Fes trip

            Fes was an adventure, to say the least. We left by first taking a petit taxi to the grand taxi station, and two Moroccan students, Ahmed and Younas, helped us figure out the price and pay it. Six of us crammed into the taxi, two in the passenger seat and four in the back seat. There were no seatbelts. The trip was some 45 minutes, and we all got very friendly with one another trying to make space in the back seat.

            Paul lived in Fes last summer, so he had the driver drop us off somewhere inside the city. Before we knew it we had wandered into the medina, the area with the tall walls and winding pathways. From both sides we were assaulted with offers to see various wares, and more than once we were harangued by calls of, “Obama, Obama!” One boy even dared to call after us, “I make you a good husband!” We tried to contain our fit of giggles.

            After a while of wandering around, we stumbled upon the Café Clock, a place owned by a British dude. We ate on the roof while the call to prayer rang around, and had some of the best fruit smoothies I’ve ever seen. My stomach still wasn’t feeling too well, but I had some French fries and made it through the day that way.

            We also went to the tannery right before we left, with Brian dead-set on seeing the famous Fes attraction. After a bit of confusion regarding our guide and his trustability (note: not a real word), we made our way there. They gave us sprigs of mint to put in our noses to counteract the smell of the tannery. It was cool looking, and they have a great many beautifully crafted leather goods. We didn’t buy much, not wanting to be ripped off, but I think most of us already have plans to go back.

            On the way out, I noticed that Kaitlyn, Maggie, Louise and I were the only girls in sight. Through the tannery and the metal place next to it, there were only men. It was a strange realization, but I didn’t feel particularly threatened.

            The grand taxi ride back was a bit more trying after a day of walking around, including a time when we got lost! But we found our way out by ourselves.

            All in all it was a good first weekend trip, and I look forward to many more. There aren’t enough weekends in the semester.