A friend of mine is on his way to Morocco today. He lives in England and is taking a cruise ship to Agadir. I am sure he will enjoy it, but I doubt that he will get chance to see the Atlas Mountains, the rural villages, and the beautiful scenery that Morocco offers.

If you’re considering a trip to Morocco, I would recommend booking a tour. For one thing, the official language is Arabic and, although many speak French, the language of business, it is spoken with heavy Berber dialects and communications are often difficult. Some people do speak English and Spanish but, in some regions, only Tamazight (the Berber language) is spoken.

When my husband I visited Morocco, we were independent travellers and we rented a car. Economy cars are usually Renaults. Our little Renault (known for reliability) broke down four times and, each time, it was stressful to change cars in a different town. We were towed here; we were towed there. One time, we broke down on a main road, just near a policeman who was directing traffic. This was 1993 and I don’t know if things have changed, but he did not have a radio as part of his equipment. He flagged down a passing truck, and told the driver to tell someone to send a tow truck. We waited about an hour and, sure enough, a tow truck appeared. The driver was a very nice man, and never gave us any trouble. The car hire company paid the bill. However, we did lose an awful lot of time out of our holiday, due to breakdowns.

Negotiating traffic in the cities was hell. It was a mixture of horses and carts, donkeys, people, Renaults and Mercedes, and there did not appear to be any rules. Drug dealers prefer to drive Mercedes. Be careful if you see two young men in a Mercedes tailing you, especially on the road to Tetuon. A common practice is to pull alongside your vehicle and force you off the road. They may then force you to buy some drugs, and then drive down the road to inform the police, who will be waiting for you enroute. You would then have to pay off the police. That’s how it goes. Don’t buy any drugs. It is illegal for tourists to possess drugs, but not illegal for the locals. If you see a Mercedes tailing you, hoof it!

As with any other foreign destination, the people you are most likely to meet are those who will hassle you for money, or to sell you something. Morocco is bad for that, and some can get quite nasty. We were spat at sometimes. There are officially licensed guides who tout for business; lots of them. Either hire one, or be prepared for them to pursue you. Some have phoney identification cards. Not all Moroccans are like that, just as not all Canadians are downtown panhandlers.

We had a wonderful guide book, published by Cadogan Guides. At the time, the information it contained was highly accurate. We booked our own hotels, but be warned that the star rating system is all over the board, and does not match the North American rating system. The Moroccan government awards the star rating to the hotels. Often the ratings are not updated for years, and they don’t seem to have any proper standards. There could well be some corruption involved in the rating system. One three star hotel might be very different in quality from another three star hotel, so you take your chances. However, if you were to go with a tour group, the standards have been well-established for you in advance, and there is less chance of disappointment. Tour companies don’t want disappointed customers. They want repeat business.

I would not go anywhere alone in Morocco . Others might disagree with me. It was my first trip to North Africa , and was quite a culture shock at the time. Some Moroccans feel it is their God-given right to hassle foreigners. If I were to go again, I would wear a caftan and make sure that I had a male escort, wearing a djellaba. We might not pass for Moroccans but, if we learn  to walk like Moroccans, we might pass for residents, and would most likely be left alone.

We got lost in the souk in Marrakech. Fortunately, we had the handy-dandy Cadogan guide book. It had a diagram, or simple map, of the souk. We were plea sed when we stumbled across the gendarmerie. Moroccan police appear to be a sort of hybrid of military and police, and there were some barracks inside the souk. Two officers were on guard at the main gates. They could not speak French at all, and had never seen a map before. They just looked puzzled and irritated when we showed them the map. Then I remembered that desert people navigate by the stars, not maps. We were out of luck.

It is best to eat at hotels or more expensive restaurants in the big cities, and not to eat salads. I am told that the fields are fertilized with human excrement. Make sure your food is cooked. A bean soup, called harira, is relatively safe. Fruit is often injected with water to make it weigh more, as with melons, for example. The fruit might be safe, but the water is dubious. Of course, bottle water or drinks is the safest way to go. Fanta and Coke are brands of soft drinks that are advertised everywhere. Fly covered meat often hangs in the open air at the local market. Maybe fish would be safer.

Now, after all these negatives, would I go again? Yes, of course I would! It is an absolutely fascinating country with a rich culture and history. The scenery, once out of the towns, is magnificent. Beautiful panoramic vistas are everywhere, and there are fascinating ruins of old Roman towns, such as Volubilis. I don’t know how the Romans did it, but they certainly knew how to find town sites with fantastic 360 degree views.

I have travelled a little more since that time, and feel more relaxed about North Africa . I would like to see all of it and, as I have said, I would definitely go to Morocco again. I do feel, however, that a lot of the problems I mentioned earlier could have been avoided, had we booked a tour. Tours take a lot of the headaches out of finding your way around, finding safe places to eat, and comfortable places to lodge. You don’t have to worry about cars breaking down, or paying people to watch your car when it is parked. By the way, this is customary in Morocco . Don’t fight the system. For the sake of a couple of dirhams (Moroccan cents, or pennies), it’s not worth the hassle.

The guide book provided street names, and showed maps, of course, but they didn’t say that many of the street names were in Arabic script only. We couldn’t read them! So a tour bus driver would have been most useful. I still recommend the book, even if you do book a tour. It tells you lots about the political and social environment and the local customs. Most of the merchants are very good to deal with, provided you know the protocol. We did meet some nice people in Morocco , when we weren’t running away from street vendors and shady-looking characters.

There are strict laws in Morocco about bothering tourists. One time, a man was following us and making a nuisance of himself. I turned around and yelled at him. He was gone in a flash. I was quite surprised at my own power, and I wondered if perhaps they were afraid of women, but it was explained to me that I had drawn attention to the man with my loud voice, and what he was doing was illegal. If they think you will report them to the police, or draw attention to the situation, they are gone in a flash. If someone is bothering you and you see a policeman, walk purposely towards the policeman. When you turn around the perpetrator will be gone.

One tip I can give you about these characters is as follows. Many have lea rned a few words of several languages, in order to approach the tourists. They will ask you if you speak English, French, German, Spanish, as they can often speak enough of these four languages to get by. Answer them, “Chinois?” (Chinese?), and smile sweetly and expectantly. They will pause, look puzzled and disappear. Poof! It’s almost guaranteed.

So, book a tour for your first trip, buy a good guidebook to get the most out of your visit, and wear the local dress if you decide to wander by yourself. All the normal personal safety tips about your wallet, etc. would apply.

Morocco really is a great experience: beautiful vistas, interesting souks, music, dance, donkey markets, camel rides, water sellers, Roman cities, winding streets, mosques, great souvenirs such as gemstones, fossils, pottery, tribal jewellery, and more. The food is wonderful if you can find a good place to eat, and the recipes are interesting to try at home. Since that trip, I have developed a great appreciation of Berber art, music, food and dance. Moroccan home décor and architecture is very interesting.

I would love to travel there again. It would be best would be with a Moroccan guide. Nothing beats the firsthand information that a countryman can give you. I wouldn’t go alone, unless I was travelling with a reputable tour company that had all the right connections. For a small group experience, you might like to check out www.adventures-abroad.com. I have travelled with them before, and had a wonderful experience.

I hope you will check out Morocco . It has good and bad like every country. A visit to Morocco is a very rich and rewarding experience, and you will come home with an appreciation of its history, and most interesting culture. Who knows, you might learn to belly dance, like I did.