Morocco # English board

Hello, I am a single teacher from the USA traveling to Morocco on my own for 1 month. I am 41 and have traveled in Spain and Italy alone without problem. I will not blend in because I have blonde hair. I was thiking of wearing a scarf but am not sure if I would look foolish or if I should even bother. I am very excited about visiting the Roman ruins and holy sites. Can I visit the religous sites even if I am not a Muslim?

While there I am planning on staying at cheap hostal and eating street food as I only have 500.00 american to last me the month. I am hoping I will not get sick..to be honest that is what scares me the most! I would hate to get sick when I am all by myself.

I am curious about hammonds?? Should I bring a bathingsuit or is one allowed to go nude like in a spa here in the USA??

Also I do not speak any other language but english will this be a problem?

I love eating fresh fruit and cant wait to try the melons..I am planning on bringing a small knife and spoon from home so i can enjoy them right on the street.

I plan on traveling around the country on public transportaion. I have no interest in taking a tour as I do not have the money and want to experience the Mproccan spirit.

Any advice or helpful hints..please send my way. I am looking forward to making new friends.
[email protected]

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travelingteacher
Hello, I am a single teacher from the USA traveling to Morocco on my own for 1 month. I am 41 and have traveled in Spain and Italy alone without problem. I will not blend in because I have blonde hair. I was thiking of wearing a scarf but am not sure if I would look foolish or if I should even bother. I am very excited about visiting the Roman ruins and holy sites. Can I visit the religous sites even if I am not a Muslim?

While there I am planning on staying at cheap hostal and eating street food as I only have 500.00 american to last me the month. I am hoping I will not get sick..to be honest that is what scares me the most! I would hate to get sick when I am all by myself.

I am curious about hammonds?? Should I bring a bathingsuit or is one allowed to go nude like in a spa here in the USA??

Also I do not speak any other language but english will this be a problem?

I love eating fresh fruit and cant wait to try the melons..I am planning on bringing a small knife and spoon from home so i can enjoy them right on the street.

I plan on traveling around the country on public transportaion. I have no interest in taking a tour as I do not have the money and want to experience the Mproccan spirit.

Any advice or helpful hints..please send my way. I am looking forward to making new friends.
[email protected]

You are welcome...

Hello,

these are mandatory conditions you have to meet

a survival kit
bulletproof vest
Kalashnikov
master of any martial art, preferably Stonethrowingdo
master of 25 local dialects
black hair
black or brown eyes
veil and djellaba
100m record less than 10.00 s

there are other conditions, but if u just meet what is mentioned above, you will be allowed to stay locked up in one of our harems for one month..great no!!

Jokiiinnggg.....

Grow a beard or you'll get killed.
& for your blond hair, you should shave it. Being bald isn't that great but you won't look dumber than you aleady are.

travelingteacher

Welcome on the Forum & to our beloved Morocco you should be ok on your own even if you have a blond hair ! we had 7.5 million tourist last year ...
You will be ok in the big cities & you may get more unwanted attention here & there but you will get that in most places i guess a bit more in Africa ....you wont need to wear a scarf only dress modestly & the more revelealing clothes you were the more unwanted attention you get ...
Mosques you can vist only 2 places Hassan2 mosque in Casablanca & Tin Mal on the way to Taroudant about 83 Km south of Marrakech , cheap hotels you will find in most places & they are very basic
Food you need to follow the basic rules no buffet food ,no Salads & only drink bottled water you should be ok .
Hammam is what you meant i have never had the chance to be in the ladies yet ! but the gents do not bath in the nude ,the ladies may do ....
English will be ok in the big cities & public transport is a bit of a mix the trains are good stick to 1st class they are cheap with AC & a seat but no trains after Marrakech then you should stick to CTM or Supratour buses they are the best (avoid the other buses).
with $500 its will be tright for the whole month personnaly i prefer 2 weeks & enjoy it ..

Hicham! i just had the most enormous laugh ever while reading your "recommendations" or shall i say "commandments"

What on earth is Stonethrowingdo??? is this synonymous to throwing stones as in "atfal al7ijara"???
you're right although some 4 or 5 other martial others would be nice given the huge number of serial rapists and killers (of blond american women) who stroll our streets day in day out.

You're totally spot on about the veil! people in Morocco are in great risk of being traumatised or staggered if they see a blond woman!!!!!

As for her plan on bringing a spoon and knife from home...that really wouldn't be necessary as she could borrow a knife from one of these criminals and a spoon from any heroin drug addict that she may come across in every corner of the street.

hammonds????? is that a synonym of hammam??? right...bathingsuits..let's see...well that is a possibility just make sure your bathingsuit covers you from head to toe as i am sure tayyabat will throw you in the boiling bassin where they get hot water from!!

have a lovely holiday in Morocco

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atlasmagic
travelingteacher

Welcome on the Forum & to our beloved Morocco you should be ok on your own even if you have a blond hair ! we had 7.5 million tourist last year ...
You will be ok in the big cities & you may get more unwanted attention here & there but you will get that in most places i guess a bit more in Africa ....you wont need to wear a scarf only dress modestly & the more revelealing clothes you were the more unwanted attention you get ...
Mosques you can vist only 2 places Hassan2 mosque in Casablanca & Tin Mal on the way to Taroudant about 83 Km south of Marrakech , cheap hotels you will find in most places & they are very basic
Food you need to follow the basic rules no buffet food ,no Salads & only drink bottled water you should be ok .
Hammam is what you meant i have never had the chance to be in the ladies yet ! but the gents do not bath in the nude ,the ladies may do ....
English will be ok in the big cities & public transport is a bit of a mix the trains are good stick to 1st class they are cheap with AC & a seat but no trains after Marrakech then you should stick to CTM or Supratour buses they are the best (avoid the other buses).
with $500 its will be tright for the whole month personnaly i prefer 2 weeks & enjoy it ..

Hi Atlas, i've just seen your message!! well you are very nice indeed to reply and advice this person. I thought that was the most ridiculous and insulting thing i ever read about Morocco and i even doubt this person is really a tourist!! i am thinking this is just another joke from those scammers who used to come and pollute the forums with absurd messages...

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travelingteacher
Hello, I am a single teacher from the USA traveling to Morocco on my own for 1 month. I am 41 and have traveled in Spain and Italy alone without problem. I will not blend in because I have blonde hair. I was thiking of wearing a scarf but am not sure if I would look foolish or if I should even bother. I am very excited about visiting the Roman ruins and holy sites. Can I visit the religous sites even if I am not a Muslim?

While there I am planning on staying at cheap hostal and eating street food as I only have 500.00 american to last me the month. I am hoping I will not get sick..to be honest that is what scares me the most! I would hate to get sick when I am all by myself.

I am curious about hammonds?? Should I bring a bathingsuit or is one allowed to go nude like in a spa here in the USA??

Also I do not speak any other language but english will this be a problem?

I love eating fresh fruit and cant wait to try the melons..I am planning on bringing a small knife and spoon from home so i can enjoy them right on the street.

I plan on traveling around the country on public transportaion. I have no interest in taking a tour as I do not have the money and want to experience the Mproccan spirit.

Any advice or helpful hints..please send my way. I am looking forward to making new friends.
[email protected]

well someone is trying to play a game here



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2008 09:56 by NYorkaise.

Minniemouse

I read it 1st & i thought like you this is a jocke & i felt its was a bit over the top but the only thing that swinged it for me is our lady is from the US of A ! so we need to help when ever we can & being a teacher she may spread the word

Hi Atlas

well, if she is willing to making new friends, this is not the best way to achieve it.. Travelers do have a minimum knowledge of places they want to visit, and above all, a slight touch of cultural communication and delicacy, she seems to be planning a trip to Zabandarougou faganshi... what is the aim of traveling and discovering new horizons if we are afraid ...

Dear Travelingteacher,

You seem to embark yourself in a very dangerous adventure. Not because Morocco is not a safe place. Actually it is as safe as any other parts in the U.S. But some common sense can be useful in this trip. First of all, you can not go on your own with no company from the US (such as friends or tourist group) nor some company in Morocco who is already waiting for you. You can by chance meet some Moroccan over there who will definitely give you lots of help but he/she will be expecting something in return (either money or help him/her cross the atlantic ocean to the U.S.). There is nothing wrong with this since you will put yourself in this situation.

Also, 500 bucks is nothing for a whole month because the dollar is so down ($1=dhr7.3 or less). One dollar can buy you a bottle of water.

Be reasonable, Morocco is not as cheap as some foreigners might think. And now that the economy is bad worldwide, prices go up in Morocco just as they go up in the US but the value of the dollar is plumetting which makes your $500.00 good for two weeks only if not a week.

Please think seriously about your trip to Morocco

Hicham

where is Zabandarougou faganshi i want to go there !

Hi Atlas

Zabandarougou faganshi is the capital of Douar l3asker, hda moul Zarri3a...

Ouahahhahaahaah! nice one hicham!! Yet, coming to Morocco is not a really easy trip! Like said earlier! precautions should be taken
get acquainted with the home customs, language, trtaditions, touristic sites, safe areas to visit... But most of all, its rather advisable that you have some acquaintances in here who are of course trust worthy to guide you through the country !But dont worry, you will be overfed with couscous and some moroccan traditional meals token of our local hospitality!! Besides that nothing to worry about, except if some fellow has build a project of immigration overseas;-you will be amazed at what a 40 y.o teacher with a fair hair can do among teens and young pepole in here!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2008 01:43 by desperadolost.

Oh give me a break. All of you!
Stop all you "welcoming" lines and ask the woman where in Morocco she´s going to.There are places that are more pleasant than others.And yes, it´s the same case everywhere.But in Morocco, the contrast is not weak at all."Morocco, the country of contrasts", remember?
Send the woman to Marrakech where she can have some nice time among other blonds and moroccans who are used to tourists.

Since when was Marrakech used to tourists ? why not Ouarzazate or further south to see the real Morocco

Actually, there is a mistake, the lady is not asking about morocco, if the whole affair is not a joke...

she is already lost before leaving her country, and if she comes, she will be looking for the us embassy to ask for help, she want to visit a country for one month with 500 $, is it one month or one weekend...

if you tell this to someone working in tourism in Marrakesh, he/she would ask to tell to stay where she is and we will send her some cash for help...that's why i said she is probably looking for Zabandarougou faganshi...

you only have $500 and you want to stay in cheap dirty hostals and eat cheap street food; become ill and come back complaining about how poor and horrible the country is when you are testing yourself and your immune system.
Five star hotels all around the country would make your stay more enjoyable and a guided tour package that would include monuments would make it more instructive ans safe, why the hell on earth spend a month saffering when you could spend two weeks and have the best holiday you had for a while.
You talk about Hamam that is silly most hotels I satyed in had mixed hamam if you fancy being nude don't balme the three legged old man for his actions

the knife would definitly comes handy if you are staying late at night and walking through dark alley ways.
The only advice I can give :

1-Most blonds with empty promisses; find stupid local boy to take them around and even give them a roof over their multi coulored headand feed them too it only cost you a good night kiss.

2- stay at home and save more money. that country doesn't need visitors poorer than locals.