15

I’m not too worried about Tim. He’s a big boy. But just to remind everyone , Tim’s pepper spray isn’t just an over reaction. He was actually accosted by a group of robbers on a lonely mountain/desert road a while ago. They attempted to rob him and they were quite persistent I think. I think he had to resort to the spray to get away. The way he told the story made it sound like a real scary situation and Tim is no man to exaggerate things like this.

So to those who think Morocco is a nice placid place like they make out in the tourist broachers, don’t believe the Disney’s Aladdin hype, Morocco is full of poor folk who will do almost anything to get your cash/stuff usually by tricking you in to giving it to them, but occasionally by force, especially when in remote regions and the Rif.

My fella always carries a small lock knife in his man bag just for these occasions, but it usually just gets used for cutting up veg and cheese for a picnic!

I’m sure Tim will tell you the tail and you’ll think twice about doubting Tim’s motives for carrying such tools.

16

I always love women who would not hesitate to use immediately a gun. You sound like one, kate88.

17

I expect Tim has just found interesting stuff to do for the past few days and is too busy enjoying himself to post here.

18

Calm down, dears !..........no need for over-reaction.......let's get back to Tim's vigil and hope for some good news, the waiting game is always the worst part.

To help pass the time, can any of you computer experts out there tell me how to upload my holiday photos on to this website, so far I've uploaded them from my camera to the laptop through a Flikr account, but now I'm a wee bit stuck, I'm not very good at computers, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Miguel.

19

Hold on a minute

Lets not think bad stuff, I often stay online when I'm in W.Africa then decide I can't be bothered to talk to you all ... we all need a break sometimes!!!

Hoping the best for Tim ... & hoping he might be taking a rest from us all :)

Kira

20

Miguel, I have not Flikr account, but it must works as my what I have, Picasa.
You log in on your account, open the album or picture you want to show, copy the address and paste here and it would works - maybe :)

21

back to Kates and Miguels post regarding safety and so, therefore, I like so much about the desert because there is still peace and quiet, honest people and good children, who do not steal anything, yet.

22

Kate,

Can you please confirm, for unsuspecting new readers,that the part of your last posting piece stating that Morocco is "full of poor folk who will do almost anything to get your cash/stuff", is meant to be taken as a joke.

Morocco is certainly full of poor people, but to categorise most of them as thieves and con men is at best ill advised & inaccurate & at worst wicked, given how much their tourism industry has suffered as a result of 'arab spring' fall-out .

There are people in this forum who consistently write with complete disrespect for the local population: I just cannot understand it. It's as if there is a feeling that Morocco would be just perfect as a base for looking at stunning scenery & taking lots of interesting photos, were it not for its people.

I would rather drive or walk down any road in Morocco than do the same in LA, Manchester, New York, Paris or London. I have been mugged in Mauritius, advised not to leave the hotel In Moscow, been burgled in Greece - but I have never received anything but kindness from Moroccans: give the 99.9% of good people a break, please.

Edited by: Truman13

23

What's a dweeb ? All this ' new-speak ' is very confusing for old timers like me !

I think Pablo has just been overdoing it on the Peruvian white powder.... Try a six- pack instead and return to reality please, the days of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are long gone.

I'm glad to hear Tim's safe, when somebody goes AWOL the worst case scenarios always spring to mind.

Thanks for the advice, Khamlia, I'm still struggling with this user-unfriendly Flikr account, I've just managed to upload another batch of Essaouira photos successfully, I will now probe further.

Miguel.

24

I agree with Truman, if I was somewhere robbed it was just in Stockholm when I tried the shoes, turned a second to look in the mirror how it looks and when I turned back, the bag I put on the shelf in front of me was gone . Another time, disappeared my umbrella on the Eiffel Tower. Talk not about car crime on the parking place near my home.
But in Morocco, I was never robbed. And even about the people I cannot say something bad. Yes, they are suffering now thanks to the Arab spring and I hear how they are depressed now, that it is terrible. Yes they want to sell as much as possible, sometimes it can be to much. But I read recently some blogs about for example Turkey and sellers and it was not nice at all.

Edited by: khamlia

25

.... Miguel, dweeb is derogatory term of endearment, I think its American in origin.

For your information, happy to report...... Tim turned up tired but safe, and will ride again after some rest, al-Hamdu lillah.

26

Dweeb is geek, that one who is lame, sissy, behave a bit behind consciousness, less knowing, silly, someone as he who wrotes about TimC shirt and so on.

27

Truman - Yorkshire is also full of poor folk who will do anything to get your stuff, just like LA, Manchester, Bangkok, Leeds, Fes, NY etc....I didn't tar all Moroccans with the same brush, but just wanted to dispel the myth that all Moroccans are lovely! Most are lovely (far nicer than the average Brit), but there are quite a few who certainly are not! So sorry if you guys thought I was generalising too much. My bad.

But to allow this whimsical, rose tinted view of a Disney-fied Morocco to be propagated is naive and dangerous for tourists who also believe Morocco is totally safe (usually because they only read the tourist junk in a glossy mag) . Have a drive around the Rif (away from the tourist areas and particularly near the Algerian boarder) and see who you bump in to up there. You may find a friendly group of kids, but it’s highly likely that you could be followed and then run off the road by drug dealers who force you to buy off them (a classic technique of the Riffian robber – sometimes on motorbikes, but often in blacked out cars). Elsewhere, you could also be locked in a house and intimidated for hours, or harassed on a lonely beach by a group of drunk Moroccan men who grab at you, or be forced to hand over cash by intimidating cops for nothing….many times, or robbed on the north beach in Essaouira, or punched in the face on the doorstep of the YHA in Tangier, or attacked by an over amorous young man, or had death threats aimed at you all day……..to name a few. As you may guess, this has all happened to me or a companion of mine in Morocco (I couldn’t be arsed to go through all the issues I’ve had) so anyone who is naive enough to think Morocco is totally safe is…. well….. unsafe to travel with!

Over the last 15 years, I have noticed the level of crime and risk has slowly risen in Morocco, with far more stories of tourists getting attacked and robbed (usually in Casa’ but more and more in Marrakesh). I see that the issues with cops accosting tourists and bribing them for cash is getting better (the king personally stepped in and got a grip on them and told them to lay off the tourists) but this has been replaced with issues more associated with Europe, like muggings, violent attacks and robberies. Of course, crime rates are much lower than say Spain for the same types of crime so the chance of getting involved with these issues is lower, but things are changing pretty fast in Morocco, so just a heads up.

28

Morocco is still comparatively safe but kate has good warnings to take into consideration.

29

Thank you for the advice. I'm going to brave Agadir tomorrow when I go to pick up my new webcam from the DHL office!