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Jason and Dana Kunzman
Moroccan Madness

Sleepless in Fés

Monday - 1 May 2000
Fés - Morocco

Our Sketchy Arrival

Our 2 months of rain followed us into Spain as we arrived in Seville without a place to stay. To make matters worse, a Canadian couple attached themselves to us and joined in our quest for accommodations. Along the way, however, 2 young girls attempted to pickpocket Jason while 2 others successfully lifted one of the Canadian`s wallets. Although we hate to say it, the Canadian gentleman deserved what he got, as he displayed the ultimate in backpacker naivite leaving his wallet with cash and credit cards in an unsecured front pants pocket. Not knowing where to turn, they asked us what to do. Jason suggested they follow the pack of thieves calling for the police as they made their way through town. Happy to rid ourselves of the excess baggage, we finally made our way to the bus station on the other side of town in hopes of finding information on the remainder of our trip to Algeciras. Just as we decided to forego the 8:30 pm bus that same evening, we were again joined by the "Clueless Canadians" with many thanks and wallet in hand.

As we perused the streets for a hostel on the first night of a citywide festival celebrating the month of April, a friendly American student stumbled upon us and showed us to an area of town full of hostels. Josh employed his expertise of the Spanish language and introduced us to a gentleman who showed us to one of the few remaining hostels with vacancies. We dropped off our bags and despite the rain, ventured out into town for TAPAS. The evening left us with great anticipation for Nancy`s arrival.

The following morning we caught the 7:15am bus to Algeciras and then hopped another bus to Gibraltor. It was incredible to be in Spain yet find ourselves in the middle of what felt like Great Britain. From the Sterling Pound and traditional pubs to the English accent, we were amazed. We took a cablecar to the top of the Rock of Gibraltor and on the way down we stopped to play with the monkeys. They were adorable and quite friendly as we fed them stale peanuts. We of course got sidetracked in a pub talking to Americans from Georgia, but eventually made it to the bus back to Algerciras just in time to catch the last ferry to Morocco. Ironically enough, we were on board with a huge contingency of Israelies which made us feel right at home. Jason & I caught a beautiful sunset up on deck before a short nap in preparation for a long night of travel. We both were very excited but also nervous over the unknown we were about to embark upon in Morocco.

At 9:30pm our juices were flowing as we docked in Tangier. We had been told by many to leave Tangier immediately, so we heeded their advice and took a taxi directly to the train station for a night train to Fés. There we waited in the night chill as Jason drank his first STRONG Moroccan coffee and we ate some typical Moroccan bread. We were both exhausted, not exactly making for stimulating conversation.

Our first leg to Sidi Casem was uneventful, although we could not help but notice the dark, heavy atmosphere on our first Arabic train. At 1am we changed trains for the final 2 hours to Fés and were unable to find available seating in the unbearably stuffy train. As we made ourselves comfortable leaning against our bags between 2 trains, a Moroccan struck up a conversation with Jason totally oblivious to my presence. Mohamed took a liking to Jason and offered the seat beside him. Being the wonderful husband that he is, Jason insisted I take the seat and try to catch a few zzzzz`s. I am sure Mohamed was disappointed as he eventually rejoined Jason outside of the cabin area.

When we arrived in Fés, we made a number of phone calls in search of a place to lay our weary heads. Just as we had been told when we called from both Spain and Tangier, the remaining hotels listed in our guidebook, a.k.a. "the bible", were full. At 3:30am, Mohamed took us on a tour of hotels not listed in our bible with the same result..."Complete". Not willing to throw us out on the street, Mohamed took us to his flat. Barely coherent, I agreed as Jason insisted it was safe to do so. The warmth and hospitality of the Moroccan people has not ceased to amaze us and has enriched our time here.



Previous
Introduction
Next
Our Luck Continues
  Jason and Dana Kunzman - Bio and Journals
  Moroccan Madness - Intro Average Rating of 6 Viewers
Chapters of Moroccan Madness
  Sleepless in Fés
  Our Luck Continues
  The Search Goes On
  Tinehir and the Gorge
  She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain

       

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