As you approach the city of Fes, you are overwhelmed by the incredible noise of the traffic. Roads are unmarked, there are no traffic lights, and people are sounding their car horns all the time, a terrible din. The traffic noise abates once you enter the market, as the streets are too narrow for cars to get Everything appears to be all over the place, but that's not all!
The medina (market) of Fes has a unique smell that is hard to describe, and even harder to forget. It smells raw meat that has been in the sun too long, combined with the stench of oil and olives. The sound of flies buzzing is everywhere. It is easy to escape from this smell if you enter a pharmacy. The shopkeeper speaks both Arabic and English fluently. He listens to his customers and then tells them what medicines they need.
Giant bottles of herbs and spices give a fragrant scent of fresh mint and lavender. There is a restaurant nearby, where lunch is being served. Big platters of fresh vegetables come out first, but many tourists clear of raw vegetables in case they get ill from the water they were washed in. Then, the main course is served – curried chicken. It looks and smells appetizing and tastes delicious. The diners eat it with relish, down with cola, even though many of them have seen chickens being killed in the market just a few minutes earlier.