So, it's taken me a while to swim through all the footage from spring break, but I've finally completed both video for Fes and Barcelona. I had a great time in both places, but I really enjoyed my time in Fes. Of all the places I've been to, Fes is one of my favorites. Everything seemed so mysterious, but without the feeling of anxiety that I usually get when things aren't thoroughly planned out.
From the moment we landed in Fes, we knew that this trip was going to be a bit of a bumpy ride. For one thing, Morocco is not one of the places where English is very commonly spoken. The majority of tourists in Fes are from Southern Europe, mostly from France and Spain. So not knowing either language, and obviously Arabic, put us at an extreme disadvantage. Also, Fes is notorious for its faux guides. They're pretty much harmless, but they'll take you on a tour of the medina and ask you for a ridiculous fee at the end of the tour. We tried our hardest to avoid faux guides, and we hired an official guide. However, while official guides charges you relatively little up front in fees, he makes most of his money on commissions. So, being the ignorant American tourists that we were, at one point or another, we fell into each of the traps. But, I still think that we came out of it relatively unscathed.
Before you start thinking that Morocco is one big phony, incomprehensible rip-off, let me tell you what I loved my trip to Fes so much. Despite the obvious effects that tourism has had on Fes, there was still a very vibrant, proud, authentic culture. Many of the people we met were so excited to show us how they lived, and wanted to genuinely be our friends. Hospitality is such an important aspect of Moroccan life, and there were so many times when I thought, "This is just like in Ibn Batutta!!" One night, we met this Moroccan guy walking down the street, and we ended up going with him to a shisha bar. We were having a good time, but the whole time we were hanging out, we were bracing ourselves for the sales pitch. It never came, and when it came time to leave, he insisted on paying for us. The next night, we hung out again, and he brought us into his home to meet his family and friends. They fed us, showed us pictures of their extended family, and gave us henna. They were so nice, and their kindness so simple that it seemed almost too good to be true. They seemed almost naive in their hospitality, but I guess that's just because I would never do something like that for complete strangers.
The video that goes along with this post shows everything else we did in Fes: walking through the medinas, our day trip to Meknes and Moulay Idriss, our "official" guided, etc. It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I do intend on returning to visit my new friends. Here is, "Ramil Goes To Morocco":