Got up early so that I could have breakfast and coffee before heading for the bus stop. At the bus stop I ran into the Australians I'd met last night. After waiting more than an hour for the bus we were told it was full, so we decided to pool our resources and hire a Grand Taxi to Fés. After much haggling and several false leads we found a taxi that would take us all the way there for 120 Dirhams each (US$12). Apparently the others had come to Chefchaouen from the ferry together and had some problems with the taxi, so one of the guys drew out a brief contract in rough French and had the driver sign it. Four very uncomfortable (I had the front seat which meant when the driver picked up a sixth passenger, about 50 percent of the trip, I was crammed) hours later we got to Fés.
The group of decided to stick together (thus Team Morocco '98 was formed). We found a large room in a hotel and slept on the floor (with five of us it was cheaper than the roof and had a lock). We spent the last hour of daylight (and the first couple hours of night) exploring the medina and souqs in our neighborhood. Had dinner at a little Moroccan restaurant near the hotel. I tried Pastilla, a Moroccan specialty - it was strange, but delicious. It's a spicy chicken pie type dish, the strange part is the top crust is covered with tons of sugar and cinnamon - odd, but it definitely works.
Team Morocco is: James (a.k.a. Blondie) and Marian (a.k.a. Maz) a couple from Sydney (she's been living in London and traveling when able. He's a photographer for a newspaper in Sydney); another James (also from Sydney, an architect) and Jen (from Melbourne, a vet student), they met in Barcelona and he convinced her to go to Morocco). Blondie, Marian, and Jen have to be back in Tangiers on the 9th to catch the ferry back to Spain (Blondie and Mariana are heading for Ireland, and Jen is starting a two month safari through Southeast Africa). James flies out of Casablanca on the 15th for a month of trekking in the Himalayas. They're all entertaining, laid back, intelligent, and have good attitudes, in short perfect traveling companions.
[Entry written later from notes: 16 September 1998]
