Morocco Local Custom Tips by JamalMorelli Top 5 Page for this destination

Left over fish? Feed the cat, dawg...

Islam has a special place for cats and so, by proxy, Morocco.

There is a story that a cat was sleeping on the sleeve of the Prophet when the call to prayer was heard. Rather than wake the cat to pray, he cut the sleeve off his jellaba so as not to disturb him.

Old women will collect left over scraps and dump them somewhere the cats can get to them.

SO! Be a cat defender: if any cafe owner has to impress you with what he thinks are your "western" sensibilities (or even expresses his own personal aggressiveness towards them) and is mean to Sidi Qatta bin Meow, fight back - and let him the cat's with you, boo.

Other Contact: Look kind upon the meower

Bargaining in Morocco, pt 2 - Winning the Game

Winning a bargaining battle means you don't get mad.
So, to lessen frustration and increase happy bargaining

1)Know the price before you get there
2)Pay only what you want to pay
3)Don't allow emotions to sway you
4)Learn arabic or french

You are here to have a beautiful journey - don't get lost raging in the sooq. Rage in any language translates to some sort of incompetence. Prepare for your trip.

For those who feel that preparing in advance should be done by the seller - well, as we helpfully say on the Riverwalk of New Orleans after you lose your first guessing bet, "Never play another man's game. You can never win at another man's game."

Things you will say in this situation:

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Salaam alikoom

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: SHUKRAN!

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Smeheliya - excuse me

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: la bas?

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Bishal Haddak? - How much?

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Bzaaf!

Bayti: Care for the Street Kids of Morocco
Morocco
Learn Arabic
Bargaining pt 1

Photos by Jamal Morelli, uploaded at Studio Shamharush

School Custom: Drop out

In an effort to make the donor activities more responsive to Morocco’s education issues, USAID and the MNE chaired a very well attended session on the serious subject of school drop-out. While Morocco has made great strides in increasing first grade enrollment (92% average), much remains to be done to ensure that those students enrolled complete primary school, let alone middle, or high school. Some 400,000 children dropped out of school during the 2004-2005 school year, which is embarrassingly high (some 5 million total are in the system through high school).

The final conclusion of the meeting was the need to create a national observatory, involving relevant parties, including those with field experience, as well as donors. Another outcome was to encourage regional MNE staff to organize “caravans” that would share experiences with the prevention of drop-out or their reintegration in the program. As a final comment, the MNE co-chair reminded the group that education until age 15 is compulsory by law, but that parents get away with not keeping their children in school

Bargaining in Morocco, pt 3

This one requires you to be tough, but I'm starting to think you may not be the hopeless wuss everyone makes you to be.

1) Fix the price in your head and get the money ready
2) Take the item and Hand the amount of money without talking

Now, he doesn't know what you know. He is most likely going to either take all of it or give you change. If he asks for more, take your money back and go.

Chances are, it won't come to that and you will have your item.

I totally recommend this tip for you regarding buying street food like fruits or nuts - works better than asking which only proves your greeness to them.

Bargaining in Morocco, pt 1 - Big Ticket Items

You MUST bargain. Do it, baby. Make me proud.

>So, here's Jamjam's strategy. (Warning: It's just mine...)
1) I put on a "I smell donkey" face before I enter, possibly looking a little tired.
2) When I pick something up (spec. what I want) I ask "What is this?" (my tone says "Who would want this?") I listen while turning my attention to something else.
3) Turn back to the desired object - how much is it?

>Now, one way to find out what the real price might be is this - ask how much it would be to buy about ten of them. Now watch what happens to the price. Pull your packed wallet and ask for a business card. Did he see your money? Put the card away. Let him know you will be in touch. And how much is it for twenty? The same as for ten? It doesn't change? It does.

By now, you will be asked a price. Don't answer. Say something like "I don't even know what it is. Just wanted to get something stupid for my friends."

Oh, now I am being rude. Baby, this ain't Barney. You're bargaining, now. And remember how the price magically changed when you were ready to buy more? So hold tight to this truth - you are also being played.

Walk away. You got his business card. If there is another dealer (which there almost surely will be) go to him. Do everything as above with a little variation. Walk from there, too.

Go back at the end of the day. Call him. Give him your price. He will change it (however slightly) one more time. You have had time to think about how much you will spend - so go back and get your item. Spend only what you want.

And don't worry about the seller - you guys will be friends tomorrow.

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Bishal Haddak? - How much?

HEAR MOROCCAN ARABIC: Bzaaf!

Other Contact: Ok. Are you feeling me here...?

Phone: Bargaining in Morocco

Clothes - pt 1 What shall you wear?

What shall you wear?
What shall you wear? I will build here - LOOK THROUGH THE FOUR photos below to get an idea of how people dress.

That's as good as the advice will get here. Stop reading.

Dress tips are all with the idea of being non-offensive. If you don't care about the over a thousand years of culture which asks modesty of those who live within it - you da one wit' all the BIG money, you colonial mac, you. Show 'im where to stuff their ways with a hitched up mini and then call them animals when they respond with wolf whistles.

Now - Wait. That was really bad advice that I don't subscribe to.

Actually, if the cootch revealing miniskirt IS you... well...um...if you could... maybe stay in anyone of the biggies: such as (but not only) Marrakesh, Casa, Agadir and Essaouria.

BUT THERE IS HOPE for the Tourist for whom there's no place like home:

If the current waves of global change and a national tourist goal at 10 mil+ by 2010 stays on track, they will have soon have Epcot-Styled-User-Friendly-Moroccan-Gnawa playing a happy step-n-fetch-it for some chump change in those giant, secure cosmopolitian Moroccan cities - and then, nsha'allah, you will comfortably and unreservedly be able to do a good American dance - some drunken (or stoned) pelvic thrust and half-dressed macarena to YOUR favorite songs (not their 'weird clacking' religious songs)....dancing with the willing locals without offending anyone except the God of Dance. And me, now that I've had to think about you doing it. Back dat ass up, whitey.

Sorry, that was crazy. And again, that was more bad advice. Worse, actually.

Before I finish, I do want to say this: Your capacity to tune in, turn on and respect what you can of the obvious mainstreams of Moroccan culture is precisely the degree to which you will be warmed up to and respected. Understanding that sentence will be your steadfast and true guide to feeling accepted and comfortable.

And that was something like actual advice.

To be Continued....

Other Contact: Look at all the photos

Bribes - Moroccan Way of Life

Won't go to much into it right now.
I will say that 400 dirhams will make most stuck wheels become unstuck in Morocco.

The Disco: In General, A Whorehouse

Well, that's not polite. But generally, it is true.

Unlike the States, where a gal usually goes out dancing and can often go home alone, here in Morocco the bar has a more streamlined utility - get tanked, pay for your date, have sex with her. The live music is rarely more than a keyboard player with a drum machine, the disco itself would be an embarassment to Tony Manero.

So as not to appear to be catering to mongers, it works like this

1) Go to Disco
2) Pick a girl (who is available)
3) Have an expensive drink with her (one "bar" in Casa has any bottle for you...at 800 dirhams)
4) Set a price on your date - agree - you're off

No more details than that, I'm not sorry to say.

This isn't an ad. It's more like a "here's what to expect - and here's what is expected of you" kinda tip.

The legality: Filming or Taking Photos in Morocco

Filming in public: There are town to town laws - for example, you could probably wander around Marrakesh and film all day with the only people bugging you being street performers - but nearby city of Moulay Brahim's maqadam and police (if they catch you) will make sure that you do not record, even stills. Feel it out - authorities and locals are good general guides to know when to shoot.

Blowing or Whistling - Another Sometimes No-No

You know how you let out a big breath when you come into a room?

How about whistling when you are in a store?

Go ahead and give it try - just take notice of your host's or storekeeper's attitude.

I got kicked out of a store for whistling - I didn't know.

There's a really tenuous link between whistling and it's disfavor in a hadith.
Then there is the 'blowing' and it's bringing of the evil eye.

Just so you know.