<blockquote>Quote
<hr>And LOL at Jamal who says he is "a professional."<hr></blockquote>
I meant as a person who has to be somewhere on time. That, and I have more to lose than a backpack wandering around the medina trying to find an open place. It wasn't meant as a pedigree.
Marocfan, I personally have followed your advice on this particular issue, since you have consistently shown up to advise people not to concern themselves with booking. So, since you are here to offer travellers something from your experience, I thought, this chap really loves Marrakesh, so it must be the place to just show up a la Marocfan; that is, without booking ahead. It was simply the most worthless advice I have ever followed coming from this forum. I missed my video conference appt and spent almost two hours trying to find a room. If this is what is meant as "nusnus is right: you always can find somwhere to stay." then you are right, if one's personal or business time is set at the cost of a chickpea. So, I reported on this a bit back.
Marocfan, I know you to be a decent bean and sincere - but this particular advice is worthless rot of the first water. Absolutely pointless, potentially generating unpleasant experiences (as in the first post and my experiences) and not helpful at all.
The OP was in a bad situation because she had no reservation. How can you soberly follow that with a suggestion to just show up?
Had the OP a place of her choosing initially "the worst incident" of her trip wouldn't have happened.
Jamal, I am personally finding you to be a little irritating. There is a certain arrogance about you, that seems to stem from both your country of upbringing, and, indeed, the fact that you seem to consider yourself the all-knowing, all-powerful expert. You are highly-strung (a trait of a multi-lingual American), but please relax. You have done well, and I'm sure are reeping the rewards - whether that be girls, boys, or donkeys, whatever, but please relax.
Bless.
Of course we can't make the same slanderous statements about you and your country of origin, TreeofThorns, since you're hiding behind Thorn Tree World.
I am personally finding this entire thread a little irritating. Why can't we just accept that different people have different ways of doing things: some don't want to spend valuable travel time locating a hostel while others have all the time in the world and don't care where they wind up. There's no reason for the nastiness, of which there's no shortage on the Morocco forum.
leslie, baby:
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>am I really supposed to care what people think of me on the Thorn Tree World? ;) <hr></blockquote>
Now now do not pick on all Americans we are a pretty diverse group. I usually spend 10-or 15 minutes on phone calls for hotels. True if I was on doing a business trip I would like a agenda set in stone but this is mainly a vacation for me. I generally find being polite and agreeable works for me. Jamal it is a little presumptuous to judge how much my luggage cost or my liquid assets.
nusnus, you're really starting to bug me with your patronising c£$%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now now kids, if we can't learn to play well together some of us will have to sit in the corner!
IMHO, the OP hasn't had an awful lot of travel experience. It seems like she got tripped up by some rather silly things in Morocco that had she visited this forum prior to her trip she might have been prepared for and could have easily avoided.
By her name I know she is of Indian origin, Sikh to be more specific, and may have had a better time in southern India simply for that reason, that she is also Indian and gets more respect than your average westerner, who is usually pestered to death.
I'm shocked by your story and by people's patronising assumption that you did something to bring it on yourself.
You did nothing wrong....I have on many occasions followed people from bus stations, followed strabge boys in the night like lesleymac, done all sorts of things I would never do anywhere except Morocco because I know that for the most part it is the safest and friendliest country I have been. There is no excuse for the riad owner's behaviour except that it was low season, he probably had an empty hotel, and you showing up at the end of the day got him all excited and he really didn't ant to let you go! bd manners but perhaps he was desperate.
I have drunk mint tea in many hotels and carpet shops where I have had no intention of spending money. No-one has ever tried to charge me for it because it is basic hospitalty. Usually I make it clear before accepting the tea that I am not going to spend any money but sometimes I am thinking about it, but change my mind. I have never experienced that behaviour and you were definitely unlucky.
And racism is NEVER acceptable. Are you sure they weren't just trying to show how clever they were, noticing that you are from India? (sorry if that sounds ludicous, but I have witnessed this before. they like to ry and guess where people are from, and find the culural diversity of Britain very strange and perplexing.)
Please don't let it sour your whole trip in Morocco.
Personally I had an absolutely foul time in India in 1991 and have never had any inclination to go back, but maybe I will give it another chance, one day!
trusted partner
