04/07/2026
Vulnerable words incoming, because:
travelling truths!!!
There are places that charm you instantly.
And then there are others that ask something of you first.
And that is to accept the darker challenge.
Today, Fez is doing exactly that.
I just left the tanneries, the largest leather dying place globally, dating back to the 11th century.
Same stone vats.
Same techniques.
Same rhythm of work passed down through generations.
The heat settles over everything, the ugly scent of the tanneries linger in the air long before I even got there.
They hand you a small branch of mint when you go up the many many many stairs.
The medina unfolds as I walk, like a maze with no obvious beginning or end.
Alleyways, upon alleyways, unexpected turns, twists, moments of confusion, and more than once, the feeling of being completely cornered by men.
Scared?
Absolutely frightened.
A strong need to just get out!
But you cannot show the panic that is building in you, so holding it all tightly inside.
Neatly packaged
Not the romantic version of travel you see in postcards.
Somewhere in all that chaos, people have been working leather by hand for centuries.
Life carries on through the noise, the colour, unbelievable craftsmanship, and even more unbelievable disorder.
Here, in this place, I am not falling in love, in fact, hugely challenged by being harassed, followed, swore at as a women travelling solo because I don't do as they say by purchasing or by following them deeper into their maze.
My intuition thundered like the biggest storm in my chest.
Didn't expect to tell this story.
I also hope I just had a bad experience and that it is not always like this, though I have heard some other harrowing tales.
Then, like magic on my way out, a little girl pulls me into a tiny family cafe and makes me the best God given mint tea I will ever taste.
Good old ferken hearty sob, head in hands, for it all as I allow that hot tea to settle in my nervy belly πΏ
So grateful for this beautiful family.
They invited me back for a Moroccon party tonight.
I don't know if I have it in me to handle another maze.
All in all, I am glad I got up there to observe something so ancient