4 January 1993
I have a few things to do today. Waking up later, I went to a bank to exchange money, bought a bus ticket to Marrakesh, and tried to reconfirm an air ticket at Royal Morocco Air, but I was sad I didn’t have to reconfirm. Finally, bought food for the bus trip. I went to Medina because I didn’t want to go elsewhere. I had a Kefta (meatballs) sandwich, which was 14DH, then stay a long time at a cafe. I’d but a new sweater but gave it up because it was too expensive. I found key chains made of bullhorn chips, which look good on souvenirs. But I didn’t buy it because it was 10DH and felt expensive. Eventually, I bought 500 g of peanuts, 1Kg date, and water, then I went back to the hotel. By the way, the Medina of Fez is one the most complex medina. It’s true everybody must be lost. Yesterday, I tried to back to the hotel from inside the Medina. I was walking in the direction of the point I entered the Medina, but while I was getting away from the guides, I got lost. I got outside of Medina, but it was a very different place. So, I tried to go to Bou Jeloud Gate once more by referring to the direction of the sun. So, it is not a bad idea to hire a guide in order not to get lost. One night, when I got out of the hotel to go to a restaurant, a guy came to me and said he could show me restaurants. I didn’t ask him to do so, he kept going with me. Most restaurants in the New City of Fez are expensive. In a restaurant I went to yesterday, the set menu was 42 DH, and Couscous was 34 DH. I tried some restaurants which he showed me, but I turned down them. I guessed it was expensive because some fee for a guide was added to the price. Eventually, the guide showed me a cheap restaurant located backside. It looked not so good, but the guide didn’t leave me, then I decided to have something to eat there. I had two dishes, it was 30DH at first but soon discounted to 25DH. Wow, it was expensive. When I got out of the restaurant, the guide said, “I made him discount from 30DH to 25DH”. Those dishes looked around 10DH! He said, “I showed you the restaurant, and the price became cheap, so give me 5DH”. What? I said “I can’t understand what you say”, then I ignored him. On the way to the hotel, I tried to buy oranges at a fruit shop. Scaling three big oranges, it was 1 kg and 200g. I ask how much, then he said 10DH. What? Incredible! I walked away. The guides came to me and said, “6DH, 6DH is OK”. It’s too late. The fruit shop lost money because of the guide. Why did he bother me to buy something? I guessed the fruit shop and restaurant said from the guide, “give me something from the payments of this Japanese”.
5 January 1993
I woke up at 5:45 in the morning, and went to the terminal to get the bus leaving at 6:30. I had CTM’s bus for Marrakesh, which is more expensive than a private company, and the quality is high. At the terminal, the luggage was weighed. Although a private bus company claims payment for luggage without weighing, CTM measures the weight of luggage and wrote it on the back of the ticket, then you should pay for it at the counter and get a voucher and tags for the luggage. The voucher was necessary to get your luggage when you get off the bus. The seat was reserved for each passenger. The bus left at 7:00. Goodbye Fez. I did not like here so much. I can’t believe there is number one in popularity. Maybe I should take accommodation in Medina, I might not walk Medina so much. On the bus, the guy next to me was a professor of French literature at the University of Beni Mellal, which is a town between Fez and Marrakesh. I was surprised he was a university professor. The first intelligent person, I met in morocco. He was a calm and good guy. He asked me, “I watched a TV program that said the Japanese didn’t like holidays and like to work, is it true?”. Oh, C’mon. “No, everybody likes holidays”, I answered. He was Berber, and he spoke Berber, two Arab (he said classic Arab), French very well, and English little. According to him, originally Berbers had lived in Morocco, then Arabs came here with Muslims. “Arukikata” also describes the history of the Maghreb, which says Berbers had lived here and were dominated by Roman, Ottoman, and Spanish. So it is not pure Arabic but felt European tastes here. The professor said, “Berberis more popular than Arabic. My parents can’t speak Arabic. I learned and became able to speak Arabic.” His wife was also a university professor of English, and she speaks English better than him. According to him, 15% of students go to a university. It’s great. He said the problem was no job for them. Moroccans went to France or Spain and married French or Spanish. He asked me if Japanese guys marry internationally, and I said it’s very few. When I told him about the woman who married Moroccan at Erfoud, he was very surprised. The first question was what was his job. I said he ran a restaurant. It seemed to make a little peace of mind. He had five children. “Do you want them to go to college?” I asked. “Yes. I’m ready to come up with the money,” he said. What happy children. “Do you want girls to go to college?” I asked, then he said, “Yes”. “Don’t you have an idea that women should not work?”. “There is no such a thing. Sometimes women can work better than men, for example, as teachers. How about Japan?”, then I said, “There are some people who have old ideas, but now changing”, I said. “Morocco is also changing”, he said. After 9 hours by bus, I arrived in Marrakesh at 4 o’clock. This is Marrakesh. I saw that it was somehow a city. The bus terminal was also big. When I got off the bus, a guide came to me and said, “Come, come, a hotel is here”. I decided to stay at a hotel near Jamaa el Fna, then I walked alone. The guide wanted to take me to the hotel near the terminal. He was also insistent.
When I arrived at Jamaa el Fna, it was time to come stalls. I rested in a cafe, then I looked for a hotel. After I got the room, I backed to the Jamaa el Fna. It’s a very nice atmosphere. It’s like an Asia. I fell in love at a glance here. Many stalls opened, and the mouth-watering smell is coming. Yeah, I was excited. I had Harira, first. It’s 1.2DH. cheap. then I got caught in a kebab stall. Because it looked so delicious. It’s 10DH. Then I had a soup of something like shellfish. It was a snail. The main dish was fried fish and fries. Finishing orange juice. Very nice, it’s freshly-squeezed orange juice. 3DH.
6 Janurary, 1993
Today, I bought many things. First leather sandals, 115DH. Then Jullaba, 300DH. It might have been a little expensive. Because the guy from the shop said OK easily for that price. And leather daypack, which was embroidered like a carpet. This bag was 150DH and my pouch bag, my pen, and my poncho. I had no money, so had lunch and was looking the square from the terrace of the cafe, until the bank was open. After exchanging money, I went on an expedition to the souq again. I bought 50g saffron, 20DH, mint tea, 10DH, three music tapes, 20DH for one. One of them was a tape of the Quran. There were many music tape shops, and Moroccan gals were listening to the music there. I wonder if they have a favorite star. Moroccan gals frankly talked to me with smiles.
At night, I had dinner at stalls. I had couscous today. The couscous is a typical famous dish, but I don’t think it’s delicious. Regarding food, Moroccans are very frugal. It’s not so varied, such as Couscous, Tajine, Kebab, Kefta… Harira was delicious anywhere I had it.
Today I bought these things
– Leather sandals 115DH and pen – Jullaba (wool) 300DH – Leather bag 150DH, pen, pouch bag, and poncho – Saffron 50g 20DH – Mint Tea 10DH – Music Tape (three titles) 60DH
Quran tape
