Road from Merzouga to Fez
Today, we hit the road with a 9-hour drive from Merzouga to Fez. We do not have much plan for today other than enjoying the city from the car.
Table of Contents
Destinations:
1. Sun Rise
I woke up at 7:15 to watch the sunrise come over the Sahara. The sun was rising around 7:36 this morning. I thought that it would be more incredible. After that, I headed out to breakfast where our server, Zoohin took great care of us again. The breakfast came with an omelet, assorted bread and jams, fruits, and yogurt. They have hands down the best orange juice. We scarfed down our food since Ali had a long drive ahead of him. We took some apples and bananas for the monkeys that we are going to see on our drive to Fez. When we were ready to leave, Zoohin came out to get our bags and took some photographs of us together. The tour driver drove us back to the entrance. We asked if it was difficult to drive in the sand and he said it is worse during the summers due to the dense sand.
2. Ifran Village
During our drive, we went through all sorts of climates from rainy to sunny to snowy. We drove through a town that symbolizes Switzerland called Ifran Village. Snow was coming down and it was our driver’s first time witnessing snow falling. He got so excited and he explained that when this happened, locals would drive just to see it. He was right, we saw cars making their way to the mountains.
3. Monkey Sighting
I think monkeys are mean, at least the ones I have encountered. I do not blame them since people have disrupted their habitat. Ali told us that Moroccan monkeys are friendly. I did not believe him until I saw them.
We did not think that we were going to see monkeys today since it was snowing. We almost drove past it but Ali saw monkeys and immediately pulled over. We ran across the highway and fed the monkeys. There was a man selling peanuts and Ali bought us a handful. We handed the monkeys bananas and apples. Yes, they just grabbed the food off of our hands. It was incredible.
Time Spent: 30 mins
Where to Eat:
Lunch: New Perla
New Perla is a local spot with incredibly cheap and delicious food. I was craving pasta but instead, I ordered the Arabic tacos. The tacos were grilled wraps like paninis. We ordered an Arabic taco (65 mad) and a veggie taco (30mad) that came with a side of salad and fries, mixed fruit juice (15mad), and tea (10mad) for a grand total of 110mad.
Dinner: Leftovers
We were exhausted from the 9-hour drive that we decided to stay in and eat our leftovers from New Perla.
Where to Stay:
Dar Victoria
→ 31 Rue Makhfia Quartier Bourajoue, Fès 30200, Morocco
Dar Victoria is a massive hotel for only $63 for two nights. The hotel has a living room area with a bed in the living room area, a private room with a smaller bed, a kitchen, and a private bathroom. The dar was located right outside of the famous medina. We cannot wait to explore the next day.
