Christmas in MOROCCO: Americans in Morocco – Day 5. December 25, 2007

Greetings from Fes

If you want to be in a place over Christmas where there is no sense that Christmas exists.. this is the place to be. Not a Santa or jingle bells, or any other symbol in sight!

The sun came out today and we set out for the tanneries. An unbelievable sight (and stench). Apparently the skins (goat, camel, sheep, cow) are brought into the tanneries and after some kind of curing” process, the dying begins. There are about 50 vats that are knee-deep. The workers stand in these vats with the dyes (all natural sources) and step on the hides and pound them and swirl them around to get the dye infused in the hide. Each worker is in his own vat. The complete process includes the removal of hair and flesh, soaking, drying, and rinsing before dying… The dying vats have been in use for centuries. The steps include saline, lime, pigeon droppings, and then the natural dyes which include saffron, mint, poppies, etc. According to some studies we read, the tannery workers’ health is better than other workers and that there are theories that the foul-smelling liquids might contain some curative properties??? It’s quite a sight! (By the way they give you sprigs of mint as you enter the area, to cut the odor.)

The rest of the day we walked and walked and walked – from one end of the medina to the other and then winding our way from mosque to mosque and from medersa to medersa (schools) and from fondouk to fondouk (buildings where traders used to stay – with balconies and rug dealers and a misty sort of light flowing from cracks in the wooden balconies and from burning fires – sort of like a Delacroix painting. At one point, totally exhausted, we stopped in a little tea place about the size of a small closet. It looked like it was set up in the 60s when American hippies were roaming this area en masse. As we sipped the tea we heard a sort of Moroccon hip-hop music being played live.. and noticed that there was a little ante-room to the closet space and some young guys were playing music. We talked with them a bit and found out about the various instruments.. and learned they had cut a CD. Their group’s name is City Clan!.. Later in the day we stopped at a music shop and picked up the recording. True rock stars!

OK.. we did a bit of shopping too (including Mike getting a leather vest and new leather jacket).

The strangeness of Morocco (making it more different than most any place we’ve ever traveled) is the dominance of religion. Finding a female shop keeper is like finding a needle in a haystack. Women never walk alone. You never see little girls playing outside. Boys play soccer everywhere – amidst the detritus of shops, crowds, and the unbelievably narrow streets.  And older boys are walking around or playing cards or working in the shops (or trying to sell us rugs).. But no girls. Similarly you see lots of men “hanging out” smoking, drinking coffee, talking in the squares.. but no women.  Many men are wearing jeballas (with pointy hoods). About 70% of the women have their heads covered, but a much smaller number wear veils.

We’re off to dinner .. food has been fantastic.

Will be back in touch.

Fern