Watch the first episode of Explore MOROCCO #1: White-Blue City Rabat at https://th.readme.me/p/3007

Watch the second episode Explore MOROCCO # 2: Travel back in time to the Roman city of Volubilis at https://th.readme.me/p/3010

Built in 1913, the Bab Bou Jeloud gate is distinguished by its blue mosaic decoration. Inside the gate is the Medina district, which has many shopping areas and shops.

To avoid wasting time searching for our hotel, we hired a porter to carry our luggage and guide us there. It turned out to be a wise decision, as the streets of Medina are a labyrinth of narrow alleys. The route to the hotel involved numerous turns and twists, and each corner looked remarkably similar. Today, we have booked accommodation at Riad Verus.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were once again unable to check into our room. We asked the staff for restaurant recommendations, but they must have known that we wouldn't be able to find our way there, so they kindly walked us to the restaurant themselves.

The top floor of the restaurant offers a panoramic view of the city of Fes.

This was followed by food served in a "tajine," a tightly sealed container from North Africa. The tajine is known for its high heat resistance and ability to cook food to perfection. I think that in addition to its excellent heat resistance, it also makes us wonder what the food will look like.

The first menu is Couscous, which looks like round flour grains. It is a traditional food in Africa. I think it is similar to Thai "Khao Kriap Khao" (fried rice cracker). It is served with chicken stew and roasted vegetables. I only ate the chicken for this menu because I tried the flour and I can't describe the feeling.

The second menu is also chicken, with a slightly better taste than the first menu. It looks similar to our Phanaeng curry.

The final dish was braised beef with prunes and apricots. I'm not sure whether to call it savory or sweet, but I know it was my favorite of the three dishes I ordered. The apricots added a touch of tartness, while the prunes provided sweetness.

To top it off, the shop gave us free rubies to cleanse our palates. I must say, the rubies were even sweeter and more delicious than the ones we have back home.

After a satisfying meal, we began exploring Medina.

The paths within Medina are narrow in some sections, with people walking everywhere. It was tiring to walk through the crowds. However, some sections are wide enough to allow for some breathing space. I found the paths to be quite crowded. The first stop was to admire the patterns on the door of the art gallery building. However, I did not go inside as I was more interested in observing the Moroccan way of life.

The craftsmanship of the Moroccans is incredibly delicate. Just looking at it makes me want to take it home and display it, but I can only dream.

What really caught my eye was the plate hanging above the door, both the pattern and the colors. It really won me over.

Some shops look like they're selling antiques, which is pretty cool.

There are also fabric products to choose from.

It looks like a woven machine.

Argan oil is a pure oil, famous in Morocco, extracted from the oldest tree species in the world, located in southwestern Morocco. Argan oil helps nourish the skin, making it firm and smooth, and nourishes the skin, hair, and nails.

This type of door pattern is a hallmark of Moroccan architecture. Many resorts in Thailand have adopted this type of archway as a selling point to create a unique identity for their resorts.

The donkey is another popular mode of transport for Moroccans. In addition to riding, it can also be used to carry goods.

According to the information, along the 2 km distance from one gate of Medina to the other, there are almost ten thousand alleys and lanes. The narrowest alley is between 50 cm and 3 meters wide. I don't know if it's true or not, but one thing is for sure, if you just walk around without remembering the way, you will definitely get lost.

The interior structure of the Riad Verus hotel is not much different from the hotel we stayed at in Rabat. It is a tall building with an open space in the middle, similar to a chimney. In the picture, it is the area for Check in.

Adjacent to the Check-in area is a space for guests to relax and enjoy meals.

The interior design is beautiful.

This is my room. It's on the ground floor and has a bunk bed. There are no amenities in the room except for a lamp, a power outlet, and a heater. The bathroom is a shared bathroom located outside.

Actually, Kee had already booked a room with 4 beds and a private bathroom online for 80 EUR. However, due to a mistake made by the morning shift staff who took us to the restaurant in the afternoon, he gave us this room and told us that it was the only one available. We had no choice but to go along with it. In fact, the room we got was only 40 EUR. After taking a shower and going to bed, I heard people talking in an emotional way. One of the voices was Kee's. After a while, Kee came in and told us that we were being forced to pay 80 EUR for this room, as we had booked it online. However, we should only pay 40 EUR because we did not sleep in the room we had booked. Kee tried to reason with the night shift staff that the morning shift staff had told us that this was the only room available. However, the night shift staff informed us that the room we had booked was still available. We still had to pay 80 EUR because we had booked it. The staff offered us two options: to move to the room we had booked, which was on the upper floor, or to stay in the current room and pay 80 EUR as before. Our decision was to move to the room we had booked. The staff claimed that they needed to call the manager first. After a while, they came back and said that they could not reach the manager. Anyway, we didn't want to argue any further, as we might be kicked out of the accommodation in the middle of the night. So, we just went along with it.

The rooftop has a seating area where you can enjoy the view. The rooftop viewpoint is suitable for viewing the city of Fes from afar, but if you look closer, you will see only rooftops.

A light breakfast of bread, fried eggs, orange juice, yogurt, apricot jam, and cheese seems to be the breakfast pattern of this country. But what I really liked was the freshly squeezed orange juice, which was delicious.

Let's start with the Chouara tanneries. If you come to Fes and don't visit the tanneries, it's like you haven't been to Fes at all. I didn't know where the tanneries were located in the Medina, so I had to ask the locals. And it might have been a jackpot for me that I asked the right person. He seemed to be a broker who would take tourists to different shops for a commission. He took me to the front of a tannery, and someone from the tannery took us up to the rooftop to see the leather tanning process. He explained the tanning process to us, but I didn't understand much because my English isn't very strong. So I spent the time he was talking to take pictures instead.

The leather used will be sheep, goat, and camel leather, each type of leather will be used for different purposes. We will see many processes from this tanning yard, from hair removal, dyeing, drying, and drying. Almost every inch of the tanning yard is used for full-area tanning.

Despite the abundance of modern leather tanning solutions, this tannery continues to use a traditional and rather peculiar mixture: pigeon droppings and cow urine. This unique combination is responsible for the pungent odor that permeates the entire tannery.

Due to limited space in the factory, after dyeing the leather, they will dry it in the sun on the mountain. If you look closely, you will see long strips of blood-red leather laid out to dry.

After inhaling a lungful of leather bleach, we slowly tiptoed down from the rooftop of the tannery. Why tiptoe? Because we figured we'd definitely be pressured into buying something. But then we walked past a bag that really caught our eye, so we asked the price. At first, the shop quoted a pretty high price, but we managed to haggle it down to a satisfactory level. In the end, we walked away with a new bag! If you're ever in Fes and you like leather goods, I highly recommend buying them here. You're guaranteed to get genuine leather. Leatherwork is a renowned handicraft in Fes.

After leaving the tannery, we set out to find another important landmark that should not be missed when visiting the city of Fes: the Kairaouine mosque.

The Kairaouine mosque is the first religious university in Morocco and one of the oldest in the world. Currently, the university is still open. Only Muslims are allowed inside, so I could only take pictures from the outside.

Along the way, there are shops on both sides of the road. Shopkeepers will always greet us with "Hello My friend..Where you come from?" When we don't answer, they will guess the names of various countries. Japan? China? Malaysia? ... When we don't answer again, this time they will use greetings from each country to greet us. Some say "Ni hao" and some say "Arigatou". But if we accidentally talk to them and reply "I come from Thailand", he will sing "Oh.. Tony Jaa" and make a boxing gesture.

Inside Medina, the area is divided into sections for selling goods. Each section sells different types of goods. For example, in the section that sells fabric, there will only be shops selling fabric. There will be no other types of goods mixed in.

This area is the Henna Souq, where they sell the oil used to write Henna.

This area is known for selling leather shoes, another recommended product.

This shop is making seats to be placed on camels.

This is the bread that the hotel served us every morning for breakfast. It's sold like this.

The patterns on the walls or the structure of the door are very beautiful.

Walking through narrow alleys, I saw these kinds of supports and felt a little scared that they might collapse on my head.

Sweet, delicious, and refreshing ruby.

The Merdersa Bou Inania (Medersa Bou Imania) is a theological college and a stunning example of Moorish architecture. Built between 1351 and 1356, it is one of the few Islamic religious sites that allows non-Muslims to enter its interior.

The interior features beautiful mosaics and stucco carvings along the arched doorways. The floor is paved with marble and there is a small water basin in the center of the school.

Stepping out of the Medersa Bou Inania, my gaze fell upon the water clock, an ancient timepiece, installed above the row of shops.

I have no information on the history of the Water clock, how it was used, or whether it is still in use today.

A camel meat hamburger, please. Served with French fries. The camel meat is a bit gamey.

Chicken salad. Overall, the taste of this meal is more palatable than yesterday's first meal.

After we had our fill, we headed to our next destination, the Royal Palace of Fez.

Walking along, passing through the city walls

Upon arriving at the hotel, we freshened up and prepared for our onward journey to Merzouga. Tonight, we will be sleeping on the bus.

Follow Explore MOROCCO #4: Where the Sky Meets the Sand at Merzouga at https://th.readme.me/p/3012