The Medinas

The Medina in Marrakech was a vast, open square bustling with tourists--the perfect place for a local merchant or peddler to prey on gullible foreigners. There were snake charmers, entertainers with monkeys, and henna women. While the former two only hunted you down if you took a picture, the henna women are known to chase after you, grab your arm, and start tattooing you without permission. This is the most frightening, especially since the stranger who is grabbing at you will, of course, demand payment for the uninvited henna tattoo. In addition to running from the henna women and steering clear from the street entertainers, we also had to watch out for men. In a floor length dress covered by a long sleeve white shirt, I was (except for the head scarf) the epitome of modesty, which did nothing to ward off the heckling and the more undesirable butt-pinching. Yes, I can testify that I was pinched in the rear no fewer than three times. So, when you to Marrakech, watch your back.

Winding roads, hidden alleys and tunnels, and even straw ceilings make the Medina in Fes drastically different.
The maze, containing over a thousand small roads, is nearly impossible to navigate yourself. It isn't just the physical change from open and overwhelming to confining and confusing that marked the differences between these two Medinas. Marrakech caters to Foreign presence. The gimmicks, tchotchkes, and trinkets are all geared towards the traveler, whereas the more quiet Medina of Fes is self-sustaining. As the capital of handy-crafts, Fes is brimming with opportunities to buy glossy, agave scarves, hand woven rugs, and intricately carved wood and metal pieces. However, the artisans make most of their money on locals who come to shop for the goods they need. The lack of necessity for Foreign presence does a lot to take attention away from travelers. This is not to say that you can totally let your guard down, but it does much to diminish the butt-pinching and heckling.

A tip for the traveler: Get yourself a tour guide. It's nearly impossible to handle this dense Medina on your own:

Views of the Medina in Fes from above

Be sure it's an "official" tour guide, probably booked through your hotel. There is a running scheme in which a friendly, English-speaking Moroccans will claim to have relatives studying at a famous American college or university to garner your trust. While they may seem nice, these unofficial tour guides will jack up the prices and take you to places where they have connections so as to make a profit off of whatever you may buy and ignore the far more interesting corners of the Medina that an official guide will show you. Plus, an official tour guide will shower you with facts and historical stories that make the walk all the more interesting.