Oh Morocco! I miss this wonderful and colorful country! Morocco is different – beautifully different – you will get a 1001-Nights Feeling right away! We instantly fell in love with the whole country – not only with the red city of Marrakech. If you come to another country, keep in mind to adapt to the local culture. Especially in an islamic country it can be difficult. You still want to be very polite. You can read in my blogpost about what to expect.

Don’t take anything but picture, don’t leave anything but footprints

Rules of conduct in Morocco

My Top 5 Don’t’s that you should follow in every case

1. Cover your shoulders and knees!
I think that it’s really respectless of a lot of women to walk around in Hotpants and Croptops in the middle of the city. You shouldn’t do it. In the case of women – shoulders and knees should be covered, especially when you visit a mosque or something similar. I always wore floorlong dresses culottes and my shoulders were always covered with a scarf. When we visited a mosque or a palace, I threw the scarf around my head to cover my hair. I felt better like this because I was stared at, when I didn’t wear it.

I think that the Morrocans looked at me because of my blonde hair and that they don’t see it that often. Believe me – if you adapt to their way of clothing you will save yourself from dumb gazes. It’s also not desirable to show affection in puclib. Holding Hands and Kissing is inappropriate.

2. Don’t take pictures of people without asking
Well this should be self-evident, but you wouldn’t want it either that you’re being photographed at work all the time. Just ask nicely if you can take a picture. I was rejected just once. But everyone was very friendly and they laughed into the camera. If you take pictures of jugglers at Djemaa el Fna, it can get very expensive.

3. Don’t get a Henna Tattoo on the market place!
At Djemaa el Fna there are a lot of women who want to sell a Henna Tattoo to you which is way too expensive. A lot of these women also run after you and want to touch you. You should also be very cautious about the black color. It’s made from chemicals – god know which – and they are not good for your skin! I have read in a lot of groups on Facebook that you can get skin rashes and even blood poisoning. So don’t even try!

4. Don’t accept the first price they offer in the Souks!
Bargaining is a part of Morocco! So don’t stop bargaining, bargaining, bargaining! If the vendors start whining about the existence of their family, you’re on the right track. THIS IS NO JOKE! Sometimes it helps if you turn around and leave. Don’t be scared it the vendor starts packing the goods and puts it in your hand, you don’T have to take it, if you didn’t agree on a price. In every shop we visited, the vendors started packing up the things – but we didn’t pay until we finished bargaining. At one plate dealer we even moved on to come back later to continue. He didn’t only remember what we wanted to buy, he also remembered the last price he had for us and then offered us a better price. In the end we only paid 500 DH instead of 1700 DH. No worries! Just try it.

5. Don’t be confused!
While strolling around we often heard „this is the wrong way“ „road is closed“. Don’t trust these claims. If you’re sure you’re on the right track (we always used Google Maps) then don’t believe them. The children or young men that say this, want to show you the “right” way just to take money from you for their “help”. Just move on and don’t listen to them. They’ll just let it go and try it with other tourists. We didn’t have much problems, because everyone saw us holding our phones for navigating.

When we started our journey to Ait Ben Haddou we had to cross a river. The people just put sandbags on the rocks and you had to jump ober them to cross the river. Next to the river there are children who want to guide & help you so that you won’t fall. Don’t let them help you (unless you really need it), because they want money from you!

Rules of conduct in Morocco
My Top 5 Do’s that you should follow

1. Drink fresh Orange Juice
Buy a fresh orange juice at the market place. It tasted really delicious and it was very cheap. We sat down at a bench with our Orange Juice and observed the market. You should really do this – and it’s much cheaper then sitting down at the Cafés.

2. Enjoy the sunset
You can enjoy the view at the sunset in one of the rooftop cafés at Djemaa el Fna. When the sun sets, all the vendors and jugglers leave and hundreds of streetdfood stalls emerge. You can observe this from above. If it’s dark you can also meet a lot of arabic storytellers.

3. Try the „National Dish“
If you visit Morocco you should really eat from a Tagine. Tagines are traditional moroccan claydishes in which the food is prepared. There are a lot of variations. With or without meat. Our Favorit: The Chicken-Tagine with lemon. Don’t be scared of food poisoning. The hygienic conditions are really good and they’re monitored very well at Djemaa el Fna!

4. Dive into the Souks
The deeper you dive into the market, the more authentic and better the goods are. When we were searching for a Astrolabium (which is a disc-shaped astronomic instrument – you can emulate a rotating sky) we noticed, the darker the street, the better the offer! Don’t be scared, nothing will happen! :-) We also asked the vendors where to find several goods. As long as you can still see some other tourists and find a lot of booths, everything is alright! We also found our wonderful antiquity here.

5. Give Tips
The tip is not included in the price when you eat in the restaurants. That’s why you normally tip around 10 – 15% – only when you’re happy. If the service was bad, you’re not obligated to give a tip. When taking a cab or you’re in a hotel you can generously round up. If you’re invited to a tea, which can happen in a hotel as well as a dinner or in the middle of a the street, don’t give them any money. Because it’s considered rude.