Marrakesh Express Day Two

We have high expectations for Day 2. (snigger, snigger)  Our guide Jamal comes highly (snigger, snigger) recommended but we expect to have some low moments, interspersed with high moments. (snigger, snigger) As our trip unfolds, we will keep you up to date with all the highlights (snigger, snigger) as they occur.  We have lots of things in our itinerary so our time will not be wasted man! (snigger, snigger)

 

 

 

We immediately threw a wrench into Jamal's day. Poor bastard!  Our itinerary did not have any time scheduled for a look at Fez but that did not fit into our plans. The medina in Fez is big and is well known for its leather tanning area  and is a must see. He dropped us off at one of the entrances into the Medina and trusting to luck we headed out to find the tannery.

 

The tannery has been around for about 900 years, give or take a few centuries.  The tannery is composed of numerous stone vats filled with various indeterminate liquids and dyes that are used to process and colour the hides.  The vats emit a distinct odor that had us smelling the tannery, long before we actually saw it. Helped us locate it as it was not easy to find.

 

 

 

  

 

The hides arrive by donkey, who just sort of appeared as I was standing there and I had to scamper up onto a post to avoid an incident.  Their customary smell masked by the liquids in the vats.  

 

 

 

 

The tanning process begins by first soaking the skins in a mixture of cow urine, quicklime, water and salt for two or three days to loosen the remaining hair and fat on the raw skins. Not sure how they collect the urine.  

  

 

 

Men working in small rooms off the main area prepare the hides by scrapping the hide free of excess fat and hair, using slightly dull hand knives.  The hides are then laid out on the adjacent roof tops and terraces to dry.  

 

Once the hides have dried, they are washed and soaked in a mixture of diluted acidic pigeon excrement to soften the hides. The tanners jump in the vats and using leg power and  bare feet to kneed the hides into the  desired softness and suppleness.

 

 

 

  

 

The hides are then moved to the dye vats and soaked one or more times for the desired colour.  The hides are then dried and sold for the manufacture of the many leather products that Morocco is famous for. At no time is there any mechanical equipment used in the tanning process. Everything is done by hand or donkey.

 

 

 

I asked one of the older looking men there, how long he had been working in the tannery and he told me 27 years. His legs looked like he could run a marathon while looking as soft as a baby’s bottom. Perhaps cow urine or pigeon poop should be investigated by one of the skin care companies. Despite this job perk, I would not rush into a career in the tanning business in Fez. 

 

We soon found ourselves on the way to Erfoud  where we will spend the night. Along the way, we were exposed to many new things. We were introduced to tagine, a traditional Moroccan dish that is cooked in its own pot, complete with a cute little chimney. It comes with potatoes, seasonal vegetables and with or without meat. As we traveled, it would become a staple offering at all our meals and I mean all our meals. Seems the tourists must love it sooooo much.

We got our first peek at the  wilder and drier side of Morocco as we entered the Mid Atlas mountains passing the homes of nomadic Berbers who still roam the Mid and High Atlas Mountains. 

We saw our first Kasbar but certainly not our last. They are protected by law and cannot be demolished so we saw dozens of them as we traveled over the old Salt and Gold caravan trade routes. Merchants from North Africa would trade spice, weapons and cloth for salt from the Atlas Mountains then travel to Timbuktu where they would trade the salt for gold. An ounce of gold would buy a pound of salt. No issues with high blood pressure, I guess.

And what is a desert without an oasis. Surprisingly, there are quite a few to be found.

Dates grow on palm trees. Who knew, and they  come in male and female varieties. Dates have been grown and consumed in North Africa for over 2000 years. Erfoud, todays destination  is home to some of the best.

Of course what is Africa with out monkeys. The Atlas Mountains are home to the Barbary Macaques. They are distant cousins to the monkeys found in Gibraltar.

It seemed appropriate that we spend our first night in a three star Kasbah. Very nice ending to a long, hot day.