I've always loved the idea of going on "legen-waitforit-dary!!" adventures (any HIMYM fans here lol), trying to step out of my comfort zone. Morocco is always portrayed as an exotic, fantasied land, being in Africa, a mysterious land that I don't know much about. In August 2018, I stayed in the Southern part of Spain for a month studying Spanish. Seeing the proximity of my location and Morocco, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to explore this mystical country with hopes of learning and experiencing other cultures. I wouldn't say I regret going there. But I'd say Instagrammers certainly glorified and exaggerated when they said Marrakech is THE BEST travel destination in the world, and expectations turned into disappointments.
Who are you in the dark?
My first venture into the continent of Africa started with a delayed flight that landed at around 10 pm, which wasn't anyone's fault (cos we picked a cheap airline). Going through immigration and customs took forever, and it was already around midnight when we left the airport, long past the time we told our riad we would arrive. Naturally, the taxi that was supposed to pick us up wasn't there, and we didn't have a sim card that could call our riad. We tried to enter the building again, attempting to find a public phone booth, but apparently, once you leave the airport building, you're not allowed back in. (So I took this as there aren't any facilities or shops at the arrivals side?!) I wasn't as experienced in travelling as I'm now back then. There we were, two young Asian girls kind of stranded at the airport in the middle of the night.
We entertained the thought of walking to the city for a while as we didn't know whether the taxi drivers not sent by the riad should be trusted or not (+ we don't speak the language). We eventually gave in, got in a taxi (as walking from the airport to Medina takes more than an hour), and hoped for the best. The ride wasn't that bad, to be honest. We were dropped off on a main road near our riad. The area looked super sketchy, with some kids still sitting out in the dark alleys, and the whole place screamed poverty. There weren't any signs outside the riad we were staying at. Some nice kids pointed the way out for us (and I was super grateful for that), and finally, we got settled down after such a long journey. It was quite a scary experience in a country that seemed as foreign as it could have been.
The people
I rarely say this about any country as I do try to keep an open mind and learn about different cultures, but the biggest turn-off about Marrakech was the local people we encountered in the Medina. We saw lots of posts online advising that it is better for women to wear less revealing clothes to show respect and minimize unwanted attention. We wore loose, long-sleeved tops and long skirts for the first two days we were there. Felt like getting a heat stroke whenever we were walking under the heat of 44 °C. Nevertheless, there were still older men ogling and catcalling at us on the road. We went on to visit the highly hyped markets and Souks in Medina, where everyone there kept on yelling at us and guessing our nationality by shouting "hello" in all kinds of Asian languages. After explaining we're from the little known Hong Kong for a few times, we got quite frustrated and uncomfortable with the aggression. Yes I get it; they were probably curious and bored and wanted to know more about these foreigners. But if you approach us nicely for a conversation, we would probably agree to- I love chatting with people in a vastly different culture. At one point we started ignoring and kept our heads down cos it was just getting pointless trying to talk with them, and people were calling us rude for not responding to their screaming. Not to mention all the animals being exploited in the markets.
Here's another incident: We knew before going that there will be kids offering unsolicited help with directions and were cautious about that. One night when we were finding this restaurant for dinner, we encountered this little boy who clichéd-ly told us the restaurant we were looking for was closed and that he could lead the way to another restaurant. We refused his help and went on walking, but he continued following us until we reached the restaurant, and he went in front of us, blocking our way, and requested us to pay him. After refusing a few times and him still insisting, we had had enough and paid him a few coins. However, he wasn't satisfied and asked for banknotes instead, giving us back our coins. Eventually, an older local man walked past us and told the kid to go away, ending the whole incident.
Among other things, we were having lunch at the restaurant inside Jardin Majorelle, which wasn't cheap at all. The food was okay, not much service was provided, and we paid the service charge already. Again, the waiter demanded tips paid in banknotes (which was like 50 hkd). Ridiculous.
Like yo, we get it; you're probably not paid a lot. Y'all got the resources that attract numerous tourists here; treating them like cash cows and chasing them away doesn't do you any good. It doesn't make tourism sustainable there. At least, fortunately, we didn't encounter any pickpockets lol.
Redeeming factor: Amazing sunset camel ride tour
At least the tour guide we paid for was professional, knowledgeable and didn't feel pushy... (Probably should've paid for a tour guide in the Medina as well) The sunset was just as magical we imagined (see above), and we had a marvellous time. The experience made our trip kind of worth it.
Instagrammable?
Now we got the most significant issue I've got out of the way, here's some of the minor stuff. Being the "most Instagrammable place" on Earth, every tourist attraction we were at had A LOT of people there, just wanting to get the perfect shot. There weren't many signs or display boards explaining to us what we were looking at. We didn't see people doing guided tours, nor were audio guides provided. Travellers there seemed to be just interested in posing for cameras, crowding at every other "Instagrammable" spot. We also saw others wearing shorts and tank tops and not getting harassed like us.
I felt like I learnt more about Moorish architecture in Andalucia (we've just visited Alhambra and Royal Alcázar of Seville before heading to Marrakech) than here in Morocco. Everything just seemed like a backdrop here and less well-maintained than the ones in Spain.
Don't get me wrong, they are incredibly exquisite. But doesn't live up to its potential and wasn't as astounding as I expected
The unbearable heat
We got sort of used to the heat and no air-conditioning when we were staying in Granada, but here was a whole other level. Walking on the unshaded roads, hot exhaust gas from trucks, and motorbikes definitely didn't help. Bear in mind, we were wearing long sleeves, and the water there was basically undrinkable (apart from the bottled ones). In addition to all the harassment, we often just rushed back to our riad and didn't want to head out for the rest of the day.
Though quite expensive compared to other things sold there, orange juice is one of the few great things I loved in Marrakech. I wasn't brave enough to try the ones in the markets (more on that later), but even those served in restaurants were very fresh and refreshing after a walk.
Also, seeing everyone was just wearing shorts and tank tops, I gave up the long skirts on the final day, and the heat became slightly more bearable. We left Medina that day to visit Yves Saint Laurent Museum and Jardin Majorelle, didn't encounter any harassment issue that I recalled.
The Medina is a chaotic maze, most online reviews would agree with that. Google maps were unreliable, and you could easily get lost. As with some places in Thailand and China, there didn't seem to be any sort of road traffic rules for all the mopeds, trucks, or donkey wagons zooming around town. Kind of expected these at the main roads, but motorbikes were going at you full speed in the narrow alleys of the souks as well. My friend got hit by a scooter in one of the souks, and luckily was alright. But it could be so much worse.
Bargaining is not my thing, never was. Everything looked nice, but the need to haggle just kept me away. (I know, it's probably their tradition but I just wasn't comfortable.) You couldn't tell if the stuff is legit or not too. I ended up buying a musical instrument, which the mouthpiece broke off by itself, and a lamp, which rusted within one year of purchase. A bit disappointing. Besides, a lot of stuff sold there we've already seen in Granada with comparable prices. If you insist on buying authentic Moroccan products locally, I'd recommend shopping outside of Medina, where fixed-priced shops are located. Felt more comfortable without all the aggressive hard sell and less as a rip-off.
I didn't really enjoy traveling in Thailand as well, but at least I love Thai food. I'm not that picky when it comes to cuisines. Plus after everything above, we got trust issues with the markets, and the food sold there looked unhygienic as well. This is probably just us as we didn't quite know what to order (plus I heard a lot of people love the food here), but the meat here, in general, just tasted super weird. The beef didn't taste like beef; the chickens were not tender at all. Our riad served us breakfast every morning but was almost immediately spoiled by bees every single time. I'm not afraid of bees, but my friend was. So we never had a peaceful and good quality meal during our trip here. The only decent meal I had here was probably at Henna Art Cafe, and the highlight wasn't even the food but the henna instead.
These were the stuff that I did enjoy. But I could also comfortably drink Moroccan mint tea without worrying whether I was ripped off or the tea was clean at teterías in Granada.
I'm not trying to scare you into not going to Marrakech because I did enjoy some parts of the trip, namely the camel tour, henna, and the gorgeous photos we took there. Avoiding the Medina might probably give you a comfier and more authentic experience if you really want to visit this city. There were so many turn-offs for me that I'd maybe want to revisit Andalucia for the architecture instead of this place, which is such a shame as Marrakech is one of a kind. But would I return to Morocco? Certainly, I bet I would actually have a better time in other less touristy cities than Marrakech, and I would also love to explore the desert a bit more in-depth.
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