Family, Food & Fun in Fes - Fanks Phoebe and Karim!

Travelling by train overland from Marrakech to Fes seemed like a great way to experience the vast and arid expanses that fill most of Morocco's land mass. And I can assure you it was quite intriguing to see the landscape change as the ramshackle houses, roadside stalls and stray animals disappeared to be replaced with...nothing. But nothing isn’t always a bad thing The nothing that replaced the menagerie that was Marrakech consisted of expanses of olive groves and a seemingly infinite supply of orange soil that met and clashed with the blue horizon strikingly.

Unfortunately the dessert scene being played out was lost on me as I had a serious fever. When you have a fever the best case scenario is being in an air-conditioned home; in your own bed, blankets wrapped around you and either your mother or grandmother providing a constant supply of wet face washers, honey & lemon tea and paracetamol. The worst case scenario is sitting on a packed Moroccan train hurtling through the scorching dessert for seven hours; without air-conditioning, without tissues, without water and definitely without personal space Unfortunately for me I experienced the latter scenario!

After our hellish train journey, arriving in Fes, it was great to be greeted by a familiar face in our good friend Phoebe. Phoebe has recently married a Moroccan, Karim, and they warmly welcomed us into their home for three nights. For our hosts' sake we tried to contain our excitement, but if we were to be honest the thought of sleeping in the old medina in the oldest city in Morocco, shopping and eating amongst locals and getting an intimate insight into Moroccan life was tres exciting!

The Blue Gate (Bab Boujloud) in Fes

Playing at the old Royal Palace

Arriving at Phoebes and Karim's flat, the first thing we noticed was the Moroccan sofa, called ponjes. The sofa ran around the entire perimeter of the lounge room. Phoebe told us to pick any spot and that it would be our bed for the next three nights. Karim went off to work while Phoebe, Julia and I caught up on gossip and easily chatted for a few hours. Our catchup was cut short by the rumblings of our stomachs and we heeded their demands and left in search of some food. We met Karim and he took us to a local restaurant where we feasted on a spicy and fulfilling chicken tagine. Blowing my nose incessantly throughout the meal, it was impossible to hide the fact that I was a little sick. Karim, concerned, told me he would take me to a traditional doctor and have me on the mend in no time. Culturally, vocationally and socially accustomed to western medicine I suppressed my scepticism and thought the opportunity an experience or story at the very least.

A delicious dinner date with Phoebe and Karim!

Arriving at the small store, I was overwhelmed by the organic smells, viles perched precariously on precariously affixed shelves and a very cluttered space. After the mandatory questions, thankfully translated by Karim, the doctor said, with a toothy grin, that I needed to sniff some 'black cocaine.' By now a small crowd had formed and with some trepidation I inhaled the 'black cocaine.' My eyes watered almost immediately and I can tell you my nostrils and nasal passage felt as though I had just inhaled napalm. It was some hours and countless tissues later until my nostrils stopped burning and my nasal passage stopped expelling black soot like discharge.

In Islamic culture, Friday is their hol-i-day. Culturally, Moroccans couple this Islamic day with couscous and aptly name it 'Couscous Fridays'. Phoebe and Karim told us that Karim's family would be over early Friday morning for 'Couscous Friday'. We were excited at the prospect of sharing a meal with Karim's family and also learning how to make some genuine Moroccan fare. Despite the obvious language barrier we were able to sufficiently communicate with Karim's family and jot down a few recipe notes. Not to mention share countless laughs and good old fashioned fun. The whole process took quite some time as everything was expertly made from scratch by Karim's mum. No instant couscous. No chicken stock cubes. And the resulting meal, coupled with fantastic company was one of the best meals we have enjoyed this trip so far. Our fond memories of sitting around the largest tagine we've ever bared witness to will no doubt stay with us forever.

Karim's mum cooking up a storm! The chicken had been freshly slaughtered that morning.

Couscous - before shot......

.... and after! Yummo!

At risk of giving you the impression I'm searching for sympathy, I have to talk briefly about my sickness. Really just a head cold and under normal circumstances, nothing to worry about. However, Morocco, with its spice infused cuisine, moreish mint tea and abundance of weird and wonderful sweets, is not a country you want to lose your sense of taste and the timing couldn't have been worse! Needless to say I was bloody annoyed at not being able to fully appreciate the varied flavours that I was shovelling into my mouth. Humourlessly the last thing I consumed before losing my sense of taste was an out-of-this-world almond milkshake. So for three days everything I tasted, or didn't taste, tasted of almond milkshake. Not a bad flavour to be stuck with for three days!

Karim also took us to a tannery, where leather is dyed and made into all sorts of products like handbags, jackets & belts!

Julia has coerced me into writing of Phoebe's temporarily adopted kitten Azeya. Azeya was a stray street kitten rescued by Karim. It goes without saying that kittens are by nature very cute and I'm personally an animal lover. So it was lovely having Azeya stumble around, falling off of couches, getting her little claws stuck on things due to her lack of control and watching her belly grow as she was fed and fed and then fed some more in the name of love. Julia was besides herself with love and joy and a plethora of other maternal emotions that only women can experience. As adorable as little Azeya was, her lasting legacy will no doubt be Julia's subsequent own adoption of a kitten once we arrive home! My question is, will I get to help decide a name? 

She's so little!!!!!!!

Azeya wearing a paper hat!! She's so working that samurai look!