We took the second train ride to Fez (or Fes). Since we stayed at the hotel beside the train station, there was no need no rush. The train ride to Fez would take about four hours. That’s not bad at all, and we just planned to sleep anyway. The train was near empty when we left Casablanca (at least in the first class cabins, which weren’t really that expensive), but as we passed through other stations, it gradually became full. Everything was fine until a couple of locals joined us in our cabin. I’m up for getting to know locals, i enjoy meeting new people, but those people who joined us look like bad news. They were extremely noisy and disheveled, and the lady who was with us initially just couldn’t stand them, so she transferred to another cabin. When she left, they became even more boisterous, almost to the point of shouting in a mixture of Arabic in French. They probably thought that I could not understand a single word of French. it was clear that they were talking about me and my friend. I couldn’t quite make out what they were planning since i couldn’t understand Arabic, but the fact that they kept mentioning us was not a good sign. Thank goodness Fez was only an hour away. I just stayed awake even though I was sleepy, wary of their every move.
We arrived in Fez at a little past noon. Man, the summer heat was blistering, and the thick crowd at the train station wasn’t helping. I booked a night at Funky Fes, a social hostel with favorable reviews. It’s located in the old Medina, which is the top tourist attraction in Fez. I figured we could save money for public transport if we booked a hostel inside the Medina. There were clear instructions on how to get there from the train station. It was pretty straightforward. Ride a bus to a specific entrance in the Medina, then just walk from there. I’ve read numerous accounts that the Medina is like a maze, so I made sure that the hostel would be easy to find. When we got to the Medina entrance, we made a stupid mistake. I’ve read numerous accounts about locals in Morocco who are offering help. Most, if not all of them would expect money in return. I guess there are those who genuinely want to help without asking for anything in return, but to be on the safe side, if you’re tight on your budget, just politely say you don’t need help if a local approaches you. I was still trying to figure out the way to the hostel when a local offered to take us there. Before i could say no, my friend agreed. And predictably, he asked for money once we reached the hotel. And he wouldn’t let us go without us handing him money. To be on the safe side, we just gave in. There’s no use risking trouble with locals in such an unfamiliar place. There’s no such thing as free help in Morocco apparently. i really loved the country, but stuff like this really left a bitter taste in the mouth.
So after resting for a bit, we had lunch. I forgot what it was called, but it was local Moroccan food. The next order of business was to find a tour that could take us to Merzouga and the Sahara, and eventually Marrakesh. Now you may ask why didn’t we just take a public bus to Merzouga. Actually I did think of that, since there was a Supratours bus available, but it won’t stop in those attractions in between. Another thing, it was in the middle of summer. I didn’t want to risk getting lost in the desert during the intense summer heat.
Most Sahara desert tours start from Marrakesh since there are more tourists there. You have the option of going back to Marrakesh after a night in the Sahara, or proceeding to Fez. However, since we came from Casablanca, it would be more convenient to visit Fes first because it was nearer. There are tours from Fez to Marrakesh anyway. It would be easy to find one. Or so we thought.
Because it was two days after Eid Al-Fitr, all the offices of the tour operators in the area were still closed! The hostel did offer a tour package for a relatively cheap price, but the itinerary skipped a lot of places we wanted to see. No wonder it was much cheaper compared to other tours. So i was left with no choice but to book a tour online. I know that online prices are ridiculously expensive, so I planned to just look for a tour operator once we got to Fez. This would’ve worked if we went a week after Eid. We tried asking the other travelers at the hostel if they would like to join us so we can keep the cost down, but all of them already did the Sahara desert tour. So we spent a small fortune for the tour. That was such a total bummer. I wanted to keep expenses at the very minimum for this trip. If we started the tour from Marrakesh we probably would have found companions for the tour since there were more travelers and tourists there. And it’s the summer months. It’s a peak season for tourists in Marrakesh in spite of the summer heat. Even the best laid plans sometimes go awry. We just had to accept that.
After booking the tour, we joined some Spanish guys and walked around the Medina. It was such a surreal experience. The Medina was built in the 9th century, and walking through its narrow streets makes you feel as if you just traveled back in time. Nothing much seems to have changed, these are the same structures from centuries ago. Even the way of life of the people living inside doesn’t seem to have changed much. their appearance and the way they conduct their businesses seem identical to their ancestors. It’s really like a Maze, it was so easy to get lost. Lots of narrow winding streets, a lot of them with dead ends. No map app could give us accurate directions. Thank goodness the way to the Tannery was quite accurate, we found the place on our own without asking for help. So many touts were bugging us, but we stood firm and said no to all of them. We did have to pay one guy just so we can have a good view of the tannery from one of the stores overlooking the place. Besides that, we didn’t spend any money. The area surrounding the Tannery stinks, but the leather store owner gave us mint leaves to mask the scent (in exchange for a small fee of course). Going back to the hostel was difficult. The map apps failed to show a lot of alleys, and it was getting dark. A lot of streets inside the Medina were dimly lit. We gave up after about thirty minutes, and just decided to find our way to the nearest exit and find our way back to the hostel from the outside. it would be a longer walk, but at least the streets outside had proper lighting.
Back at the hostel, we shared drinks and stories among other things, with the other travelers staying that night. It was so awesome, interacting with people coming from different countries. I felt as if my personality was becoming more enriched as i got to know everyone. We had to call it an early night though since our tour would start early the next morning.
Our tour guide arrived much earlier than expected. We didn’t even have time to avail of the free breakfast at the hostel lol. Everyone was still asleep, so we couldn’t even say goodbye to our new friends. We just had breakfast on the way, some Khobz (a type of Moroccan bread) with butter and jam. Our first stop was Ifrane, a ski resort during the winter months. It was developed by the French during the protectorate era. As expected, it was underwhelming during the summer, but the cooler temperature was welcome.
A few minutes away was Azrou. We saw a lot of monkeys in the cedar forest. We didn’t stay long in this area. I’ve already seen a lot of monkeys in my lifetime, so those animals didn’t really interest me. heh.
We had a hearty lunch at Midelt around noon. It was the first time I’ve tried Chicken Tagine and I loved it. Eventually I’d get tired of it since i would get to eat the stuff on almost a daily basis, but the first time i tried it, it was so delicious.
After lunch was a long drive. It took many hours before we reached Merzouga but the scenery had so much variety that you won’t really mind. It also gave me some time to think. Beautiful landscapes always put me in a pensive mood.
While i was planning this trip, i made conversations with several travelers on those travel forums online. A lot of them were discouraging me to go on a Sahara desert tour during the summer. They say the heat would be unbearable. Yes the heat could get unbearable during the middle of the day, but to say that doing a tour would be impossible? That’s hogwash. For one thing, during the middle of the day, tour operators plan it in such a way that you’ll be riding a van or bus during those times when it’s incredibly hot outside. Even if the vehicle has no air conditioning, the strong breeze coming from the open windows is more than enough to keep you comfortable. These tour operators have been doing this for years, and they make several adjustments depending on the time of the year. So if anyone would advise you to skip the Sahara desert tour and just stick to the coastal areas, tell them to shut the hell up. lol. clearly they do not know what they are talking about.
We also passed by Erfoud where there are a lot of stores selling fossils and minerals. Pretty amazing stuff, they make great mementos. Here’s a tip though: avoid buying at the bigger shops that the tour operators would bring you to. You can get most of the same stuff at those small roadside makeshift stores at a fraction of the price.
We arrived in Merzouga at around 5 in the afternoon. It’s a pretty interesting little town, very different from what I was accustomed to. It seemed like i was in a movie set of sorts. The sun was starting to set, and it wasn’t that hot anymore. After checking in at a small hotel, we were instructed to freshen up and meet up with our guide in an hour. We start our camel ride to the desert camp at 6PM. I couldn’t believe it, it was actually going to happen… I was about to set foot in the Sahara Desert!
no roads to follow 