Making My Way in Meknes: Freewheeling and Fancy-free in Fez

Salaam wa aleikum!

So, on Saturday I packed my American Councils bag and headed off to Fez for the day. And I’ll be honest. The only reason I went was for shopping purposes. Nothing else. And I’m okay with that.

So I left the house around 10:30 because our train was supposed to leave at 11:30 and I met up with Siera at the station.

Going to Fez!

Random tree at the train station.

With random oranges.

Siera being Audrey Hepburn.

Going on a train ride.

However, Stephanie and Joanne had gone to the other train station in Meknes, so we were all like, ‘Well, crap. This is inconvenient.’ Especially considering the fact that neither Siera nor I had the other girls’ telephone numbers and they didn’t have ours. Plus my phone had run out of minutes, so I couldn’t even use mine to call people. So I had Siera call my language partner, Habiba, so that I could get Stephanie’s number from her, so that we could then call Stephanie. We did get a hold of her and then decided that we would all just get on a train to Fez and meet up there (hopefully without any major tactical issues). So we did. And as it turns out, we were actually on the same train the entire time.

The first order of business was getting a taxi. So here’s some advice: Never trust a taxi driver from Fez.

They are liars and cheats.

Luckily for us, Elizabeth had already gone to Fez two weekends before (the same weekend that I went to the swim meet) and had told me that their taxi had only cost them eleven dirham; therefore, I told Siera this when we started trying to get taxis. And let me tell you, that was not what the taxi drivers were telling us.

Because they lie.

First of all, you must always make sure that the taxis’ meter is working (and considering the fact that it is actually illegal for it not to be working, you can assume it really is) because otherwise they will overcharge you so fast your head will spin. At the train station, the taxi drivers were consistently telling us that it was twenty dirham per person to go the old city (which didn’t exactly match up with what Elizabeth had told me previously (just a little bit off)). And props to Siera, girl wasn’t having any of that. She was just tsking and saying ‘la’ every time they tried to convince us that that was the correct price. Eventually, we walked further down the road to a petite taxi stand and finally found a guy that was actually using his meter (Bless you, sir!) and made our way to the old city. (Oh, and the ride cost ten dirahim. Just so you know.)

Bab Boujeloud.

AKA Entrance to the Old City.

Once we were at the old city, we began walking around and looking at stuff. I had a pretty small shopping list, so I wasn’t in that big of a hurry.

Things that Mary Margaret needed to buy:

A leather purse for Shelby
A wooden box for Nana
A fez hat from Fez

Honestly, we just walked around for a bit, looking into shops, being harassed by Moroccans, normal stuff. We did run into some other people from our program, which was entertaining, because they were behind us and started saying, ‘Hello, Americans!’ in an Moroccan accent, which was really getting on our nerves. Siera was about to turn around and rip them a new one when she realized who they were.

Market.

Cloth things in market.

Shop in market.

Bags in market.

Super creepy mannequin in market.

LAMPS!!! ALADDIN!!!

Eventually we managed to get past all the false advertising and actually find the Tannery, which was definitely something I wanted to see. This is the thing that Fez is really well-known for: leather.

So. Many. Pits.

24601% done.

It looks disgusting, right?

And they use water wheels!

However, the salesperson for the Tannery was absolutely awful (Mom, you would have been so ashamed of him). We were just looking at some of their products and Joanne was taking quite a while (she’s an indecisive shopper) and this guy is just standing there, listening to his iPod, and generally being obviously uninterested in what he is doing. Eventually, he basically told us that if we weren’t going to buy anything, then we should get out. And you know, I had actually been considering buying something. But after that, suddenly his merchandise became much less appealing. It’s amazing how that happens.

Didn't buy these.

Or these.

Or these. Suck it.

Anyway, the day was salvaged thanks to the women’s cooperative that was located next door. The women (generally Berber) make these natural shampoos and creams and remedies for things based off of this special seed/nut that is found in the region. They also offer massages, if anyone wants to go get one.

Cool stuff.

More cool stuff.

All the cool stuff.

So I managed to buy some things for my Mom there (I won’t tell you what because I want it to be a surprise) and overall, it was a much better experience than the tannery.

After that, we walked around some more, and I managed to find a purse for Shelby (I hope you like it. I might send you a picture if you ask nicely) and a fez hat from Fez (two words: Doctor Who).

Following the culmination of our shopping spree, we headed out of the old city, grabbed a taxi (with a working meter!) and returned to the train station to catch a ride home. Overall, I’d say it was a fairly productive day and one that was definitely better for having been spent with some friends. Goodbye Fez, Hello Meknes!

Interesting Stories of the Day:

While waiting for the train in Meknes, we met this older lady who was traveling alone and lugging her bag up the stairs. When we asked if we could help her (in Arabic, mind you), she replied in American English that she was totally fine but thanks for offering. And she had this little hat.

Also, apparently when we were sitting on the train, the guy sitting behind me started to stroke my hair after I put my hat on. Siera was like, ‘Mary Margaret, slowly move closer to me.’ So I did, after which she told me about the creepy guy. So yeah, that happened.

Then there was this Moroccan guy in the old city who was very interested in being a guide for us. I just kept walking, but I wasn’t super aggressive in trying to get him to go away. I figured he’d just get bored eventually. However, Siera comes up, grabs my arm, and starts pulling me away, saying ‘No thanks’ and ‘Goodbye’ in Arabic. And this dude just flies off the handle. Starts yelling at Siera, calling her a stupid lady and telling her that she speaks Arabic like a monkey and ‘This is my city! I am in my country, you cannot talk to me that way!’ Just a little bit of everyday drama in the Old City in Fez.