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  Fez, Morocco
Thursday, February 14, 2008

I am going to cheat. This is an email Greg sent out sharing his experience in Morocco. We left El Puerto de Santa Maria Monday morning after Dale and Emine left for work. We drove their "beater" car to Terrife and found that the fast ferrys were not running. We then drove to Algeceris and caught the slow ferry. It took about 3 hours instead of 35 minutes. We arrived and jumped immediately on a bus for the 7 hour ride to Fez which has the best old medina in Morocco. We took a petite taxi with Gregorio curled up with his knees in his armpits to the Hotel National just outside one of the 14 gates to the medina. Hotel National was just what we were looking for. A toilet up the hall, clean sheets and close to where we wanted to be. That evening we walked into the medina just a little as you could get lost for days with all the narrow passageways that twist and turn and everything looks the same. We found a soup vender and enjoyed a garbonzo bean soup for 2 durham (25 cents).

Here is Greg's email:

Well since I've contacted you last we've done our third continent in four days. On Monday we left southern Spain for Morocco. The fast boats weren't running because the winds were horrific and the water was rough. We arrived in Tangier and got right on a bus for a seven hours for a Moroccan town called Fez. Since I spent an entire day getting there, the least you could do is look it up on the Internet. We found a luxurious six dollar hotel near the Medina. The Medina is an ancient Moroccan town which seems to meander in any and all directions and elevations at once. The streets are too narrow for an oxcart in some places, let alone an American behemoth SUV. The alleyways, which are actually the streets and highways, have hundreds of small shops (stalls about six to ten feet wide) and businesses. There are also 350,000 people who live there. The Medina is a small part of the larger city of Fez. As in all poor countries, Fez is a city of contrasts. The modern world of skyscrapers is mixed in with the abject poverty of a country which has 40 % unemployment. This always makes travel an adventure because of the beggars and hustlers trying to make their way in a difficult world. We awoke early and had a coffee at a people watching cafe. We found an "official" guide and decided on a price of 150 Durhams (about $16)  for a four hour guided tour through the very challenging Medina. One could end up passing a couple of birthdays in such a labyrinth. You can go to youtube on the Internet and search for the Medina at fez Morocco and take a tour yourself. The guide was very informative and gave us more facts and figures than I could remember from  a two year course. After the tour we hopped on a bus again and after another seven hour bus ride - with no stops - and arrived back in Tangier. We found another point 5 star hotel for $ 12 this time and checked in. After the concierge showed us our room  we went out at 11 into the Medina in Tangier and had our only meal of the day. We stopped at a five stool walk up called Ray Charlys (not Charles) and had a great rotisserie chicken dinner, complete with fries and a mix of onions and sauce which was delicious. Throw in a soda and the meal was a whopping $ 7.75 for both. In the morning - Wed. - we wandered around Tangier and then got on another ferry. This ride was another four hour ride on even rougher seas than the trip over. At one point the staff even had a concerned look as the ship listed far enough to move furniture and people across the floor. I hope the semi-trailers and cars in the belly didn't suffer the same fate. Jim and I giggled and he "YAHOO'D like a cowboy. The nervous people didn't appreciate it. Another two hours in the car and we are back in El Puerto de Santa Maria with our friends. Well that's all we did since Monday, I hope we find something to do the rest of the week. I also hope it doesn't involve 24 hours of travel in three days.    Gregorio        &nbs p; 

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