 | Marrakesh General Warning Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 15 |  |
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I read on another VTers page that "all of Marrakech is a tourist trap". Maybe that's a little harsh, but I can see where he's coming from. Most of the people in the places where tourists go - Djemaa el Fna, the souks etc - seem to view foreigners as money trees. The people who want your money include henna artists, "photogenic" people, "guides", carpet salesmen, people who get commission from carpet salesmen, food and drink vendors and just about anybody who is in the souks. They will constantly try to engage you in coversation in order to get hold of some of your money. I am told it is rude to ignore these people, as they will lose face, so I found the best way to deal with them was to constantly say "la shukran" (No, thank you), smile and keep on walking. Sometimes they will yell after you and sometimes they will follow you. Then, I found the best way was to show a stern face and say "khalas" (finished). Eventually they will give up. The most persistent ones are the "guides". Sometimes you have to get a little bit angry with them in order to shake them off. Leave a Comment
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| | | | General Warning: Taking photos | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
Snake charmers: they want money if you take pictures of them. I took a picture of one after he said i could give him ANY amount of money after i took the picture. After I snapped the shot, he came up to me with his money bowl. I gave him some change, he complained that it wasn't enough, and demanded more.. then, the 2 guys in the back surrounded me and started saying things like: oh, you can't even buy this and that with that much, blah blah blah... I always keep a separate coin purse with some change in it, so I opened it up and emptied it on the snake charmer's bowl. He looked inside my coin purse, saw that it was empty, smiled and left me alone. Ok, why not just put up a sign that says "photos, $xx or more only." =P After this incident, I refuse to take photos of anyone who asks for money in return, even if it's little kids... will i ever make an exception? Perhaps, if I think the photo is worth it... Leave a Comment
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Taxis usually try to overcharge. We actually did find a taxi that used its meter once and it cost us 17 MAD to get from the Supratours station to near the main square. This was the cheapest taxi ride we had. At night for a 5min taxi ride they wanted to charge 40 MAD! I read that it should usually cost 20 MAD or less to get anywhere in the city so we would always ask before getting in the taxi. So we would have to ask 2-3 drivers before we could get someone to take us for 30. I don't know why the city doesn't just enforce meters.
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