In Chefchaouen, Elahe bought a pair of slip-on leather shoes made from the tannery in Fez. Although we saw thousands of similar shoes in Fez, we never saw the same pair, and we discovered that we had haggled well. Although the tannery was interesting to see, mint leaves were needed under our noses to mask the horrible smell that I had assumed was simply from the skins themselves. We learned that the soaking steps of the tanning process are responsible for the eye-searing smell, as first a wash of cow urine, quicklime, salt, and water, and later, a blend of water and pigeon feces act as tenderizers. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia that acts as a softening agent, which allows hides to become malleable so that they can absorb the dye. Locals collect and sell the poop by the pound as the tannery uses hundreds of pounds. The tanner uses his bare feet to knead the hides for up to three hours to achieve the desired effect, eventually producing some of the softest leather in the world. We admired the city from another hilltop viewpoint. As is often the case with a group tour, there were several stops throughout the trip that combined some level of touristic interest with an even greater level of commercial pressure. Obviously leather goods were sold at the tannery stop, and many items were on offer at the ceramic school and factory, too. When everyone was finished purchasing ceramics, we were led on a walk through the medina. We visited one of several madrasas to admire its architecture, and to once again take turns with our fellow travellers posing for pictures. The group's lunch spot provided the day's third viewpoint. We once again opted out of the time consuming group lunch in favour of more time to explore the medina on our own. We reassured our guide that if we weren't back at the designated spot by the agreed upon time, we waived him of responsibility and would take a cab back to the hotel. Once freed from the group, locals approached us far more, offering us looks inside several unmarked doors, where we discovered homes, workshops, restaurants, a hammam spa, and a carpet shop. We bought delicious Nadorcott mandarins and an Americano. We befriended some young footballers whose soccer ball had popped. Upon learning that we were Canadian, they reminded us that Morocco defeated Canada 2 - 1 in the most recent World Cup. When I feigned tears, all of the boys hugged me, while telling me that it was okay. Eventually Elahe gave them money towards a new ball. We learned a little about one of the local mosques. We rejoined the group and continued the walk through the medina. We returned to the bus by walking through a much more recently developed part of the city. Along the way, I was able to have a brief kick around when I met two more young footballers.
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