Fez

Fez is the former capital and is one of the four 'imperial cities' found in Morocco.  We stayed in a riad in Fes el Bali (translates as old walled city) which is a listed World Unesco Heritage site.  Most of these pictures are taken from inside the medina or a view from above the city looking down.

Fez - the old town is surrounded by a wall.

Blue gates

Outside of the old town.

Looking over part of the city.

Old fort ruins

Surrounding countryside where many olives are grown. A graveyard sits at the base of the valley.

View from above

Traditional leather shoes that are hand made in Fez.

Cow leather

The tannery

workers dyeing the leather hydes

Craftsman engraving a golden tray by hand.

Qur'an School doorway

Shoes made from camel leather.

A traditional coffin built in carpenter's square.

University of Al-Karaouine, founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the world.

Now I want to tell you a story...

[Act 1]  Once upon a time, two backpackers (heavily laden with too much luggage) find themselves complexed by the repetitive maze they find before them.

[Act 2] Enter a small boy

A small boy mysteriously appears and offers to show you the way to your accomodation.  En route you just happen to pass his uncles restaurant which has the "best food in town".  Coincidentally a few minutes later you are likely to end up at his parents leather shop where they sell "only the best handcrafted goods made from only the finest leather". (You can change restaurant or leather shop  with any shop be it carpets, butchers or one of many textiles outlets but you get the idea)

[Act 3] The young entrepreneur continues on his quest ensuring you that "we are very close" and at this stage it would be wise to reach into your pocket for some spare change - about 10-20 Dirham ( £1 or $1.50) will be more than enough and I have now started collecting small change for such occasions as these.

Upon receiving the coin, the boys eyes light up and he acts all surprised as if he didn't expect anything for his help.

Before parting he might chance his arm once more by offering a tour of the city.  Mention something about it being illegal and you will see a clean pair of heals as the small boy vanishes as quickly as he appeared.

The End. (Until next time you leave your hostel and turn into the nearest street).

That said, Fez is remarkable in so many ways.  Fez manages to be simultaneously chaotic and enchanting. It is fascinating, shocking and ultimately provides too many sights, sounds and smells for the brain to comprehend.

Paul Theroux once remarked that "travel is only glamorous in retrospect" so with that notion, I feel that Fez as most of Morocco, will continue to burrow deep beneath my skin long after I have left and I look forward to being able to comprehend the wonderful experiences that are spinning like an unfathomable kaleidoscope in my mind right now. 

Day 2: Denpasar Rally

After a solid sleep, I woke to a steady hum outside the window.  When I went to inspect, I saw a stretch of road about  300 metres long packed with motorbikes and scooters jostling alongside each other.



Non-stop traffic, absolute chaos on the roads of Denpasar.

 I spent around 24 hours in Denpasar and the whole time I was there, the buzzing of motorbikes and whizzing of scooters never once threatened to let up.
  So walking along the street, felt like we were involved in 'The Denpasar Scooter Rally'.  It is also became clear that not many foreigners passed by the streets we walked, which was easily expressed in the surprised gaze of many of the locals. 

Turning off the main street, we explored with the enthusiasm of two travellers - delighted with the unfamiliarity of a very foreign country.

Denpasar: A typical shop/store

Denpasar Cinema (It's not a joke!!)

Walking further we stumbled upon a market selling local produce which also provided some respite from the sweltering heat.  We also found another friend who was only too happy to escort us around the market...

Our 'tour guide' : Like shopping with a gun to your head.

and take us to her sister's shop

Little need to buy dried fish, we live in Korea.

and her friends stall

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and then just assume that every time we stopped we got the hard sell.  This is my Aunt's/Brother's/Father's/Cousin's Store and their Fruit/Spices/Clothing/Jewelery is by far the best you will ever see or taste. 

Health and safety would have a field day here.

Fresh? Tuna

Market produce

Fruit and Veg

Whilst our 'guide' was friendly and amusing, it would have been far more fun if we weren't constantly being pressurised to buy something so we bought some rambutans to shut her up.

Service with a smile.

Rambutan

  They are very similar to a lychee  - really sweet and very tasty.

Our guide spoke good enough English to have a pretty interesting conversation and said that we could ask her any questions we had.  The only one that came to mind was how much was this little tour going to end up costing us (the answer came a little later = 15000IDR).

Back out onto the streets we walked a little further noticing that the traffic was slowing to a halt because of a ceremony.

Hindu Ceremony

We came across countless Hindu Ceremonies whilst in Bali.  They can happen for numerous different events and sometimes consist of hundreds of people.

Houses on the river.

Bathing

It'll Fit.

Time out

Forever blowing bubbles.

Siesta: Not dead, just sleeping.

While Denpasar is memorable for little other than it's constant flow of traffic, it was so much fun to explore more authentic areas. So after a day it was time to get packed up and move on.