It's just one big crazy jumble of motorbikes, donkeys, monkeys, tourists, poor locals, rich locals, the occasional snake, and about a million people doing their best to get whatever change happens to be in your pocket - with you knowing it or without.
For example, there are "expert" local guides nearly on every street corner. They just come up to you and all the sudden they are at your hip trying to find out where you are going, what you are looking for, and then kindly take you the fastest possible route there. Occasionally it's necessary because you are simply so lost in the small windy streets that you think you'll never get out.
But I found the most amazing thing was their insistence on being paid for any sort of interaction. You could say to them, "I like this weather." And it would be fine. But if you said, "Is this normal weather for this time of year?" Then you are caught.
Because when they answer you with "yes" they have now provided you something that you didn't have before - and it costs money. And it's usually more than you'd expect. A demand for 10-20 dirhams...about a dollar or two...is not unheard of for someone to take you a few blocks down the street!
You may ask WHY you'd pay this crazy amount when your whole dinner was only about 100 dirhams? It's because otherwise you will NEVER get rid of them. And they pick up a crew as you go along! So by the end of it you'd have 10 kids around all demanding you pay them money! 50 cents is worth it just to get them to go away! And don't they know it.
(picture taken by Bruce in Fez - I missed that part because I had to work!)
It's hard to say what made the most lasting impression on me. I've never been to a Muslim country before, though anyone who's spent time in London can say certain neighborhoods can definitely feel that way. Morocco is 99% Muslim and for many people this seems to be the largest part of their lives. Like many other Muslim countries, you hear the calls to prayer 5 times a day - including a shocking 4am. Here's the famous minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque:
In general, I found the people to be extremely friendly. Morocco, and Marrakesh in particular, has a strong reputation of people being very pushy for you to buy things. Other than the guides I described above (not all kids, that's just the best pic we got), in general we were able to get away from people when we really wanted to. And that's all I really ask.
The most interesting interaction was with a guy in this bar in the new town of Marrakesh. Most bars in Morocco are filled with just men (as with many Muslim countries, I hear). This place in particular was listed as an "institution" in my guide book (Lonely Planet - good stuff). I guess that means it's old and filled with smoke?
Anyway, we were sitting around drinking Casablanca beer watching women's track & field with everyone else and we end up striking up a conversation with this guy. His English is very good and he's quite friendly telling us that he works in Marrakesh's growing film industry - a Moroccan key grip maybe? I had read a lot about the impressive growth of filming in Marrakesh, so it was cool to meet someone who was part of it.
After a while of sharing lewd comments about the high jump women, he asks us where we are from. When I tell him New York, he shakes his head and says, "It's horrible that anyone would do anything to harm that great city."
Huh?!? It was amazing for me to hear that from him in a place where I worried about just being American. I sincerely applaud that man. His name, of course, was Mohammed (and he was a bit drunk):
Many more Morocco stories and pics to come! My friend Dave has a fancy digital SLR camera, so we let him get most of the really impressive shots. Hope to get those out soon.
Cheers!
Dan
