 | Marrakesh Warnings or Dangers | Tips 21 - 30 of 73 |  |
Popular Warnings or Dangers | Other Warnings or Dangers Tips | All Tips (73) I'd read that this might happen, but was still surprised when it actually did! Apparently it's a bit of a scam to open water bottles as little as possible, replace the water with tap water, and sell it as pure bottled water.
There was a very helpful fellow who drove us from the Hotel La Gallia (no reflection on the hotel - it was great) to the outskirts of town in our rental car to get us started on our road trip. He offered to go and buy us some bottled water while we checked out of the hotel. So we gave him the money and off he went. I didn't think to check at the time, but an hour later, I noticed that both caps were already carefully half opened, and the one swig I had definitely didn't taste like bottled water. A small-scale scam, but for sensitive tummies, it could be a big one. Leave a Comment
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There are some women sitting near the centre of town square. They will show you the pictures of the tattoo and ask you to take it. The tattoo can be made on your hands, feet or somewhere you like. Two of my friends would like to try and were told to pay Dh20 (the local money, its around 2 Euros). After finishing the tattoo on their hands, the women asked them to pay Dh50. They increased the price. Finally, one girl paid Dh20 and the other paid Dh50. The girl who paid Dh20 washed the tatto away and left her hands orange in colour. The tatto can last for a month. Pls make sure you like it or not. Leave a Comment
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BARGAIN, BARGAIN...
Moroccan traders are hard to convince, so here are some rules:
- Don't ask the price unless you're prepared to bargain.
- Don't point at something to show it to your friend...
- Relax... they are going to try very hard to get your attention.
- It's more polite to say 'la prochaine fois' (next time) than 'no.'
- When bargaining, their first price is NEVER their last! Neither should yours be. Start much lower than what you want to pay, then get more reasonable.
- Try to ask someone who is experienced in shopping for moroccan souvenirs for what a good price is. (Don't ask someone who is selling them!)
- Relax!
- Walking away is a good technique to get a lower price.
- Don't be in a hurry... you'll end up paying more.
- 'All that glitters is not gold,'... and all that is black is not ebony.
- BUY LOTS OF STUFF!! (it will probably be cheaper than at home) Remember your trip forever! Leave a Comment
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While entering the old Medina, dozens of persons will approach you pretending to be your guide, eventually saying that the Medina can be dangerous (not true), etc.. Once you are in, it calms down a bit, but still you'll be approached every 2 minutes. You have two choices: be very very patient, or let a boy be your "guide" (but be very clear you do not want to spend time shopping). Leave a Comment
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Everybody in Morocco wants your money, get used to it. Although you will be hit up for cash constantly, If you just relax, smile and keep walking you'll have no problems. A common game the shop owners play is to try to guess what country you're from, they'll greet you in different languages until they get your attention then the sales pitch begins. I made up my own game; I'd respond in Croatian, a language no one there recognizes, this would create a fun challenge for them and get me off the hook.
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I was staying at the hotel across from Koutoubia and simply asked for a cup of hot water for tea. I fell asleep suddenly at 9pm, had two vivid dreams of being shaken (but I come from earthquake country, so I interpreted them that way) ... and then a terrible nightmare about a man having pinned me from behind and reaching down into my groin. Perhaps I was choked at that point because I was struggling, trying to peel his fingers backward, but I have no more memory from that point onward. I woke up suddenly at midnite from this "dream" and found myself bruised around the arms and backs of my legs -- and someone had urinated on the bed.
GHB is common, easy to make, tasteless and lasts about three hours, lowering dopamine so that one does not have the usual alertness for self-preservation panics ... so victims sometimes wonder if it was just a dream. I had the bruises, and in fact since someone had knelt on the back of my knee I still have a limp. BE CAREFUL ABOUT TAKING LIQUIDS FROM ROOM SERVICE OR ANYONE ELSE! If my wallet had not been in my pillow I would have been robbed as well.
I am a gray-haired grandma so I was not on my guard. Now I am waiting for tests for AIDS, hepatitis and the rest. I wish all other travelers to avoid this experience. I simply could not believe it happened to me -- a crime of opportunity, not sexual attraction, and perhaps just a foiled robbery where the thief or thieves took it out on me (a bellboy had earlier demanded a bigger tip and I had refused to change a bill to give it). IT HAPPENED, so don't let it happen to you.
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In the medina you will see many things for sale which are unusual to say the least. Remember that these things have to be brought back into your own country when you go home - most western countries do not allow crocodile skin to be imported. It will be confiscated and you will be fined. Or worse. It is just not worth the risk! Leave a Comment
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While you are in the main area of Djamaa El Fna – Square a seller may motion you over to look at a tambourine on the ground. They will beckon you to look closer, and then they turn it over and 1-2 Cobras jump up from underneath. They seemed to find my reaction of jumping about 10 feet back as hilarious. I guess someone forgot to tell them that Cobra venom can be deadly. These are not cute domesticated house pets. They are defensive and happy to strike. Also watch your step around the square. These “Snake Charmers” set up on any open patch of ground. Charming? I don’t think so! Leave a Comment
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As in most cities, this is not an unfamiliar warning to most travellers.
I experienced a couple of times, what I felt to be opportunists seeking out the contents of my pockets, fortunately I am like the Queen when I travel with Mike and tend not to keep hold of much cash myself relying on him to retain the safety our belongings, so all attemps at fleecing me were with a nil outcome to the thief.
The Old Town square was a particularly suitable area for being open to this crime in the evenings although I am sure at all other times too. Leave a Comment
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I had a horrible experience at the tanneries in Marrakech. Please read on so you can be prepared too.
I went to the tanneries with the intention to pop in and take a few pictures and pop out again. We certainly didn't need a guide to do that. As soon as we approached the entrance, a couple of guys (which I would like to add, were tall and seem well fed unlike most Moroccan ) offered us mint and insisted we use one of them as our guide. We told one of them that we didn't need his services since we just wanted a couple of pictures. Well this guy was persistent and followed both my husband and I into the tanneries while constantly asking if I needed to take pictures. I ignored him and left after 2 minutes which is all I could bear. At the exit he asked me for money and I reluctantly gave him 20 dirham. I felt he should have gotten less but we had no smaller change.
This person immediately changed from nice to nasty. He told me that 20 dirham was "nothing". I asked him if he owned the place and told him if he wasn't happy, he could give me the 20 dirham back. His other counterpart decided to join in then and said to me "YOU COW!!" That's when I turned nasty and had a few words to say to him myself. I then told both of them that I would warn other travellers about them.
My advice to you guys if you want to see this place, is to either go with your own guide, or bring your own mint and be firm with them from the beginning that if they insist on following you in, that they will not receive a tip. At the end of the day, there is no cost to enter the tanneries and perhaps you can afford to give them more but if you do so, then they will expect the same from other tourist, and if they don't receive it, they will try to intimidate them into giving more.
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