Survival Guide - Morocco - page 974

TRAVEL DURING RAMADAN
Ramadan Mubarak! (Happy Ramadan!) Ramadan is a lunar month dedicated to sawm (fasting) - from
sun-up to sundown, the faithful abstain from food, drink, tobacco and sex to concentrate on spiritual
renewal - and zakat (charity).
Many businesses operate with limited hours and staff, so try to book accommodation, transport and
tours in advance. Call offices to ensure someone will be there. Most restaurants close by day; pack
lunches or reserve at tourist restaurants. Stores often close in the afternoon; bargaining is better before
thirst is felt in the midday heat. During the lifetime of this edition of the guide, Ramadan falls in the
summer, so be prepared for long, hot days.
Sunset streets fill with Ramadan finery, light displays, music, tantalising aromas and offers of
sweets. After an iftar (fast-breaking meal) of dates, soup or savoury snacks, people gobble sweets un-
til the late-night feast. More visits and sweets follow, then sleep, and an early rise for the sahur (meal
before the sunrise).
Travellers are exempt from fasting; it's hard enough at home under controlled conditions. To show
support, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public, and grant people privacy at prayer times. Taxi
drivers don't appreciate being flagged down minutes before the evening call to prayer announcing
iftar .
When a new friend offers you sweets or invites you to a feast, you honour by accepting; refusal is
crushing. You're not obliged to return the favour or eat the sweets; reciprocate the zakat by giving to a
local charity perhaps.
Safe Travel
Morocco is one of the safest African countries for travellers. The great majority of Moroccans are friendly
and honest, but like anywhere there are traps for the unwary.
Drugs
» Morocco's era as a hippie paradise, riding the Marrakesh Express and all that, has been consigned to his-
tory.
» Plenty of dope (known as kif) may be grown in the Rif Mountains, but drug busts are common and you
wouldn't want to investigate Moroccan prison conditions from the inside.
» Always bear in mind that it's illegal to buy, sell or consume hashish in Morocco. If you're going to smoke
kif, don't do it in public and be extremely circumspect about who you buy it from.
» If caught, you may be looking at a fine and, in the worst case, a prison sentence.
» Hashish is sometimes referred to as 'chocolate', the Spanish slang, or more often just as 'something spe-
cial' or 'shit', which you will definitely be in if you get caught.
» Although some locals continue to smoke as a recreational pastime, as a tourist you're more vulnerable.