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/u/modninerfan
 | “Hello my friend, where you from?” Not sure if they are trying to clean up their image, but Moroccans were not as aggressive as I’ve seen described. Just for context, am American, been to 30ish countries mostly in Latin America, Europe and Asia, and I’m traveling with my wife. Our itinerary was mixed… most of it was on our own, some of it guided. We flew to Tangier and had a private driver to Chefchaouen. We stayed at a small Riad there. From there we took a CTM bus to Fes. From Fes we rented a car and drove to Merzouga to Tinghir, to Ait Ben-Haddou and then finally to Marrakech. Overall I have mixed feelings about Morocco. The rural Moroccans were lovely, however I have no interest in ever returning to Fes or Marrakech. The souks, while overwhelming of the senses, are fascinating, however it still feels shallow after about 45 minutes. It’s the same shit everywhere. Rugs, leather, lanterns, and fake brand wear. The food I feel the exact same way about. It’s all generally good, nothing blew me away, and it’s generally the same everywhere you go. And oh my god, so much bread. I got a couple of “the Medina is closed my friend” scam attempts. One guy said fuck you when I ignored his scam in Marrakech. I bribed one police officer ($10), A taxi driver did a soft scam by dropping us off early. The worst harassment was in Fes, during a guided tour, where a local guide the Riad recommended took us to a rug store, leather store, etc. the shop keepers were relentless. We ended the tour early after he took us to an overpriced lunch spot. After that we mostly opted to do things on our own and we have no regrets. On our own, the shopkeepers moved on with a simple no. I would say it wasn’t much more aggressive than parts of Mexico, Colombia or Cambodia. Lastly, on the issue of harassment of women. My wife was mostly treated fine at worst she was sometimes ignored. One young boy, maybe 12, tried to grab her ass and she noticed and swatted him away. She didn’t feel as welcomed but it wasn’t terrible, but she has no interest in returning to Morocco. There were little things like only seeing boys out and about playing, she’d always ask “where are the girls?” Moroccans will go out of there way to tell you women are equal, and it’s not true. Im sure it’s better than many Muslim countries, but they are not treated equally. It’s just ingrained in the culture. I have four step daughters and I would not encourage them to visit without a boyfriend, husband, etc. For the positives. The Atlas Mountains and the deserts are stunning. The people in these regions are very friendly, the pace of life is just slower. It’s was very relaxing driving through some of these remote desert and mountain roads and villages. I probably won’t return, but if I do ever do it would be to explore more of rural Morocco. submitted by /u/modninerfan [link] [comments] |
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