That’s Morocco
Some things to expect
so your journey is a positive adventure…
I’d like to thank my clients for valuable feedback that identifies the excellence of our tours and the not-so-great aspects of travelling in a strange land. Their observations are often unexpected, but always enlightening, so I decided to share the findings.
Cara Ghassemian
Low season staffing
A riad is not supposed to be buzzy, but rather, tranquil. So sometimes there are difficulties finding staff at particular times of the day – and it is not just at your accommodation you find this problem. I remember, once I was with two friends and mid-way through buying a caftan when the proprietor said he had to leave us to eat and pray. We sat in his shop for about 30 minutes waiting for his return. This is the Moroccan way.
Tea on the rooftop at Tangier.
Pay bills the night before leaving
I prefer to pay the evening before, to avoid last minute hassles. I can think of a couple of occasions in Morocco where two different hotels told me they accepted credit card, but at checkout there were problems with paying as the internet was down – for hours. Both places were rather remote, with no ATM close by to get cash quickly. Be aware, this – and payment in cash only in many places – is the Moroccan way.
WhatsApp is there to keep you in touch and for you to be pro-active about your tour priorities
One client later reported feeling neglected as dar staff were not coming to see if they needed food and drink. The client had a mobility problem and was in some pain, so the feeling of isolation was compounded. Generally, people will feel you want your privacy at such times and so don’t want to disturb you. This is when using WhatsApp to alert your tour guide, our representative in Morocco and other members of your travelling party, about your needs is most useful. You can also give us feedback en route so your driver can make adjustments where possible – especially if the plan is to stop somewhere that is not really of interest for the travelling party (e.g. shopping or ‘touristy’ spots).
En route. “Ouar” means place in Arabic and “zazate” means quiet.
Not all tourists have the same habits
I find that in northern Morocco they are accustomed to Europeans (particularly the Spanish and French) who demand when they want something – so they (the Moroccans) lapse into a reactivity-in-service style. Whereas people raised in an Anglo culture milieu, often hold back and wait to be asked if we require anything. Note for yourself what works best in each situation so you are not disappointed by the service (or lack of it). This can also apply to the local guides who may expect Aussies to be like the Europeans who complain and demand. So, make it a point to ask them about the day’s plans and program, if you like advance knowledge of the planned activities and feel free to give feedback on that as to your preferences. This is the Moroccan way.
Expect your accommodation to have stairs
Riads and dars almost always have stairs, and just about never an elevator. I can’t immediately think of any traditional accommodation that does have a lift, but there may be. It is best to specify a ground floor room and flag this is an issue when you book your tour. Further, in city spaces up north, the steps are often steep and uneven. I think if stairs, inclines and declines are difficult for you, any extended tour of some medinas for example would be stressful. We can plan for physical limitations to some extent at least, at the itinerary development stage of your Moroccan experience with us – if we have prior notice of them. We will always plan in advance; however things do not necessarily fall into place on tour – this is the Moroccan way.
Steps in the medina at Chefchaouen
If you feel unwell, it might not have been the food
A friend of mine has a PhD in public health. He told me years ago that in poorer countries like Morocco, we might assume the origin of our illness is food when in fact we have simply breathed in whatever caused it. He pointed out that correlation doesn’t always equal causation. So, the fact that an illness was preceded by some particular activity (such as eating) doesn’t necessarily mean it caused the illness. When I think about it, we eat at least three times a day, so it is sort of a natural scapegoat, isn’t it?
Cooking biscuits made by different families, in the community oven.
A note about lighting in dars and riads
Lighting is often ‘poor’ in these styles of accommodation. This is because Moroccans treat light at night, as firelight or lamplight – not as daylight. Thus, one can’t read by it sometimes. Also, in Morocco’s summer, rooms can seem rather hot and stuffy because they are sometimes windowless (this is often to keep out the worst of the heat). Luckily as one client noted, “most accommodation choices are excellent, accentuating the experience of being in Morocco by their position, layout, decor, amenities and hospitality.”
Lamps for sale in the Marrakech medina. Sometimes their patterns are symbolically rich.
Awkwardness can be part of Morocco for first timers
It can take a bit of time to become accustomed to the way things are done in Morocco. See my blog post about this:
Consider the driving aspect when you view the itinerary
Sometimes, not always, people try to buy the most Morocco, for the least time (rather than the least cost). This leads to the long drives to get through the most destinations possible, when longer stays in different locations and shorter distances between overnight stays, would be more comfortable and more interesting. Either that, or you could reduce the geographical space you seek to cover in one tour, if extending your time is not feasible. This is something to consider when you sign up for a tour and we reach the itinerary discussion stage early in our travel planning. We flag the issue of driving distances in multiple places on our website: including in the Complaints blog post, in the Queues and Time Management blog post, under the “What to Expect” tab, and we refer to daily driving distances many times in our published tour templates and often in the itineraries we prepare.
We want you to enjoy the Moroccan experience to the nth degree and consider having a better understanding of the Moroccan way will help you see each situation with clearer eyes and enhance the overall positive memorability of your tour.
If you have the time and inclination, we can arrange a visit to a winery around Meknes and perhaps lunch. Let us know.
CONSIDER combining the group tours we have on offer
(have a look under the “Our Tours” tab on our menu bar).
Or you could arrange for a private tour
to see other places of interest before or after your selected group tour itinerary.
Think about making the most of your time in Morocco.
Contact AIMTours™ at holidays@aussiesinmoroccotours.com.au
Published August 2024