One of our planned stops across Morocco was the ancient city of Fes. We arrived in the early evening one day and promptly went about trying to find some food to eat.
One thing about the ancient Moroccan cities (called Medinas - which is just the Arabic word for "city") is that they have absolutely no rhyme or reason to how they were constructed. Paths and roadways circle around endlessly and it's extremely easy to get lost, especially with the high-walls all around you.
Fes would have been a well-fortified city long ago and relics of the old fortress-like structures are visible throughout the town.
Fes was also famously known for its tanneries. As is somewhat common for getting tourists to come in, some young kid ran up to us in the street and asked us if we wanted to see his father's tannery. As we did want to see one, we decided to follow him. It was a wonderful experience.
They walked us all over the tannery, showed us the hides and the various dyes used, and otherwise explained the process to us.
Another interesting thing about Morocco is that they grow an insane amount of marijuana throughout the country. Most people will ask you to try their homemade hash, often bragging about the hash-pressing machine that they or their family had. The tannery we went to was no exception.
The owner proudly offered to share a join of his has with us. They wrap a standard cigarette and then sprinkle dried hash all over it before rolling it. It wasn't very strong, but we enjoyed the process of it all. Especially just being randomly offered it while in a shop.
Both Ben and I had something fabricated in his leather shop while we waited. I still wear the belt I had fashioned to this very day.
