As-salam alaykom!!
(Peace be upon you)
(Peace be upon you)
Wow, where to begin?! Morocco
encompassed many firsts for me: First time in Africa, first time in an
Arab country, and first time I've genuinely felt like a tourist. Despite
visiting several different countries last year, I never felt like a
tourist because I more or less blended in Asia. Even though everyone
could tell I wasn't full Asian, I still didn't particularly stand out
and skated by under the radar.
However, despite covering
all my appendages and wearing sunglasses, I was still very obviously
Asian to everyone in Morocco. I constantly heard "Konichiwa" and "China
helloooo" and "Japonais?" everywhere I went. I guess I should have
expected that but I honestly was not prepared! I now understand how much
that kind of interaction can influence one's view of a country/culture.
It's very overwhelming when you are verbally singled out.
I
don't think I'm alone in feeling that Americans in general have
extremely negatively skewed opinions of Arabs/Muslims. Our media has
done a very deliberate job in creating a fear-based cacophony
surrounding Arabs and Muslims due to actions conducting by extremists.
That's not fair. And while I try very hard to not make premature
judgments, I must admit that I was a bit nervous about visiting North
Africa. As a woman. And completely alone.
Well, do one thing every day that scares you, right?
RIGHT!!!!!
My
worry about this discrimination was that I would be targeted for scams,
pickpocketing, etc. However, after spending a few days there, I
realized that I really had nothing more to be wary about than if I was
traveling in any other country. While a few people who approached me
were trying to get some money out of me (which, let's get real, happens
everywhere), most people were just genuinely interested to see a
foreigner and make a new friend. I was really quite delighted with all
the smiles and kindness I received in Morocco.
We fear
the unknown. We fear what we don't understand. I don't blame us, that's
natural! But the way to combat these fears are by confronting them with
an open mind and gentle heart. I learned a lot about Moroccan (and
consequently Islamic) culture during my visit and have a better
understanding of what I previously knew little about.
Below
are my day-by-day experiences in Fez, Morocco. They are pretty
detailed, but I'm guessing that's why you're reading this, right?? Carry
on :)
Tuesday - June 2, 2015
I arrived in Fes-Saïss Airport at about 16:00. I had arranged for a pick-up from my hostel, Funky Fez, so someone was waiting for me with a sign with my name on it when I walked out of the airport #fancy. The ride took about 30 minutes and was pretty quiet. The landscape was warm, sunny, dusty, and very tan. The driver escorted me to the front desk of the hostel where I paid him a flat 150 dirham airport shuttle fee (~$15). Check in went smoothly and I promptly set down my backpack on a bunk, got a map with suggested points of interest, and headed out to explore.
I arrived in Fes-Saïss Airport at about 16:00. I had arranged for a pick-up from my hostel, Funky Fez, so someone was waiting for me with a sign with my name on it when I walked out of the airport #fancy. The ride took about 30 minutes and was pretty quiet. The landscape was warm, sunny, dusty, and very tan. The driver escorted me to the front desk of the hostel where I paid him a flat 150 dirham airport shuttle fee (~$15). Check in went smoothly and I promptly set down my backpack on a bunk, got a map with suggested points of interest, and headed out to explore.
For 2 hours I got THOROUGHLY lost in the
alleyways of the Medina, or old city of Fez. If you ever go to there,
understand that maps are mere directional suggestions, you WILL get
lost, and that it will all be just fine! However, the first venture in
the Medina can be a bit terrifying. Anyone who has gotten lost in a car
with me knows that I'm very easy going about it and enjoy the
opportunity to learn a new route. Getting lost is simply the education
of a new way. But no joke I almost freaked the hell out lol. There are
so many alleyways and turns and people that it's impossible to just
retrace your route or keep track of where you're going.
Despite
strong suggestions to not follow strangers offering directions, a
couple young boys offered to show me a rooftop view of the oldest
university in Fez, free of charge of course.* Caught up in the trance of
friendliness in a foreign land, I followed them. We climbed the steep,
narrow staircase through what was obviously a family's house, and I held
my breath and hoped I didn't make a huge mistake. Luckily the view was
terrific and they offered me mint tea to go along with it. I (perhaps
foolishly) said sure and we sat on pillows on the balcony and chatted.
They were smiley, friendly, bright-eyed, very enthusiastic, and both
named Umar but were not related. They seemed harmless and kind but
considering I had only been in this new country for a couple hours I was
nervous that my actions were ridiculously naive.
As
soon as the tea cooled a bit, I downed it (again, could have been a
horrible judgment as I had not seen it being made) and said that I had
to go. I trust easily, which society tells me is stupid and foolish, but
(knock on wood) I've always been lucky. Thankfully this time was no
exception. I am a firm believer that people generally have good hearts
(thanks to my sweet mother) and that continues to be reaffirmed,
especially when I travel. One day I might not be so lucky. I know this.
But sometimes the world isn't as broken as we often think it is.
Sometimes showing faith in others provides the opportunity for wonderful
connections. In my experiences, it's better to give the benefit of the
doubt than to prejudge.
*Well, the view was technically
free of charge but I paid 15 dirhams for the tea and the boys asked for
tips when I left them, so I paid them 20 dirhams each for a whopping
total of about $5.50. Bottom line is that I didn't get kidnapped or
drugged or have a kidney stolen so I still believe that people are
inherently good. It was worth the view and experience and I ended up
being greeted by their smiling faces every time I went back to the
Medina :) Sarah: 326, Pessimists: 0, take that!
The
buildings of the Medina are all about 3-5 stories tall; the alleys are
narrow and uneven; every doorway has extremely detailed patterns and
designs; people are bustling in all directions, competing with mules and
cats; animal poop and trash litter the ground and must be carefully
dodged; claustrophobia inevitably set in; and signs directed to various
sights give faint but completely illegitimate reassurance to even the
most directionally capable individual.
Why, then, would
one ever voluntarily weave through this labyrinth of chaos?! Why endure
the heat and stress and sweat and anxiety and mess of getting lost in a
completely unfamiliar environment??
Well, let me tell
you... The sights, smells, sounds, textures, flavors, and unbelievable
craftsmanship you discover will draw you further and further down this
winding, wonderful maze that is the Medina. Fez is completely dependent
on the artisanal work of textiles, metal, wood, shoes, and leather. The
quality of these products is no match for the unblemished, uniform,
factory-made products to which we have grown so accustomed. Spending
even just a few minutes watching someone carving an enormous piece of
wood by hammering ("stamping") a chisel over the entire surface area is
truly breathtaking. Or witnessing a widowed woman creating a handmade
carpet with such speed and precision that you can't even process her
process. Or having a bird's eye view of men hunched over vats of dye
getting stained along with hundreds of hides in the sweltering heat. It
makes you really step back and appreciate the skill, hard work, and
artistry of the people of an entire city.
Well, I'm not
sure how it happened, but I somehow miraculously ended up back where I
started. Perhaps this is part of Fez's magic! I returned to the hostel
where I was able to choose from several Moroccan dishes for only 50
dirham (~$5). I had veggie couscous and ate with some fellow
hostelmates who became great adventure partners during the remainder of
my stay. We ate on the rooftop terrace and watched heat lightning in the
beautiful, breezy evening. I couldn't have asked for a better
introduction.
Wednesday - June 3, 2015
Breakfast was included in the hostel stay and consisted of a hard boiled egg, a slice of slightly sweet cake, sliced tomatoes, and a piece of msemen/rghaif. Msemen is a type of crepe or flatbread that is chewy and delicious, almost reminiscent of roti, but greater. Unlimited bread, apricot jelly, tea, and coffee was also available.
Breakfast was included in the hostel stay and consisted of a hard boiled egg, a slice of slightly sweet cake, sliced tomatoes, and a piece of msemen/rghaif. Msemen is a type of crepe or flatbread that is chewy and delicious, almost reminiscent of roti, but greater. Unlimited bread, apricot jelly, tea, and coffee was also available.
The
hostel offered a morning walking tour for only 50 dirhams (~$5) so I
thought this would be a good way to get my bearings and learn about the
various things in the Medina that were unrecognizable to me. The tour
was fantastic!! Our guide, Youssef, was kind, friendly, and very
helpful.
Youssef explained that 100% of Moroccan Muslims
are Sunni and that it is illegal to be Shi'ite in Morocco. Sunnis are
more tolerant while Shi'ites are more extreme/radical. Many rooftops
have a rod with 3 balls topped with a crescent; the 3 balls symbolize
the 3 Western religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) and the
crescent represents the lunar calendar. Doors often have a knocker in
the shape of Fatima's hand, which symbolizes protection. Doors also
often have 2 knockers, each having a different sound, which is used as a
code to inform those on the inside whether there is company at the door
or just close friends/family.
Stray cats are rampant,
much more so than stray dogs. This is because dogs are considered
unclean and shunned away. If performing salat (formal prayers), a Muslim
must perform wudu (wash hands) 7 times after touching a dog, whereas it
is unnecessary to perform wudu after touching a cat. Quite different
from the French who bring their dogs everywhere with them!
We
were all curious about the levels of covering necessary for women. We
saw full coverings with only slits for eyes all the way to women in
t-shirts. Youssef told us that the full burka style covering is not
Sunni, but representative of other sects of Islam. Women's hair is
typically covered because hair is considered one of the most sexual
aspests of a woman; however, we saw many women whose hair was exposed.
Things are less strict in Fez due to the number of tourists and simply
because times they are a-changin.
The tour lasted almost
5 hours and we visited a former Quranic school; a textiles co-op; a
carpet co-op; an argan oil, soap, and spices co-op; and the largest
tannery in Fez, where leather is stained.
Here are some more things I
learned:
■ Arabic is the official language of Fez with French as the second. Other cities in Morocco have Spanish as the second official language.
■ One studies for several years to become an imam (an Islamic leader, like a priest). If someone does not complete the full studies necessary to become an imam, he can be a muezzin, the one who leads the call to worship 5 times a day.
■ Textiles made in Morocco mainly consist of cotton, wool, and cactus threads. Silk and polyester are also used.
■ It takes one woman about 6 months to complete a single carpet, depending on the size. They only work a couple hours a day because it's very intense on the eyes and fingers.
■ Argan oil is used in cosmetics as well as cooking. Its aroma is similar to that of hazelnuts.
■ Bird poop is collected and sold to tanneries. It helps soften the leather hides before washing and staining them. Sprigs of mint leaves are given to those who visit tanneries to help mask the pungent odors.
■ Arabic is the official language of Fez with French as the second. Other cities in Morocco have Spanish as the second official language.
■ One studies for several years to become an imam (an Islamic leader, like a priest). If someone does not complete the full studies necessary to become an imam, he can be a muezzin, the one who leads the call to worship 5 times a day.
■ Textiles made in Morocco mainly consist of cotton, wool, and cactus threads. Silk and polyester are also used.
■ It takes one woman about 6 months to complete a single carpet, depending on the size. They only work a couple hours a day because it's very intense on the eyes and fingers.
■ Argan oil is used in cosmetics as well as cooking. Its aroma is similar to that of hazelnuts.
■ Bird poop is collected and sold to tanneries. It helps soften the leather hides before washing and staining them. Sprigs of mint leaves are given to those who visit tanneries to help mask the pungent odors.
Got
back to the hostel and had a classic Moroccan soup for lunch. Went back
out to the Medina to explore and try the briouates, little triangle
samosa lookin things that are filled with almond paste, deep fried, and
drenched in honey. Tasted kinda like baklava! These are commonly eaten
during Ramadan to provide energy before or after fasting between sunrise
and sundown.
I had been debating about taking a
Moroccan cooking class through my hostel. It was only $20 but it wasn't
going to be nearly as inclusive as the Thai cooking class I took last
summer; no recipe booklet and I'd only learn a couple dishes. So I was
super happy when I was strolling through the Medina and found a little
Moroccan cookbook with lots of pictures for only $2! Plus it's in French
so it will enable me to practice my French as well as make yummy meals!
OK.
Let's talk about something that is common to traveling: food poisoning.
Many countries don't have potable water so one must be careful and
conscious with raw produce, glassware, and ice. There were 4 instances
where I probably should have gotten sick:
■ Roasted corn - This is a fresh ear of corn that gets slow roasted rotisserie style over hot coals and then dunked in salted water to season and cool before eating. This smelled and tasted like popcorn!
■ Fresh squeezed juice - Seems harmless, but many carts serve this in glasses that have been rinsed with water from who knows where. Available flavors are orange juice, lemon juice, and pistachio juice. I tried all 3 but drank out of a mystery glass once. Even though I was paranoid about the potentially contaminated glass, the juice certainly was divine.
■ Fresh melon - I was standing watching a chicken butcher doin his thing and he was tickled that I wanted to watch the process. Someone brought over slices of honeydew melon and he offered me a slice. I politely declined but he insisted. Not sure who cut it or where it came from, I was just glad he hadn't touched it hah.
■ Salad - I ended the day with a yummy Moroccan salad that had deliciously flavored cooked eggplant. However, it was mostly lots of raw ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, etc) and the water used for washing is questionable.
■ Roasted corn - This is a fresh ear of corn that gets slow roasted rotisserie style over hot coals and then dunked in salted water to season and cool before eating. This smelled and tasted like popcorn!
■ Fresh squeezed juice - Seems harmless, but many carts serve this in glasses that have been rinsed with water from who knows where. Available flavors are orange juice, lemon juice, and pistachio juice. I tried all 3 but drank out of a mystery glass once. Even though I was paranoid about the potentially contaminated glass, the juice certainly was divine.
■ Fresh melon - I was standing watching a chicken butcher doin his thing and he was tickled that I wanted to watch the process. Someone brought over slices of honeydew melon and he offered me a slice. I politely declined but he insisted. Not sure who cut it or where it came from, I was just glad he hadn't touched it hah.
■ Salad - I ended the day with a yummy Moroccan salad that had deliciously flavored cooked eggplant. However, it was mostly lots of raw ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, etc) and the water used for washing is questionable.
Lo and behold I had absolutely no food poisoning or funny tummy! Perhaps my immune system is getting stronger :-P
Thursday - June 4, 2015
Woke up at 5:45 to watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful view from the rooftop and all the satellite dishes were funny silhouettes to the golden sky.
Woke up at 5:45 to watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful view from the rooftop and all the satellite dishes were funny silhouettes to the golden sky.
Went with a Canadian couple through Bab Jdid
(South gate) and up a hill to Borj Sud (South fort). This fort is being
restored into a museum and provides a fantastic panorama of Fez
El-Bali. Among tourists, there were a few guards and also a few souvenir
vendors. However, I guess they are not allowed within the fort fence so
they have worked around this loophole by displaying their merchandise
inside the fence while they are on standing the other side of the fence
hah. Pretty funny to see.
We went past the fort to find a
cemetery. At first we thought it was just a small local one because it
seemed deserted and unkempt. But as we kept going up the hill, the rest
of it was impressively revealed. The white tombstones just kept going
and going, overlooking the landscape of the city. Since it was on a hill
there was a lovely breeze and we spent the rest of the morning just
sitting and watching the city.
Lunch was Kofta tagine
(beef meatballs in tomato sauce and spices), which was tasty but
honestly tasted a lot like Bolognese sauce. Afterwards a group of us
went out and explored the Jewish quarter. We thought we would see some
landmarks or synagogues or at least a star of David, but turns out it
was just another shopping area, definitely geared more towards locals
and not tourists. We passed Palais des Hôtes and Jardin Jnan Sbil but
began melting so much from the heat that we decided to head back.
Dinner
was a vegetable pastella, which is a filled pastry. Traditionally it's
with shredded chicken, almonds, and cinnamon, so it's sweet and savory.
The veggie version is kinda like a spring roll, filled with clear
vermicelli noodles, lettuce, carrots, lemon, cilantro, and green olives.
Was tasty but I was hoping for more veggies and less noodle filler so I
wish I had gotten the chicken one!
Friday - June 5, 2015
Woke up at 6am to see my hostel buddies off to their desert trip. I wanted to go but my time in Fez was short and I didn't want to spend the entire visit in the desert, so I'm saving that for my next visit :) I had a couple hours to kill before breakfast would be ready so I went back up the hill where the fort was and brought my hammock! I swear hammocking is like instant therapy. I can feel my blood pressure drop as soon as I lay down, and I ain't even stressed! Being cradled and slightly swaying while hearing birds chirping and feeling a gentle breeze is absolute heaven. Here I caught up on some journaling and watched Fez wake up.
Woke up at 6am to see my hostel buddies off to their desert trip. I wanted to go but my time in Fez was short and I didn't want to spend the entire visit in the desert, so I'm saving that for my next visit :) I had a couple hours to kill before breakfast would be ready so I went back up the hill where the fort was and brought my hammock! I swear hammocking is like instant therapy. I can feel my blood pressure drop as soon as I lay down, and I ain't even stressed! Being cradled and slightly swaying while hearing birds chirping and feeling a gentle breeze is absolute heaven. Here I caught up on some journaling and watched Fez wake up.
Went back to the hostel for
breakfast and then went out to the Medina one last time in an attempt to
spend the rest of my dirhams. What I failed to remember was that it was
Friday. Friday is a holy day for Islam so most of the stalls were
closed. It was interesting seeing the alleys so empty. I kept walking
and came across a huge local market. Fruits, vegetables, clothes,
toiletries, fowl, bread, kitchen items, tons and tons of stuff.
I soon discovered the unique smell that comes from chicken stalls...
I'm about to outline what goes on in these chicken stalls so if you've got a weak stomach I encourage you to be done with this entry hah.
I'm about to outline what goes on in these chicken stalls so if you've got a weak stomach I encourage you to be done with this entry hah.
First
off, all these stalls are quite small. Probably roughly 5' x 10' x 15'
areas. There are a couple shelves of live white chickens, or low, wide
cages full of them. There is only one person, sometimes 2 people,
working these stalls. Someone comes up and orders chicken! I guess
either by quantity or weight. The guy takes a chicken (or 4) by the wing
and places it in a crate on a scale. The chicken is tagged around the
foot, I guess to keep track of whose chicken it is or whether it is to
be left whole or not. The chicken's head is pulled back towards its feet
to expose the neck and with a quick, small slice of a sharp knife, it
is dead. It's then dropped into a bucket for the blood to drain. After a
few minutes, the chicken is taken out of the bucket and dunked in water
to rinse it. Then it's placed in a large metal machine that spins and
de-feathers it. It comes out spankin clean and is then inspected before
being butchered into smaller pieces if desired.
The
entire process takes approximately 10 minutes. It's really quite a
fascinating process and also amazing how relatively calm all the
chickens are. The chicken's scrap parts (intestines, feet, etc) are
thrown to stray cats, which I guess is one way of reducing waste, but it
is rather gross to see...
There are humane and inhumane
ways of killing animals for food and this seems like a pretty humane
way. Certainly better than factory farms do it. I'd actually be curious
about learning how to do the process myself. The way I feel is that if
you can't handle watching (or doing) the process, then you shouldn't be
eating it. Seems fair to me.
Aaaaaannnnnnndddd on that
note I think I'm done! I hope you enjoyed learning about Fez, I
certainly enjoyed doing the research :-D I'll try to host a Moroccan
dinner when I return so let me know if you'd like to partake :) I'm out!
