Safety Tips in Morocco

I don't think your reply is inappropriate: My family (from the States) has cancelled their trip to Morocco next week... and they aren't even Christian! The concern is the "V for Vendetta" style midnight visits from the police, hour to pack, dumped in a police truck, and thrown out of the country.
Why should any outsider believe they are safe?

Well Rini and Pep, if your experience of Morocco has not included or uncovered the situations that I have been writing and warning about it does not necessarily mean that what Im writing and warning about is not valid - for those that are naiive and 'stupid' in your box that these people then go into if they do get involved I think that its not a bad idea to somehow give some sort of info that this sort of thing is happening - as there are many naiive women getting involved and Ive had an unusual number of experiences and years in Morocco to see a lot that a lot of normal travellers would not get to see or realise.
I know a number of women too who have been affected by the rort and its a rather professional wide scale rort - that can be beyond many normal tourists or travellers understanding of it happening - and Im not talking about not understanding that bad happens anywhere in the world - there are warnings in the Lonely Planet and other travel guides that give a fair coverage of this situation and I had read it myself prior to going and being in Morocco and in hindsight could not grasp on how fully fledged and deep rooted those issues do actually go and thats where Im talking about - that for example of one town in particular almost every acquaintance had ended up marrying a foreigner and had left the country - and I had seen many of them playing around, juggling, and been advised by other women that I had come into contact with of their chat-ups when the guy in question was waiting for his visa to come through to go off to be with his bride.
and these women will be women who 3 or 4 years later will find out that their husband/partner has got his passport and enough financial foundation to leave her and go back to Morocco to his Moroccan family and future bride.
and this is only part of it.
and if your opinion is that it is not really worth paying much attention to this subject well of course I agree but it is to the relevant parties - I have Moroccan friends and European men who live in Morocco who say the same - that women/foreign women should be aware that there are many out there not to trust as far as a relationship go and there are still many women who unfortunately do get charmed and think that its an okay thing to fall into and not realise just how different it and moroccan male mindset is in comparison to what we understand in some other/western cultures.
Its a poor country, with many men who have difficulty getting employment and a decent income combined with being a beautiful and enticing and rather exotic country that has been opening to tourism and independent travel - add sweet charming men who have learnt how to be sweet and charming and multilingual from a very young age - their body language and words and psyche gets very geared up to make them difficult to read past the sweetness and charm to see that they are manipulating and opportunist. and by pointing that out does not at all negate the beauty of the country or the people in general. Its still a country I spend a lot of time promoting.

so Rini Im not going to apologise for having been found to have written this sort of stuff in my pages and at the same time at other points through the Morocco forums and dont see that it negates what I have written in my pages as Ive had a lot of experience in Morocco and people take it quite freely . It is as valid even if not of the same value as the majority of getting around Morocco information that is also needed.

All the best.

P.S. Just to list a few of the other known rip offs:
- I have an ill relative and we can't afford the mnedication
- My mother/sister needs an operation we can't afford
- I need to pay a fine or I'll end up in jail
- Lend me some money for petrol and I'll come back to do the trip (never does)
- Can you buy me dinner I don't have time to go home
- Being asked to pay after having been invited for dinner at someone's house
- Any kind of "give me money upfront"

Always pay once the service has been delivered. Or only pay a small holding deposit.

It makes me quite angry when I see poeple falling for Moroccan non-logic or feeling helpless to retaliate. "His mother needs to build a house" Tsss... Now is that your problem? No! It might be an explanaition for being a thief but it is not an explanation that makes it right.

Choosing a place to stay in MOST Moroccan cities often depends upon the tout who sees you first, immediately upon your arrival. VERY often you will not have the chance of finding accomodations "on your own" because some street leach will hang onto you like a nugget of gold. I normally avise to stay clear of them but in some places it is virtually impossible without a verbal or even physical confrontation, so choose (if you have the opportunity) the one who looks the most trustworthy and let him lead the way. If he brings you to a real pisz hole, act slightly cross with him and tell him he must do better. He will expect some "bakshish" so it´s in his interest to please you. Mentioning the name of some other hotel won´t make any difference to him, he´ll simply carry on to where HE thinks you should go.

Ps. This normally doesn´t apply to smaller towns where you can roam freely without anyone molesting you in the slightest.

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Driving in the mountains can be fun,exciting,spectacular, breathtaking, but also dangerous.
Be aware of sudden changes in the weather especially in the winter.
Carry spare warm dry clothes. Ten minutes outside in the rain/snow checking why the road is blocked can soak you to the skin.
Carry some food /water incase you get stuck for a few hours while the road ahead of you is opened again.
Beware of large pot holes that appear after a storm or snow fall. Some of these would break your axile if you hit them at any speed.
Also watch out for boulders the size of footballs that can await the unsuspected driver around the next hairpin bend. These are generally cleared away quickly by the highway authority but a flash flood or snow storm can bring a rock off the mountain in minutes.
Recently (Jan2009) we saw a boulder bigger than a car across the N9 in the Atlas Mountains between Marrakech and Ouarzazate.
Give yourself ample time for the journey, at least an extra few hours if you have a hotel booking or plane to catch.We found a journey that normally takes five hours took eight.
Be prepared for a major mountain road to be closed for hours or even a day or two in the winter. There are snow ploughs working all night to keep this east west route open for the many wagons that use it but minor roads are not as important and could remain closed for much longer.

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Medina is a very fascinating, alive and nice place during the day, but at night transforms to a very unfriendly and dirty spot! If you are female - you should keep safe company with some male friend or few friends while walking at Medina at night. Don't walk alone, not even with female friend. You will be treated as somebody who is looking for "adventure" - maybe not of the type you really look after...

This is not as much warning as an advice. Many people visiting Morocco get sick because of local food. Also i had problems, which annoys pretty much. I had pills, but it didnt help. Then a man recommended me to eat BANANAS. The other day i was totally ok.

Really enjoyed my visit to Morocco, and I respect the culture very much, and understand that it's a different way of life and its' still a third world country, although it's known to be one of the more progressive countries in Africa. A tourist could encounter a lot of beggars walking the streets of Casablanca, and in the souks and medinas, and vendors selling junk jewelry and other chintsy knick-knacks, they will be persistent. I was advised by my tour guide not to respond at all or even give any eye-contact to these people and they will eventually let up and go away. He was right. I made the mistake of giving one woman a few dirham coins and she followed me halfway back to the hotel wanting more. I've also been offered drugs and prostitutes. I try to keep a low profile over there, but I stand out as being taller and more fair-skinned than the locals. It doesn't matter if they think you're American or German, Dutch, whatever.