Continued:
When it comes to buying ****, we had a hard time deciding what something was worth considering the exchange rate was so good and $40 for a hand carved bellows made of cedar is a steal. They always start very high, so start a little under half and go up in increments that they go down. No money has transferred but once you shake, you're in kind of a gentleman's agreement. A lot of places sell similar items so if you think you can find it elsewhere for less, don't be afraid to just bail on the deal. Little kids and cookie sales people will try to put something in your hand and then want money from you, so keep your head on a swivel, you'll start to notice people hunting you for money. EVERYTHING is tip based here too, but again with the conversion it's not a big deal. Make sure to get coin Dirham if you're feeling annoyed by all the hassling for money, because all it takes for someone to stop bothering you is 1MAD which is literally .10¢.
Banks/ATMs can run out of money after the weekend so make sure you go to a well lit bank, or even better, go to the ville nouvelle if you're going to pull out cash. We took out 2000MAD at a time and even outside the Medina, people were just sitting around banks looking for money (esp kids). My gf and I talked a lot about the lack of industriousness for such a poor country. Some people sold cigarettes and scuzzy looking food or tissue paper (keep some handy for toilet paper on you at all times) which I guess is better than nothing, but there were PLENTY of people just sitting around literally doing nothing. Especially in the desert or in the Atlas Mountains.
It seems like the government could set up some sort of public works program to get people to work as unemployment is high, and people seemed to just sit in cafes (which are predominantly populated by men, unless you're a local, you'll probably get crummy service). At least get the trash problem under control or something. There seems little regard for keeping the streets clean.
A lot of shop owners will also follow you for a little bit to try to get your attention, but putting your hand up and a "no, merci" or even better well spoken Moroccan Arabic will get them to lay off. The only thing I remember was "no thank you," which is: la shukran which is pronounced "shoe-krahn."
Don't be those people that dress like tourists either, you stick out and become a major mark. No shorts, no t-shirts and women should avoid skirts or revealing too much skin. You won't be allowed into any mosques but female tourists don't have to cover their hair. My gf didn't get any **** but brought one cause we went to the Hassan II mosque and she wanted to be respectful (it wasn't required).
One thing I noticed was a decided lack of quality construction. I realize that Morocco is an old country, but there's a real "ehh **** it" when it comes to how things work. A lot of toilets flush poorly, people just throw trash on the road (there were fields of plastic in the desert that went as far as you could see), and anything drilled into the wall looks like a kid at a frat house installed it. Take quick showers and only drink bottled water. Everyone is hot and sweaty and a little smelly anyway (you will be too, just go with it. I've been wearing the same outfit since Fes and I was there like 3 days ago). When we were coming out of the desert on our way from Erg Chebbi (Saharan sand dunes) to Fes with our driver) there were road signs stenciled and spray painted every few kilometers for the city of Meknes, but it was upside down for like, a very long time. It was funny but spoke to the "ehh, good enough" mentality that I noticed.
Cabs/Taxis: If you don't speak really good French or Arabic, you're gonna get ****ed. They start insanely high and when you find out what locals pay and what tourists pay, you'll either want to walk or argue for a lower fare. Always ask if the meter is running, or try to negotiate a price. We walked everywhere most of the time anyway, but when we took a tour in Fes, our tour guide got a cab and it was 11-13MAD ($1.10) for the ride with tip included. On our own in Casablanca (which sucks) we paid 50MAD, for a 5 minute cab ride. Again it's only $5USD but when you get the local rate, it's clear you're getting taken for more than just a cab ride. We didn't bother with any Grand Taxis, only Petite, which all look the same and all look like they survived a war.
Fes: I loved Fes because it's 1200 years old and built chronologically from oldest to youngest up a hill in the mountains. Right now it's cool and breezy but with all the walking around it'll feel good. Fes is the craftsman center of Morocco so the factories are easier to find and the quality is on the whole better to find. We bought carpets and leather poufs and some fabrics which I can't wait to start wearing. I love the craftsmanship of Moroccan goods, and in Fes it's more relaxed and less pressure from the start. Once you enter bargaining mode though, they're very skilled at it, so make a list of what you want and go from there. We regretfully didn't have room to bring back any brass lamps or glass tea cups, and we
packed an extra empty duffle bag in our large suitcase and very sparse clothing. We could have gotten away with some fewer clothes (I only wore 2 pairs of pants and none of my t shirts) but we plan on going back, next time to Chefchouen and Tangier. Oh also definitely peep the tannery pits. They're filthy and smell like rotting piss and **** but they're still in use and the higher end leather goods are (we hope) pretty nice. We're hoping they don't smell when we get them back home.
We booked a 3 day tour with a private Berber guide from Marrakech to the desert and Fes that was a LOT of driving but totally worth it. After dealing with the Taxis and the other tours that people tried to get us on, I cannot recommend Tenere Tours enough. There was a mixup with the company and our guide spoke more Spanish than anything, which we only found out a few hours before we got dropped off, so we used my broken Spanish from high school and college to ask him more about the country and the Berber nomads. There's more poverty in the countryside so if you go, some coin Dirham goes a long way, you'll see so much varied terrain and it's so beautiful, I'm not afraid to admit that I cried a little bit. It's so heartbreakingly georgious, I dunno, thinking about the history of the Berber people and what they've been through (kind of like American Indians) it really gave me a deeper appreciation for desert culture, which I have a boner for anyway. My biggest regret is not buying a full length, indigo headwrap. I really wanted one, but waited too long and should hand bought it in the desert. If anyone is headed there I will gladly pay for the longest rich indigo blue, and an orange one you can find. I'll even throw in some Trillium and some HF shelf saisons in addition to paying for the wrap. They're probably less than $20. It's gotta be long as ****, you'll know it when you see it, its blue as blue can be and usually has black ends on either side, and made of a t-shirt material.
We hit many small towns, including the Rose Valley, Ziz and Todra George, Atlas (high and middle) sand dunes, Dades Valley (STAY AT ECOBIO RIAD), Ourzazate, Ait Ben Haddou (GoT film site) and a bunch of other places. Lots of driving in 3 days but worth it. We even were on set at a Chinese action film at Kasbah Amridil, which was a unique experience.
Casablanca sucks. It felt like grimy disenfranchised, poor, stereotypical Africa to me. The buildings were dirty, people were nasty, and we were treated rudely almost everywhere we went. Apparently statistics show that up to 25% to almost a 1/3 of the populace lives in shantytowns. The only really nice people here were those at the hotel we stayed at (**** riads and dars here) and the tour guide at the Hassan II mosque, which is the only thing worth seeing besides the lighthouse. We didn't feel unsafe but I didn't want to wander around at night and everyone seemed bristly, which is weird considering Casablanca is the industrial capital of Morocco. The Hassan II mosque is insanely massive and the craftsmanship that went into building it is awe inspiring. Again there's people looking for money here, but it's the only mosque you can enter as a filthy non-Muslim and it's worth the $12 to get the quick tour. Being there on a Friday or during Ramadan must be impressive.
Note on Friday: It's the Muslim holy day, so many places are closed. If you want to go shopping on Friday, get a state sponsored for guide and they'll take you to the factories that stay open later for honkeys.
Anyway that's a quick run down of what we saw. I'm glad I went, but tired as it's not a relaxing trip. We spent a night in Lisbon and LOVED it. Much cleaner and relaxed and the wine is very affordable. We went to an outdoor cafe and wept over the cured meats and cheeses that were served to us with affordable glasses of wine by beautiful olive skinned women. It's also spring here and there's leaves in the trees and moisture in the air. My beard is WRECKED after Morocco. Woke up with a hangover... #worthit.
Go to Morocco!
