Day 145 : Tangier

After a bus ride to Tangier I hopped on a ferry which would shoot me across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tarifa, Spain. I'm pretty sad to be leaving Morocco behind. I think I can safely say it was one of my favorite adventures so far (along with those in Vietnam and India)...

I had Africa to my back, Europe to my front, the sun to my left...

...and the moon to my right...

Not to mention a beautiful sunset...

Click here for Tangier photos!

Day 144 : Chefchaouen

We took a 5 hour bus ride from Fes to Chefchaouen this morning. It would have been a pleasant ride if it wasn't for the 4 people of the bus that decided to regurgitate their lunch as soon as we hit the winding roads that brought us to the Blue City. It was worth it though. Chefchaouen is magical. For me it was like Morocco meets Disneyworld (all of the non-cheesy aspects of it at least) meets David Bowie and The Labrynth (not sure why, but it's true). My obsession with thresholds got the best of my in Chefchaouen. And my favorite color is no longer black - It's BLUE!

The colors and textures in this city are simply amazing. I had to touch some of them, just to ensure that my eyes were not deceiving me. Upon doing so I realized that a majority of what looks like solid material (whether it is stone, concrete, brick, etc.) is actually hollow! Just empty space infilled with a bit of plaster and paint! It's like Chefchaouen is a massive paper mache city! See some evidence bellow!

Another awesome aspect about Chefchaouen is the way the buildings and stairs respond to the natural topography. This results in a number of small, intimate plazas scattered throughout the hillside.

Even the laundry is BLUE in Chefchaouen!

Click here for Chefchaouen photos!

Day 143 : Fes

We only had a few hours left in Fes this morning before weI hopped on a bus to Chefchaouen. One of the main reason I wanted to come to Morroco was to see the Tanneries in Fes. I had seen plenty of images, but wanted to experience the sights and the smells in person.

Yesterday while we was wandering around Fes I discovered that during the day local 'guides' are camped out around the entire perimeter of the Tanneries, constantly offering their services and information. We wanted to avoid the hassle and the crowds, so we decided to wake up early this morning in an attempt to get a more genuine experience of the Tanneries. I must admit - It was the best decision I've made in a long time, for a couple of reasons...

1) The streets of Fes are amazing in the early morning. They lack the people, the animals, the noise, the merchandise, and the food that makes them so alive during the day. Instead, a 6AM stroll in Fes presents an entirely different space lit by the eerie, early morning light.

2) The Tanneries are equally amazing in the early morning (if you can find them)! We spotted a tiny little sign with the word Tannerie scribbled on it and decided to follow. From there my nose took over. I had heard stories about how bad the tanneries smell, and yes, the are all true. Do NOT let this discourage you from visiting!

Early morning eeriness...

As we entered the alleyway that leads to the Tanneries a Moroccan Man that appeared to work in the Tannery offered his help. We decided to follow his lead, assuming that we'd have to buy a bag and a wallet from him later on. Little did we know he was going to take us on an amazing adventure...So it was 6:30AM and Oliver and I are the only Non-Moroccan Tannery Workers in the entire complex. For the next hour or so we would be taken on an incredible journey winding in and out of buildings, vats, and tannery workers...

I was about to ask (in my broken french) if many visitors ever fall into the vats, but...

I soon got my answer! Poor Oliver...but he still has a smile on his face!

I recently came across this link on Pruned which provide me with some insight on the future of Fes and the tanneries: Holcim Awards Africa Middle East. Maybe it's an answer to my 'Urban Dumpster' find in post 142?

Click here for Fes photos!