After all our adventures are explained here and here, we stop at some streets (French heritage) to take a breath.
The streets are dark, horrible. In the garbage soil, cigarette butts. Arab youth on the street giggled. It is quite inappropriate at night to recall the horrific story recently described in the newspaper "Al Akbar" with donkeys and fifteen Moroccan teenagers abusing the poor, and then going to the hospital. To be treated for rabies. From a far away sin decides from her husband and daughter to follow her.
Long mourning about where to seek shelter, and we do not have to walk alone. Suddenly, local building materialized in front of us. This is pure gin from Aladdin Lamp. And the same question is asked: "What do you want?" The Arabs, who introduced themselves as Hasan, spoke fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
The magic word "shukran" is used to delay. Help is needed. And he did not inspire fear.
"We want to spend the night somewhere and dinner, so as not to be poisoned."
Hassan can do anything. Well, like everything. Everything that is difficult for white tourists in Morocco. Find your way to the right place. Show me a good restaurant. Get marijuana. In short, Hasan is here. Just whistling.
"Now we arrange," the Moroccan said. And he led us through the darkness to his friends, in the riad (in Arabic means "garden"). The same hotel where administrators, porters and cooks - this is a Moroccan family, homeowners.
Riad - everywhere a riad in Morocco.
The building is several floors with a large terrace, like a Petersburg well. Built in such a way that in the hot summer in the room all day was cool.
Everything is in flowers and plants, sometimes even fountains or swimming pools. As they walked, they exchanged two words with our guide.
The age of Hasan is about thirty years. There is no permanent job. Stayed in the fact that a tourist would. She dreamed of going to school. But the question lies in money. I would gladly get out of Morocco. But then again ... Where can I get the required amount for this? ..
All of the famous Hassan near the riad in Old Medina of Fez are late at night, unfortunately, busy. Not a single number! Hasan is annoyed - does not see it mediocre. And just, out on the illuminated path, luck smiled at us. In a large three star hotel there is a free room. With air conditioning. We were allowed to stay until morning. At 12 need to go - the next settlement has been booked. About where we are going to spend the night one more night, no thought of power.
Hasan along the way showed us a small local restaurant, gave him a compliments response and ... parted ways, rejected the tips we were offering. Instead, she handed me a piece of paper with the phone.
"You will call my father tomorrow." He will guide you along Medina, telling you everything.
Great! And the guide does not have to be searched! They clapped their hands and parted. Arabs - to the left, in the hope that other white helpless victims will fall on his network, and we go right - with the thought that everything is not so bad ...
We open the number with the key. The scene caused laughter and horror at the same time. Apparently, the stars at our hotel in Fez are distributed by God, yes, distracted at this moment by something more serious. Of the three stars, two of them are really useless. The room was stingy, not polished, doodled, toilet did not work properly, and towels, like ... as if they were hiding from a machine gun.
And what? But erased.
And most important: instead of the promised air-conditioning operation, the windows are wide open, and as a result, a bunch of Moroccan mosquitoes.
"Air conditioning" in Morocco.
"And what? Atmosphere," - squeezes the last drop of optimism, I say. My husband looked at me with the attentive gaze of a psychiatrist. The idea that there is no need to show off, but should have agreed to book the hotel on the Internet, came to my mind then not just for myself.
We went to the evening to find out about the non-functioning AC at reception without any claim. Pure out of curiosity.
"Ah, I understand what you mean," - came five minutes before the administrator at the counter. "So winter, April." Nothing has changed ... That's when the temperature will be more than 40! "
The night passes in the battle of mosquitoes, stuffy and mind, how is the cat at home there? The next morning it was found that the door lock did not work as well. They support door it as best as she can, and go to breakfast.
Breakfast made a bigger fuss. The buffet consists of blue eggs, roasted stale and diluted from the juice powder (hello, zuko, from a distant childhood). When the husband reaches for the second egg, the Arab, the restaurant manager, burns it with a look: one egg in one hand!
In the photos on the hotel website everything is beautiful.
The hotel was left full of turmoil. I even walked along the corridor - did not arrange one hour for a guest demonstration protest? But not. Everything is quiet and calm. The Chinese regularly gather in the hall to go on an excursion. Everyone is happy. We also do not become rogues, though I want ... Over the past twenty years, incidentally, no criminal was executed in Morocco. They sentenced them to death, but they did not execute them.
In the meantime, we were thinking about whether it was worth going on an excursion to Madinah - however, so many impressions were received that night. Is it really more interesting? ..
"Let's find a hotel," advised the husband, leaving the hotel.
"We're just doing this," I responded to the proposal, "only at least five stars, then there's a chance of getting at least a three-star."
We looked at the map. We planned for ourselves some 4-star and 5-star hotels and started the trip. On the one hand, in a sense.
Avoid the loud Moroccan service at night, unfortunately, fail. All hope remains for ancient Fes morning. The medieval town of the Middle Ages of the VIII century - Medina - protected since the 80th century of last century by UNESCO, with the support of ancient Arab palaces regularly restored in Fez.
But even here outside, on the streets of Fez, there is anger out of anger. One trivial thing is to live. And more terrible - aesthetic.
For your first immediate use, as soon as you step on a pedestrian zebra: well, his movement is here! Everyone was humming, babes. Hands waved at the scooter. They try to jerk at once. But for the Moroccans it is a common thing. And we, I admit, have forgotten their 90s: you can go, you can not go too far, you do not miss the car.
In the kingdom according to the latest census for 2016, more than 35 million people live. It's possible and thin. Well, you jerk, running across the street, avoiding the car. But it's a dream and you're in good shape. And pedestrian is not a tram, it's easier to stop. There is still logic in all these Moroccan devices.
With aesthetics it's more difficult: dirty here. Although, of course, we are not born in Switzerland as well. But today, even in the most deaf Mordovia village, you hardly find such a trash can. You will turn from the main street Fez to the corner - well, what's wrong with that crazy person ?! What is rubbish ?! I'm sorry, Morocco, but your impression on the first day broke out on a pampered Russian-Spanish mentality.
We found the hotel. Four stars. Compared to our night hotel, it is a palace! And even the temperature in the room was maintained no more than 26 degrees.
But it is not easy to settle there.
"No chairs," the manager at the front desk asked us to stay for a day (the next night we had to leave for Marrakech). It was, apparently, the fourth or fifth hotel in the list of cities we had planned on the map. And everywhere we heard the same thing, "We're booked." But our people can not just take it with their bare hands. Yes, and the ride at the hotel fell ill to hell.
The husband immediately, in the hotel lounge zone, boarded the phone and sought information about the availability of seats at this hotel through booking.com. And about the miracle! There are many places! We immediately booked the room and five minutes later we approached the same Arab woman behind the counter at the reception. In our ability, except for the stone face and the good style, he has nothing to show. It is about the matter of generous hospitality and the free will to help the Kingdom of Morocco.
And we, meanwhile, are ready for an excursion to Medina - a place of pilgrimage for millions of tourists. They called Papa Hassan. We agreed to meet