🇲🇦 Morocco Travel Diary V: How Not to Get Lost in Fes

(Part lyrical essay, part life-saving guide—scroll down for the no-nonsense navigation tips!) If Casablanca is Shanghai, Then Fes is... Xi'an? Fes doesn’t have a walled city right by the train station (unlike Xi'an), and its medina is a living, breathing labyrinth. Unlike Marrakech—where tourists outnumber locals—Fes feels raw and real. Take a wrong turn, and you’ll find kids playing soccer in alleyways or teens sneaking cigarettes while watching the sunset. Even the shopkeepers are chill, lazily propping sticks to "lock" their stores before vanishing. But don’t let the laid-back vibe fool you. The ancient walls whisper of Fes’s history as a strategic stronghold, while its grand caravanserais (merchant inns) and madrasas (Islamic schools) reveal its past wealth and scholarly prestige. 🚨 SURVIVAL GUIDE: HOW NOT TO GET LOST IN FES 🚨 Google Maps? Useless. Paths are wrong. Pin locations are wrong. Many alleys aren’t mapped. It’ll lead you to dead ends. 🔑 The Key: Read the Street Signs! Fes medina has three types of signs: 🟦 Rectangle = Main street (safe) 🟧 Square = Side street (connects to other paths) ⬡ Hexagon = Dead end (avoid unless your destination is here!) 💡 Pro Tip: Once, a scammer told me a path was a dead end. I pointed to the square sign and said, "This leads somewhere." He backed off instantly—knowledge is power! 🚷 Avoiding "Helpful" Strangers (Most Are Scammers) 👦 Kids Mischievous but harmless. Watch for shifty eyes. 🏀 Teenagers (in tracksuits, smoking) Sudden "friendly" greetings? Keep walking. 🧔 Adults Hardest to judge. Some are kind, but others: Lead you the wrong way. Take you to shops. Trap you in dead ends (check the sign!). 👴 The Miracle Exception: Once, an old man in a white robe pointed the right way without me even asking. Faith in humanity restored! Final Advice It takes 3 days to memorize the medina well. Stay calm—looking lost invites "guides." Trust the signs, not random directions. Happy exploring! May your path always be rectangular. 😉 #Morocco #Fes #TravelTips #MedinaMaze #NoScams #CulturalTravel #Wanderlust 🗺️