Survival Guide - Morocco - page 969

» Don't be railroaded, but the judicious distribution of a few dirham for a service willingly rendered can
make your life a lot easier.
» Bear in mind that unskilled workers in Morocco earn less than Dh100 per day.
Travellers Cheques
» Travellers cheques are not recommended in Morocco - even large city banks often do not accept them.
» If you want to carry some anyway, as a fallback in the event of theft, American Express (Amex), Visa and
Thomas Cook cheques are the most useful, and have efficient replacement policies.
» Keeping a record of the cheque numbers and those you have used is vital when it comes to replacing lost
travellers cheques.
» Make sure you keep this record separate from the cheques themselves.
» Almost all banks charge commission on travellers cheques.
» Normally the commission is around Dh10 to Dh20 per cheque; check before changing.
Opening Hours
Although a Muslim country, for business purposes Morocco follows the Monday to Friday working week.
Friday is the main prayer day, however, so many businesses take an extended lunch break on Friday after-
noon. During Ramadan the rhythm of the country changes, and office hours shift to around 10am to 3pm or
4pm.
Hours often vary between medinas and villes nouvelles (new towns): most businesses close on Sundays
in villes nouvelles, whereas those in the medinas usually open continuously from about 9am to 7pm except
on Fridays.
Medina souqs and produce markets in the villes nouvelles of the bigger cities tend to wind down on
Thursday afternoon and are usually empty on Friday. Business hours are highly variable for cafes and snack
stands, which can be both seasonal and subject to to the owner's mood.
Souqs in small villages start early and generally wind down before the onset of the afternoon heat.
In cities, pharmacies open all night on a rotating basis. All pharmacies should have a list in their window
of that week's night pharmacies.
In the main tourist cities, bureaux de change (foreign-exchange bureaus) often open until 8pm and over
the weekend.
Téléboutique s (private telephone offices) and internet cafes often stay open late into the night, especially
in cities.
Banks 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday
Post offices 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday