Agadir Local Customs

the rule in this country is that all Moroccan Muslim women must cover thier arms. however i wore short sleeves and did find that i was looked at by women as well as a few odd men, especially as i am Asian, they assumed i was Moroccan and not following the dress code ,untill i spoke english and they realised i was a tourist.

There were lots of tourists dressed in strappy tops/dresses, which was ok. i didnt see anyone harassing anyone else for thier dress code or perving. drssing in very short mini skirt/pants and sskimpy tops will probably attract unwanted attention. But i know its strict if your going to the Madressah/Mosque, they may ask you to cover your arms and hair and legs.

During the day I wore maxi dresses which kept me cool and linen tops and trousers. the women/girls there wear jeans and tops (tops which are thigh length so cover your bum!) and often wear long kaftaans called "jalaba" which keep them cool and yet covered as they are floaty fabric. Slippers, sandals, are fine and women there also wear strappy slippers, sandals, however if you are touring around i would advice comfortable flats as there is lots of walking especially in Tiout & Taroudant or soaks/markets

There are lots of shops where you can get herbal teas and drinks for weight loss and such, these sellers often come up to you and offer you a mint tea drink, which is custom and to bring luck, they will not take no for an answer and find it offensive you do not accept the tea.

My advice is to go ahead take the drink and keep them happy, althought they will talk to you about your health and try sell you herbal teas or medicine. we said we had no money and the seller said it was no problem he would collect the money from the hotel, so if you are not interested in buying just say so and they'll be ok with it, but dont make excuses like we did to be kind, as they always work thier way round it.

Friday is prayers day so the soaks (markets) and shops are closed. you may not find a taxi around the morning or until after prayers which is in the afternoon around 2pm.

The taxis have a day off on a certain day, i think it was monday, but not sure as there was a strike for 3 days following that.

remember to tip waiters or bell boys

there are men at the airport who take your trolley and put your luggae onto the taxi for you, they are sweet and helpful, sometimes wont take no for an answer, but they are just earning thier living and doing thier job, if you dont need thier service just say so, but dont go for the 1st price they say, tell them you have just arrived and have no change, they usuall take any currency.

I would strongly advise that you brush up on your French before you go there. If you know a few words of Arabic, that will go down a treat.

After all, Morocco was a French colony and everyone speaks it as a second language.

Anglophones - don't expect everyone to know English. Do make an effort to learn some French / Arabic before you go to Morocco.

We found that you could easily be ripped off if the person you were dealing with thought that you didn't understand French. So once we started speaking back to them in French, we got a much more honest price when negotiating.

Gnawa has become a worldwide musical force. They use some typical instruments, included the tbal (drums) and ... accompanied by female voices. Al Aita ("the cry", made by the tongue) is famous world-wide because of its scalping power of the voice. Our model Marielle could imitate that particular sound in perfect way.

While Wayne, our top male model, who has lived for one year with Buddhist priests, could murmer the famous sound of "Nam Ya Horen Kyo Kye". I am able to produce the Balinese "Kecak"-sound, so sometimes we made our own sounds all together, starting with Wayne outside. We did it in one of the mountain-villages. Fun ? NO... it is not allowed!!!

NOT possible in Maroc. The typical "cry-sound" is very sacred, used for rituals and ceremonial traditions. We had forgotten the respect to local customs ... we feel very sorry Agadir!

To me, the Berber people at Morocco always has been a fascinating group of people. Because its history is an ancient one and, in spite of their Islam believes, many Berbers still believe in pre-Islam spirits, included "djinns" (like Indonesians). Also their uses still correspond with groups of natural men (as their lipstick, prepared of mountain-earth products). My special interests concerns the >>>

Descendants of the Libyan Amazons