and a chicken red pepper sandwich with Margo. We ordered milkshakes for dessert which were very literal (just frothy milk and flavoring instead of the usual ice cream) but the almond one was to die for, especially with some of the chocolate one mixed in. After we headed towards Seffarine square, a squre filled with workers making copper items. It was so cool to see people actually at work – that was one of the best things about the medina in general – not a lot has changed in it over the years so there are really still artisans making their craft in the same shop where they sell it. After that we successfully wandered our way out of the medina and back to the riad. We decided to have dinner at the riad for the last night since it’s the closest to authentic we could get without actually eating in someone’s house. It was a great idea since the food was really good and also, unfortunately Maureen got pretty sick right before dinner, so it was good to be close to our room. Margo and I got to eat out on the terrace and enjoy the best food of the weekend, including a really interesting orange flower and carrot soup for dessert. Then we had our last pot of Moroccan mint tea and admired the view before getting to sleep early in preparation for our early alarm. Monday we miraculously made all of our connections for transportation and arrived home safe, exhausted, and with stomachs a little worse for the wear (eventually all of us could not avoid the stomach bug).
All in all, it was an incredible experience and I am very happy I went. Yes, it was incredibly frustrating at times and on Saturday I was about ready to collapse after a day of so much stress and activity, but it was also really unique opportunity and a peek into a completely different world than my own. Even though it was probably more difficult because we were the first people from our program to go and didn’t go with a group, I think it’s good we went didn’t go with a group because I hate big group tours and good we went early because it will definitely give me a sense of perspective for the rest of my trips and life in general. It’s one thing to talk about cultural relativism in my anthropology class and know that you should look at each culture from its own perpective rather than in comparison to your own, but it’s completely different to actually put that into practice. At times I got really frustrated with the fact that everyone was hassling us and that the infrastructure wasn’t set up for tourism almost at all but I did try to keep in mind that this culture is very different from ours and that sometimes things that seem wrong to me are normal here. Even though Spain is of course different from the United States, in comparison with Morocco, it is very very similar and so it was important and worthwhile to see a country so dissimilar and learn that there are many parts of the world where things operate so differently. Of course I would have liked to felt more immersed in the culture rather than just strictly see the artificial world constructed for tourists, but even that aspect contributed to the overall learning experience. Morocco wasn’t what I expected and it was not relaxing (not that I was expecting that) but was worth even the times when I thought I was going to die in a Moroccan taxi or was disappointed with Hamid (1 and 2) because it gave me a better perspective on cultural differences and finally put into practice a little of what I’m learning as a cultural anthropology major. It was definitely a valuable experience and one I certainly won’t forget.
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