Travel Diaries

Jades Year Abroad

By asterisk
Description: One year, One continent

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M is for Mehdina...M is also for Masochism
February 17th 2007, Fez/Rissani, Morocco

A smooth landing for Ryan Air brought us into the Fez airport, exictment over the appearance palm trees characterized my attitude. Palm trees....their great. There are no bus connections into the city, onlny taxi drivers with dollar signs in their eyes. Luckily we met two fantastic individuals that we shared our cab with, and ended up spending our entire holiday with. We got into the city, argued with the taxi driver over payment, and then finally managed to find our hostel of choice.

The moment we entered the mehdina gate, it was as if going back in time. Our perception of time was so messed up that we actually thought we were living in the past. The culture shock was immense. Every second person tried to hustle us into eating at their restaurant, staying at their hotel, or letting them be our guide. We even stood back and watched a young boy and a grown man argue violently in the street over who would guide us. In the end, it didnt matter who guided us, because mostly the guides were only interested in taking us to artisan shops where we would be aggresively presuided to purchase things. (The guides of course receive a commision from this)

After feeling cheated and getting thouroughly lost in the winding streets of the mehdina, we managed to escape. Only to find ourselves in Rissani. Luckily a driver was arranged for us, he was to say a secret password three times. Unluckily...he did not show up right away and we had to spend a terrifying few hours in the Rissani bus station in the early morning hours surrounded by men who openly stared at us. Needless to say, Rissani is a place best avoided.

Accommodation

Name:	Pension Taala
Type:	Hostel
Rating:	Highly Recommended
Atmosphere:	Welcoming
Value:	Great Value
Location:	In the city centre

After passing through the giant, ornamental gate of the mehdina, walking past the slew of restuarants, where elderly men aggresivly shove menues in your face, you will find the pension taala. The rooms have large comfortable beds, and bedrooms are distributed according to how many people are in your travel party. The rooms cost 75 dirham per night per person, which is a massive bargain! Also the hostel sports two western style toilets as well as two deliciously hot showers. Be warned though....there is no heating and at night the temperature drops drastically. Luckily the staff is extremely quick to offer extra blankets (at no additonal charge!)

Activities

Name:	Berber Tents and Camels
Rating:	Highly Recommended
Fun:	Fantastic
Value:	Great Value
Stamina:	Low

After the frightening morning in Rissani, with Shannon almost getting eaten by the bus, and Jabba the Hut (as we named him) following and hussling us, the long awaited driver with the secret password - said three times in a hushed whisper - appeared. The car was barely a car. The seat was held together by the seat belt, ripped out and used as rope.
The scenic ride through the desert was exhilerating after the high emotions in Rissani. We arrived at the auberge to kind staff and a delicious breakfast. After spending the day lounging in the sun and taking a late lunch, we mounted our camel carivan, which was led by the fearless Mohammed.
After about an hour and a half riding across the dunes on camelback, we arrived at a small group of tents where we would spend the night. Mohammed prepared for us mint tea and tagene which was happily digested while lying on top of a sand dune contemplating the stars which are clearer than clear in the desert sky.
The night was cold. We had about 15 blankets each and even then had to huddle together for warmth. Shannon even declared the next morning that he was convinced death was eminent during that cold night. The next morning we arose bright and early to watch the sun rise, a glowing blight orb, caressing the sand dunes as it took its place in the sky. We rode back the camels in silence, enjoying the morning in the sahara.

Top Tip:
Do not easily put your trust in anyone!!! One of the quotes during this trip was: "It is to early in the morning for me to try to trust people after what happened yesterday!" This quote was applicable to every day actually....

There are quite a few of hustlers that try to open your purse strings at every oppurtunity, and what may seem like a friendly gesture is probably nothing more than a well thought out business strategy.

General Tips:
Try to have as much prearranged before you arrive. This way when you are hustled you can say you already have this or that and dont need their services. They will be quite aggressive though.....we even started getting hustled by men on the bus at 3 AM before we even reached our destination.

This is especially important if you plan on going to Merzouga for camel riding. The stop in Rissani can be particularily terrifying, especially after all the culture shock.