{"id":24163,"date":"2025-12-14T14:18:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T19:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=24163"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:55:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:55:39","slug":"moroccan-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2025\/12\/14\/moroccan-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"Moroccan Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 34\u00b003’51.4″N 4\u00b058’33.6″W<\/a><\/h6>\n
The Marrakech Express<\/h6>\n

\"snake-charmer-marrakesh\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tourists fly directly to Marrakech<\/a> from all over the world. Its central location makes it a good jumping off point for the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert and Morocco’s major cities. Excursions of three and four days are finely tuned for every direction you might want to go.<\/p>\n

Given its draw, Marrakech has a lot to offer the traveller if their time is tight. The medina is one of the biggest and busiest in the country. Snake charmers, something we only saw in Marrakech, blanket the main square before you head into the warren of shops and restaurants. Their schtick is short. See the cobra stand up, get a photo or two and hand over as much as you think the experience was worth to you. Pay too little and they\u2019ll tug your sleeve and demand more. Pay too much and you\u2019ll feel exploited. The cobras seemed entirely divorced from the proceedings.<\/p>\n

With so many captive visitors, I wasn\u2019t suprised that prices in Marrakech were 50-100% higher than in other cities we visited. Thus, if you have time and plan to explore more of the country, by all means explore the medina, but look for better prices elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Fes<\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fez’s distinction is that its medina is full of artisans (creators in modern parlance). That is, folks actually making things on site. All kinds of things. From ornately carved wood doors to handmade leather goods.<\/p>\n

If you want to understand why nobody tans leather as a hobby*, spend 15 minutes watching the 1,000-year-old process from the top floor of a tannery in Fez. The smell alone will knock your nostrils off. Even a freshly cut mint nosegay won’t mitigate the stench. Guano (bird poop) is full of ammonia that makes leather hides soft and improves dye uptake. It is used liberally. Once in solution, heated and soaking dried sheepskin, well you smell the picture… Leather tanning is now officially at the top of my jobs-I-never-want-to-do list.<\/p>\n

Walking through the different sections of the medina gave us an appreciation for the variety and skill of these traditional craftsfolk. Whatever your needs for home decor or leather masks, you can find someone in Fes who will happily make exactly what you’re looking for.<\/p>\n

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