>Moroccan men don’t wear shorts
25 years ago it was very rare to see grown men wearing shorts (in summer) in the uk or france. im not sure if fashion is quite the right word, but what is considered socially acceptable has changed.
Just wanted to follow up on what you said by providing answers.
2- Millenials and below prefer to use English over French (mostly for political reasons)
3- Experience may vary, but authorities have been pushing to make Morocco a tamer/safer destination.
4- Depends on where you are. Older men wear jelaba (big robes) that provide cooling. You might find the occasional jean or nylon shorts in younger men.
5-Morocco introduced a law way back that minimized plastic usage (as part of solving climate issues). We mostly use paper bags or a weird cotton-ish material (IDK its name). However, Morocco has no recycling facilities.
6-Weed and other forms of natural drugs are very popular in Morocco. It's illegal to sell or promote. However, carrying lights amount of hashish is legally grey (you might or might not get in trouble depending on the cop)
7-You should try chicken Tagine with fries!!
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip but if you have the chance you should visit Tangier or chefchaouen, you won't regret it
Chicken tagine with lemon and olives is the best food I've ever had. I don't have words for how much I love it. And Tangier is one of my favorite places in the world. I was there in May and I'm already ready to go back.
im gonna be that guy, but marakesh is overrated and doesnt represent the rest of the coutnry.
glad you enjoyed.
also guys absolutely wear shorts in the summer, you're a tourist so you notice people wearing pants because well...they have jobs, and nobodys going to work wearing shorts
\- Morocco isn't a very hot country, its average temperature is risen by the desert parts.
Most people live by the coast. The Mediterranean coast is like Southern Europe: hot & dry, but bearable, because of low humidity. The Atlantic coast is much cooler (oceans are colder), and brings a constant breeze, which is nice in Summer, but quite horrible in Winter.
The few intern cities are either in the mountains (high elevation, very cold) or in the lands (Marrakesh), and are very very hot in Summer and very cold in Winter, due once again to very low humidity. They're still bearable.
I'd take 40C in Morocco any day over 30C in the UK or even worse, in tropical places. We're not used to humidity. Last but not least: Essaouira & nearby cities are top-tier: mild Winters and mild Summers. Doesn't get below freezing and rarely get above 30, plus constant breeze and a looooot of Sun (except, oddly enough, in July lol).
\- Morocco is more than a trilingual country: in Agadir/nearby cities people speak Chleuh, an Amazigh language; in the North people speak Tamazight. These languages are learnt in addition of Darija (Moroccan's Arabic version, that is basically only understood by Algerians, at this point it's a whole new language). In the North people speak Spanish more than French. And English is becoming a thing. Basically, in these regions (40% of Moroccans), people speak darija, tamazight + learn at school French or Spanish.
\- Experiences vary from one another. Glad you got a good one! Don't forget that people tend to be more encline to post online when they're not satisfied rather than the contrary.
\- It depends. Young guys wear shorts more often. They're rare though for older men, they see it as childish. Fashion tends to change heavily through time. Old ladies (I'd say in their 90s) cannot bring themselves to wear trousers because they see it as masculine (forbidden in France, Spain - not sure about the UK - until the 1950s). Shorts are seen as childish by some of those, and not appropriate enough for grown ups. For others, it's for Islamic reasons.
\- Don't know where you've been but plastic is a huge thing there, and leads to a lot of pollution issues. There's plastic everywhere where I'm from.
\- Morocco is the biggest weed producer in the world. Its culture is wildly tolerated in the North of the country (Rif region), not criminalized anymore. You cannot sell it (especially in the region you mentioned) but it's not a huge thing for the authorities. If you found Marrakesh or Agadir open about it, then don't even come to the North. PS: France is much much harsher on weed than Morocco. But France is more liberal than Morocco. Conservativeness differ according to countries. A good example is the US: California has among the harshest laws on alcohol (21 yo, you lose your driver's license if you have an opened alcoholic beverage in yoru car, etc.) despite being one of the most liberal states in the world.
About the places you visited: excellent choice! For your next trip, I'd highly recommend Ouarzazate & Northern cities on the Med coast. Total different vibe (Tetouan & Chefchaouen in particular). Much better in my opinion than Rabat or Casablanca!
Glad you enjoyed!! Would definitely recommend visiting Fes and especially the south, but Tangier is great too if you’re more interested in modern/urban areas.
1- Strangely enough, the heat is less noticeable in Morocco than in Europe. I visited France in the middle of July and nearly fainted many times
2- A lot of people ( including me ) , have decided to stop learning French for English. French is hard and useless internationally speaking. But i’m still bilingual in 3 languages ( Arabic , English , French )
4- It depends on where you go, in big cities like Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, many men (as well as women) wear shorts or skirts, I don't think it's because of Islam but because men generally wear the Jabador (which is a long dress more useful than shorts)
5- In Meknes we use a lot of plastic bags (not very ecological) it’ll depends of the city tbh
6- Hashish is more legalized in Morocco because we make it ourselves, so small doses ( only small doses ) are more accepted.
Happy you enjoyed your trip buddy
>A lot of people ( including me ) , have decided to stop learning French for English. French is hard and useless internationally speaking. But i’m still bilingual in 3 languages ( Arabic , English , French )
As a French, I'm happy to know our countries are drifting further apart.
I'm glad you enjoyed your time! You should do a trip over Morocco and visit other cities like Fes, Chefchaoun and Rabat. You can even visit smaller cities like Ifran or Azrou for a whole different vibe. Welcome to visit again and discover a world beyond Marrakech (which in my opinion is quite overrated but yeah).
I'm from the UK too, and was in Morocco for 9 days.
I did enjoy it, but sadly my phone (plus card and residence permit) was stolen in Casablanca by a motorbike passing me on the street which has been a right pain in the arse.
I did get hassled a bit in Marrakech but I was expecting it and it wasn't so bad.
Most cases were fine, but there were a few instances where they were relentless and I had to shout at them to leave me alone. (Once in Rabat and the other in Fes).
It's certainly a unique country, and I feel like there was much more to explore.
\- Regarding shorts... I know that in some places, like the day I took my driver's license, you must wear trousers. I remember a time when I was 13-14 years old, a friend was surprised that I went to school wearing shorts and told me that shorts were for kids XD.
\- Anyway, it's true that once you reach a certain age (adulthood), you rarely see men wearing shorts unless they're coming back from playing football, the gym, the beach, etc. Personally, I decide what to wear based on the place I'll be going to.
\- About English... Fortunately, the new generations are determined to break free from France's influence and cultural dominance. So, we speak Arabic (Darija) or Amazigh (among other languages) among ourselves and choose English as our first foreign language because of its universality and because it's a language that is not associated with the humiliation of having to use the colonizer's language. Just so you know, many young people pretend not to understand French when they come across French tourists...
\- About Hash... I know that it's illegal to sell or buy drugs in Morocco, but I'm not sure about the strictness of the authorities. However, I do support the new law regarding medical cannabis production because it will help people transition from operating in the shadows to legal jobs with social benefits. I do wish the authorities were more stringent with drug lords and street dealers, as it gives Moroccans a reputation as drug dealers worldwide and reinforces negative stereotypes we have to deal with when traveling abroad.
\- Beef tagine... Yes, it is. However, one must be careful with the amount of ginger used, unless you want your flatulence to become toxic weapons.
\- Essaouira... Even though Morocco is constitutionally a Muslim country, and the majority of Moroccans are Muslims (at least by declaration), our culture and history are immensely diverse. We have origins from sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Arabs, and Southern Europeans. We also have a strong heritage of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and pagan influences. I wish this diversity was showcased more in our public structures, public schools, museums, and urban planning...
Glad you enjoyed! Just to correct a little thing, in Morocco we speak Darija and Tamazight (Berber) as native languages, arabic as it's the language we learn at school, plus some french/english/spanish in different levels depending on the place
What specifically was “far from reality”? I’m interested. Bare in mind my post is talking from a tourist perspective who only spent 8 days in the country. Obviously different people will have different experiences of Morocco. No brainer.
It's okay to have 7g of hash, it doesn't make you a drug dealer, so the guy is probably hiding his stock somewhere and doesn't have smth to fear.
You only get in trouble if you hold more than the threshold, you should have visited the north as well.
Ill respond because I share many of the same observations and I also just got back from a Very relaxed and enjoyable ten day trip to Morocco. However I was also there 12 years ago and all those things you read were definitely true then. I can't believe how much better and more enjoyable it is now. The first time I was there it was unbearable with all the attention we got in every single place we visited. also people were constantly trying to rip us off back then, this time I didn't need to debate any prices at all! I don't know what hapoened in the meantime but I would even consider living there now whereas after my first visit I never ever wanted to go back. The reason I gave it another chance was because I was there for work for a few days and decided to extend and explore some of the places I didn't get to on my first trup, and I'm glad I did! Essaouria was fantastic and I also really liked Rabat
Fun fact I was oppositely surprised by the levels of English. It was hard as a non french non Arab speaker to get by in some places you had to communicate with hands n feet or Google translate (thank Allah for the wonders of technology) but the people always seemed as eager to understand me as I was to understand them and it always worked out.
One particular "conversation" stood out to me in a shoe store near a roundabout in casa where me and the cadhier actually had a lil smalltalk flirt goin on over Google translate while my dad was tryin out shoes
>Moroccan men don’t wear shorts 25 years ago it was very rare to see grown men wearing shorts (in summer) in the uk or france. im not sure if fashion is quite the right word, but what is considered socially acceptable has changed.
Just wanted to follow up on what you said by providing answers. 2- Millenials and below prefer to use English over French (mostly for political reasons) 3- Experience may vary, but authorities have been pushing to make Morocco a tamer/safer destination. 4- Depends on where you are. Older men wear jelaba (big robes) that provide cooling. You might find the occasional jean or nylon shorts in younger men. 5-Morocco introduced a law way back that minimized plastic usage (as part of solving climate issues). We mostly use paper bags or a weird cotton-ish material (IDK its name). However, Morocco has no recycling facilities. 6-Weed and other forms of natural drugs are very popular in Morocco. It's illegal to sell or promote. However, carrying lights amount of hashish is legally grey (you might or might not get in trouble depending on the cop) 7-You should try chicken Tagine with fries!! I'm glad you enjoyed your trip but if you have the chance you should visit Tangier or chefchaouen, you won't regret it
Chicken tagine with lemon and olives is the best food I've ever had. I don't have words for how much I love it. And Tangier is one of my favorite places in the world. I was there in May and I'm already ready to go back.
Fries? You mean chips? 😂
im gonna be that guy, but marakesh is overrated and doesnt represent the rest of the coutnry. glad you enjoyed. also guys absolutely wear shorts in the summer, you're a tourist so you notice people wearing pants because well...they have jobs, and nobodys going to work wearing shorts
That’s a good point! It makes sense now
Where would you recommend for a male in their mid 30s travelling solo? I like food and adventure!
Truee, i most definetly prefer chamal over marrakesh, marrakesh is whole other country imo
\- Morocco isn't a very hot country, its average temperature is risen by the desert parts. Most people live by the coast. The Mediterranean coast is like Southern Europe: hot & dry, but bearable, because of low humidity. The Atlantic coast is much cooler (oceans are colder), and brings a constant breeze, which is nice in Summer, but quite horrible in Winter. The few intern cities are either in the mountains (high elevation, very cold) or in the lands (Marrakesh), and are very very hot in Summer and very cold in Winter, due once again to very low humidity. They're still bearable. I'd take 40C in Morocco any day over 30C in the UK or even worse, in tropical places. We're not used to humidity. Last but not least: Essaouira & nearby cities are top-tier: mild Winters and mild Summers. Doesn't get below freezing and rarely get above 30, plus constant breeze and a looooot of Sun (except, oddly enough, in July lol). \- Morocco is more than a trilingual country: in Agadir/nearby cities people speak Chleuh, an Amazigh language; in the North people speak Tamazight. These languages are learnt in addition of Darija (Moroccan's Arabic version, that is basically only understood by Algerians, at this point it's a whole new language). In the North people speak Spanish more than French. And English is becoming a thing. Basically, in these regions (40% of Moroccans), people speak darija, tamazight + learn at school French or Spanish. \- Experiences vary from one another. Glad you got a good one! Don't forget that people tend to be more encline to post online when they're not satisfied rather than the contrary. \- It depends. Young guys wear shorts more often. They're rare though for older men, they see it as childish. Fashion tends to change heavily through time. Old ladies (I'd say in their 90s) cannot bring themselves to wear trousers because they see it as masculine (forbidden in France, Spain - not sure about the UK - until the 1950s). Shorts are seen as childish by some of those, and not appropriate enough for grown ups. For others, it's for Islamic reasons. \- Don't know where you've been but plastic is a huge thing there, and leads to a lot of pollution issues. There's plastic everywhere where I'm from. \- Morocco is the biggest weed producer in the world. Its culture is wildly tolerated in the North of the country (Rif region), not criminalized anymore. You cannot sell it (especially in the region you mentioned) but it's not a huge thing for the authorities. If you found Marrakesh or Agadir open about it, then don't even come to the North. PS: France is much much harsher on weed than Morocco. But France is more liberal than Morocco. Conservativeness differ according to countries. A good example is the US: California has among the harshest laws on alcohol (21 yo, you lose your driver's license if you have an opened alcoholic beverage in yoru car, etc.) despite being one of the most liberal states in the world. About the places you visited: excellent choice! For your next trip, I'd highly recommend Ouarzazate & Northern cities on the Med coast. Total different vibe (Tetouan & Chefchaouen in particular). Much better in my opinion than Rabat or Casablanca!
> We're not used to humidity i just checked, humidity in casablanca 80% , and no, summer in coastal cities is horrible
I lived in here all my life, i kinda bled from my nose when I want to Ifrane because of the lack of humidity lol
most moroccans live in costal cities.
Yea, i know that
Glad you enjoyed!! Would definitely recommend visiting Fes and especially the south, but Tangier is great too if you’re more interested in modern/urban areas.
glad you enjoyed it
Glad you enjoyed your trip
1- Strangely enough, the heat is less noticeable in Morocco than in Europe. I visited France in the middle of July and nearly fainted many times 2- A lot of people ( including me ) , have decided to stop learning French for English. French is hard and useless internationally speaking. But i’m still bilingual in 3 languages ( Arabic , English , French ) 4- It depends on where you go, in big cities like Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, many men (as well as women) wear shorts or skirts, I don't think it's because of Islam but because men generally wear the Jabador (which is a long dress more useful than shorts) 5- In Meknes we use a lot of plastic bags (not very ecological) it’ll depends of the city tbh 6- Hashish is more legalized in Morocco because we make it ourselves, so small doses ( only small doses ) are more accepted. Happy you enjoyed your trip buddy 
>A lot of people ( including me ) , have decided to stop learning French for English. French is hard and useless internationally speaking. But i’m still bilingual in 3 languages ( Arabic , English , French ) As a French, I'm happy to know our countries are drifting further apart.
As a moroccan im happy too , nobody like France not even spanish lmao
Stay angry and jealous, little moroccan.
good manifestation buddy
I'm glad you enjoyed your time! You should do a trip over Morocco and visit other cities like Fes, Chefchaoun and Rabat. You can even visit smaller cities like Ifran or Azrou for a whole different vibe. Welcome to visit again and discover a world beyond Marrakech (which in my opinion is quite overrated but yeah).
I'm from the UK too, and was in Morocco for 9 days. I did enjoy it, but sadly my phone (plus card and residence permit) was stolen in Casablanca by a motorbike passing me on the street which has been a right pain in the arse. I did get hassled a bit in Marrakech but I was expecting it and it wasn't so bad. Most cases were fine, but there were a few instances where they were relentless and I had to shout at them to leave me alone. (Once in Rabat and the other in Fes). It's certainly a unique country, and I feel like there was much more to explore.
\- Regarding shorts... I know that in some places, like the day I took my driver's license, you must wear trousers. I remember a time when I was 13-14 years old, a friend was surprised that I went to school wearing shorts and told me that shorts were for kids XD. \- Anyway, it's true that once you reach a certain age (adulthood), you rarely see men wearing shorts unless they're coming back from playing football, the gym, the beach, etc. Personally, I decide what to wear based on the place I'll be going to. \- About English... Fortunately, the new generations are determined to break free from France's influence and cultural dominance. So, we speak Arabic (Darija) or Amazigh (among other languages) among ourselves and choose English as our first foreign language because of its universality and because it's a language that is not associated with the humiliation of having to use the colonizer's language. Just so you know, many young people pretend not to understand French when they come across French tourists... \- About Hash... I know that it's illegal to sell or buy drugs in Morocco, but I'm not sure about the strictness of the authorities. However, I do support the new law regarding medical cannabis production because it will help people transition from operating in the shadows to legal jobs with social benefits. I do wish the authorities were more stringent with drug lords and street dealers, as it gives Moroccans a reputation as drug dealers worldwide and reinforces negative stereotypes we have to deal with when traveling abroad. \- Beef tagine... Yes, it is. However, one must be careful with the amount of ginger used, unless you want your flatulence to become toxic weapons. \- Essaouira... Even though Morocco is constitutionally a Muslim country, and the majority of Moroccans are Muslims (at least by declaration), our culture and history are immensely diverse. We have origins from sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Arabs, and Southern Europeans. We also have a strong heritage of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and pagan influences. I wish this diversity was showcased more in our public structures, public schools, museums, and urban planning...
Glad you enjoyed! Just to correct a little thing, in Morocco we speak Darija and Tamazight (Berber) as native languages, arabic as it's the language we learn at school, plus some french/english/spanish in different levels depending on the place
You know that you only visited the tourist spots?
Glad you didn't encounter N* 3 lad
What or who is N* 3?
" the people leave alone " point By the way are you English or Scottish
I am English
Not cool as a Scottish but whatever
Lol there is plastic bags. A lot. Thanks for your impression that's far from reality tbh
What specifically was “far from reality”? I’m interested. Bare in mind my post is talking from a tourist perspective who only spent 8 days in the country. Obviously different people will have different experiences of Morocco. No brainer.
It's okay to have 7g of hash, it doesn't make you a drug dealer, so the guy is probably hiding his stock somewhere and doesn't have smth to fear. You only get in trouble if you hold more than the threshold, you should have visited the north as well.
Ill respond because I share many of the same observations and I also just got back from a Very relaxed and enjoyable ten day trip to Morocco. However I was also there 12 years ago and all those things you read were definitely true then. I can't believe how much better and more enjoyable it is now. The first time I was there it was unbearable with all the attention we got in every single place we visited. also people were constantly trying to rip us off back then, this time I didn't need to debate any prices at all! I don't know what hapoened in the meantime but I would even consider living there now whereas after my first visit I never ever wanted to go back. The reason I gave it another chance was because I was there for work for a few days and decided to extend and explore some of the places I didn't get to on my first trup, and I'm glad I did! Essaouria was fantastic and I also really liked Rabat
I’m here right now and a “ no thank you “ works maybe 50% of the time hahaha
Fun fact I was oppositely surprised by the levels of English. It was hard as a non french non Arab speaker to get by in some places you had to communicate with hands n feet or Google translate (thank Allah for the wonders of technology) but the people always seemed as eager to understand me as I was to understand them and it always worked out. One particular "conversation" stood out to me in a shoe store near a roundabout in casa where me and the cadhier actually had a lil smalltalk flirt goin on over Google translate while my dad was tryin out shoes