Things are Quite Different in Marrakech

Before I go into the sights that we saw etc., I want to talk briefly about the differences between Fes and Marrakech – a topic of conversation that was often on my mind during the second half of our trip.

When I think back on Fes, I reflect on some of the challenges that Elah and I initially faced upon arriving in Morocco. In many ways, I think my impression of Fes was profoundly shaped by the general acclimation process that Elah and I had to make regardless of whether we had started our trip in Fez, Marrakech, or some other Moroccan city. As you might have surmised from my previous discussion of Fes, Elah and I were a little shell shocked/disoriented when we first arrived. As two Type A people who love order in the form of detailed itineraries and exact budgets, the go-with-the-flow feel of Moroccan hospitality and tourism was challenging. By the end of our trip in Fes, however, I think Elah and I had adjusted our expectations of tourism and travel within Morocco to encompass a less structured more uncertain itinerary. 

By contrast, Marrakech has a much more established tourism industry. So, a lot of the uncertainty we felt in Fes was not felt during our stay in Marrakech. This city has decades more experience catering to European tourists and thus provides a much more diverse array of amenities and services for tourists ranging from students, to middle class families, to elite clients. Fes is also a much older city that seems to have only begun to “benefit” from its burgeoning tourist industry. With a thriving tourism trade (and other industries that I’m not as familiar with), Marrakech is a much more modern city. Their Ville Nouvelle (e.g. New City), for example, is pristine with beautiful apartment buildings, shopping centers, gardens, and other public facilities (whereas the one in Fes was fairly dilapidated).  On the outskirts of Marrakech there are numerous 5 star resorts and spas complete with world-renowned golf courses etc. for those who can afford such luxuries (both Moroccan and foreign tourists). The souqs (or markets) in Marrakech are also quite different. Fes is known as the artisanal capital of Morocco and thus is home to the most talented weavers, potters, wood and metal workers, and tailors in Morocco – in these souqs, the quality of Moroccan artisanal goods is at its prime. The souqs in Marrakech remind me more of those in Cairo, Jerusalem, and Istanbul – they cater to tourists with their mass produced colorful pottery, jewelry, pashminas, slippers, and heavily embroidered clothing. These souqs are also much larger than those in Fes. Whereas Fes has two major streets, Marrakech’s Medina has at least a dozen; the streets here are wider and more crowded not only with foot traffic but with bicycles, motorbikes, and cars as well.

Elah and I were trying to decide if vendors here are more or less “pushy” than those in Fes. I’m not sure, to be honest. In Fes, we were only “hassled” a few times when we were walking back from the tanneries along one of the main arteries to our riad. We heard young shopkeepers beckon us into their shops. “Where are you from? America? England? Come look in my shop. Looking is free. No obligation to buy!” “Would you like some pottery, some slippers? Come inside? Hello! You are pretty! Hello! Obama! Osama Bin Ladin!” In general, while walking along the main streets in Fes, shopkeepers would try to catch our attention with a few, “Hello’s!” “Obama!”, but nothing too troublesome. 

In Marrakech, we had a greater variety of experiences with shopkeepers. For the most part, shopkeepers would kindly greet us with a “Bon jour” or “Bon soir” when we entered their shops, but they would just let us peruse on our own. They were there to answer questions when we had them, but we didn’t really feel any pressure to buy things, which, at the time, seemed a bit different than our experiences in Fes. Perhaps shopkeepers here (who have dealt with tourists a lot longer) have realized that buyers prefer to be left alone to look around for a bit before making a purchase. That being said, we also experiences some of the most aggressive vendors in Marrakech – mainly the food vendors in the main square (Jmaal El Fna) and the guides near the tanneries who were pretty incessant in trying to get us to visit their shops. We politely refused, and when that didn’t work a firm, “no thank you” in Arabic normally stopped them. The typical reaction to this small phrase in Arabic was light hearted, “Oh! You speak Arabic, huh?” Although, sometimes young men would mock us and say, “La Shukran, la Shukran” in really high pitched voices. On one occasion, a man made fun of my Arabic accent! But, for the most part, shop keepers were respectful and kind.

Another concern that Elah and I had coming into Morocco was related to the cat calling, comments, and groping that some women tourists experience. Elah and I were happy to note that we (for the most part) did not experience this sort of harassment. We heard a few “You are beautiful/sexy!” and a handful of inappropriate comments about our bodies. But, in the larger scheme of things, those few upsetting moments had no bearing on our larger perception of Moroccan people who are hospitable and respectful.