Morocco anyone?
- Started
- Last post
- 28 Responses
- jawks
Anyone been? What's it like? Thoughts?
Planning a trip this summer and we'll be down by Malaga in Spain and thought about jumping over to Morocco and do Tangier - Marrakech - Casablanca.
- Ruffian0
Going to be there for 2 days in March. Not enough time but still looking forward.
- maximillion_0
best of the north african countries IMO
- jawks0
Any must-see/do's?
- maximillion_0
smoke some sheesh with mint tea and pine nuts with teh locals.the atlas mountains are pretty good and so is a camle ride in the shara (the sand is super-fine so be careful with yr camera - many ppls camera zooms stopped working when we we there).
speak yr nordic lang when haggling it confuses the hell out of them (dutch did for me!)
- jawks0
LOL, thanks! I will make sure to use my native tounge :)
As far as safety is concerned, is it any different from say, Spain or France?
- maximillion_0
id say its less safe than europe but as long as yr sensible I wouldnt worry too much. it is a muslim country so they frown on booze and drgs but accept booze for foreigners. drgs can get you into shit (money gets you out). find a friendly beach if yr girl wants to sun bath. and I'd buy bottle wine/beers etc as the local stuff is either low percent or alcohol free.
the romans were keen on north africa so there are amphitheatres that are worth a look, not sure about morrocco but saw one in tunisia which was worth the trip, id check it out to see if there are any.
enjoy yr stay - and look at the weather forecasts for when you want to go - if yr after sun this time of the year it may be risky
- Atkinson0
Marrakech is fookin crazy, went for two weeks last summer. 52 degrees. Everyone wants your money, everythings a hustle, the tannery is the worst place I've ever been to in my life and I had a king cobra put around my neck. Then asked for money to remove it. I wouldn't go back but it was an experience I don't regret at all. The food is excellent as is the tea. The people are very friendly and very good looking. They still want your money though!!
- rafalski0
Some Portuguese people recommended I spent a night in a tent on the desert. How does one organize something like that?
- menos0
haventr been but many friends have and planning to go for a little surfari sometime soon. from what i heard, rabat is not worth visiting, fez and marrakech definitely. beware when you got to the big as market there because you can get lost pretty easily. you can always get someone to guide you for a little $, but they'll probably also take you to their uncles cousin grandmothers dog sister tea house, rugs store etc etc... i want to spend most of the time going down the coast and then coming up through some of the cities. be friendly and respectful and all should be alright.
- Llyod0
I worked with some pig fucker from morocco. he was educated in france and was therefore upper class. some shit came on the news about israel mowing down palestinian homes. he was seething for days. then the fuckwit gets in my face and demands to know what I think about israel. I said I don't give a shit. He said are you jewish? (my last name can by) and I said 'no, I'm christian'. The he said are you practicing? what a douche. You have to be brainwashed in some way to to win. ha
- neverblink0
I was there 6 years ago.. First spent a few days in Marrakech (it's a hell, but essential place to get to know the country), then went down to the South, did a couple of days of hiking in the Atlas Mountains (beautiful green area), then went further South, spent a night in a tent in the Sahara (unforgettable: trying to set up your tent in a sand storm = finding sand in your undies for the rest of the trip. Beautiful starry nights!!). Went to the Atlantic Coast, spent a couple of days in Essouira (relaxed, former-surfers town).
all-in-all a great country to visit.
- Spookytim0
I spent two weeks in Morrocco and pretty much hated it. I hated it as a holiday that is... I valued it as an experience.
I have never in my life been so hassled, so continuously, every single step of the way, anywhere you care to go, and time of day or night. They just wont fucking leave you alone. Want to sell you something, want to rip you off, want to grope your girlfriend, want to engage you in what is initially a friendly conversation "hello, welcome my friend, how do you like our country?"... in order to either trap you into a compromised position with regards to soemthing or other (for their gain, obviously) so that before you know it you are
A: surrounded by four hundred angry morrocan men who really just fucking hate westerners and will make up any excuse to try and give you a kicking.
B: Will find yourself drinking horse-piss tea in the house of someone who isn;t going to let you leave unless you buy a carpet.
Its a real passive aggresive thing over there. You are either friendly, in which case you owe them for their time and hospitality, or you are dismissive and curt in which case you are a fucking pig from the west who better watch out.
Marrakesh is like no place on earth. Worth a visit for the cinematic madness. Overall, the place stinks, its very poor, very very focussed on stripping you of you cash and valuables at every possible turn without exception and generally is hassle capital of the world...
"Hello my friend, Hello my friend, hello my friend" is all you will hear as you walk down a street as people tug at your clothes, get in your face etc.
The girl I was travelling with was followed everywhere went by a long train of dribbling men. She even tried to go swimming and they followed her, in a line, into the sea. We also got attacked by a crazy looking woman in marrakesh who started swinging at us with a large, filthy rusted syringe becuase the girl I was with would not by a piece of shit she was selling. I caught her arm millimetres before the syringe plunged into my friend's breast and she came at me with a second making crazy LULULULULU face wobble nosies like a fucking crazy fucking banshee. We were chased out of marrakesh that day by a mob of maybe 50 people who just decided to respond to this mad woman's cry and come at us with the machetes they were using to hack up sheep's heads.
Horrible. Never again.
great photos though. Take a (cheap) camera.
- Is it bad that I find this hilarious? It really is something a movie could be made about.Jaline
- wow maybe you should be more accepting of foreign culturesLlyod
- More accepting, yeah, THAT was what was lacking on the trip. Well Spotted Melanie.
I Must Be More Accepting.Spookytim - This experience pales into insignificance compared to my trip to Grand Rapids in Illinois. Holy Fuck, that was a movie. A bad, horrible movie.Spookytim
- Spookytim0
Also: You WILL get the shits. No avoiding it. So it stinks, its ridiculously hot and sweaty, you are WAY WAY outside of your comfort zone, you are getting hassled and groped every single moment and on top of all that you have to keep your buttocks clenched hard, real hard together, so you walk like C3PO, because otherwise you are going to shit yourself, no question.
- neverblink0
YES - They have very agressive selling techniques
NO - That's not all there is to MaroccoGo to the South! People are much friendlier there as they don't rely on selling their trinkets to tourists.
- ********0
go to Essaouira 3hours driving west from Marrakech, beautiful !
- ********0
if you want a contac there, I know a really good guy there
- ********0
- goodidealuke0
I recently spent two weeks there surfing around the agadir region.
It's an amazing place rich with culture and history. But it's also full of repressed people, angry men, crazy taxi drivers and a very bullish attitude towards westerners...
Personally it was a hard but rewarding holiday. But if i did surf (which was a amazing) i would not consider it a place to sink your hard earned holiday cash into.. Go to South East Asia instead.
- joqui0
Marrakech is great! Nice city, very nice food!
If you want to spend money, go here, it is fantastic!
http://www.ryaddyor.com/eng.swf