Morocco: What you should know

After our trip to India, I've learned my lesson and prepared myself in advance, or at least with some knowledge about the country. This is probably the best tip to have in mind when travelling for the first to a country that is much different from your own: always get to know the place you plan to visit in advance. The best way to do it by personal blogs or personal reviews in places such as Tripadvisor. People's thoughts, advice and impressions will always help you be aware of the atmosphere you're about to meet.
There is of course no way to fully understand a country before visiting it but it is always better to know what to expect( every culture is unique and surprising).
What I got to know before coming to Morocco:
- Don't worry much how to get dressed. As an Islamic country the dress code and way of showing you and your emotions is a little bit different than the way in Europe for example. Although I saw many tourist with really short shorts and sleeves I would recommend to the ladies to consider something not very provocative, knee-long dresses or pants would be fine. Not that it's a problem to show a little more skin, but you'll save yourself the looks and laugh behind your back, as the locals don't miss a person to look at.
- Warm clothes. If you don't visit Morocco in summer you must have warm clothes. Despite the high temperatures, the wind is really cold. In March the locals were wearing pullovers or even their winter jackets. It wasn't so bad, but still make sure you have long sleeves and jackets, the nights are especially cold!
- Learn French. Just kidding. You don't need to learn a new language for your 1-2 week trip. Most of the people in the tourist areas speak English well enough. But if you plan a trip outside the big, crowded, noisy places you must have an offline french dictionary!
- Overall the big cities are safe,both for driving and walking.
What a learned while in Morocco:
- The hotels are a bit overrated. Don't be impressed by the beautiful pictures, but read the reviews, they are usually pretty much clear and true. Anything under 5-star hotels probably will disappoint you, but if you are on a budget the 3/4-star hotels will be fine.
- There are like hundreds of merchants on every street, trying to sell you something. Just say No or simply shake your head and avoid them, that will discourage them quickly not to follow you.
- Always bargain. The merchants would tell you some unbelievable prices as a starter, but then agree to what you say. Don't be afraid (or shy) to say ridiculously low prices, most of the stuff don't cost much anyway.The fastest way to get your souvenir for the price you want is to just leave. They'll call after you, hold you even to stay until they sell the product.
- Always wear cash, especially small banknotes. People there always expect a tip. Even if you bool an organized trip and prepay it, be sure that along the way you'll meet relatives/friends of your guide and they all will be expecting something in exchange for their "help", small tour or guidance.
- If you plan to go hiking/trekking be prepared in advance. Some paths are difficult to find on your own, there are tens of people waiting to help you (and of course to receive a 5€ tip)and it's honestly not so well marked. Read a lot in advance about the valleys or mountains you want to hike and make sure you have a reliable GPS navigation.
- The best way to travel: a rental car.
- When at a gas station, you should wait for a guy to refuel your car, pay him and don't bother to wait for a receipt. But that's only in the cities. When you are on a motorway /highway you should be able to pay with a credit card and receive a receipt. Shoot for the big gas companies, such as Shell, Total.

Always drive with the permitted speed. If the police stop you, always ask for proof that you broke the speed limit! 

Being completely honest, I was a little afraid and prejudiced toward this trip and the country, but I learned that if you are nice to people, aware of your surroundings and belongings, everything will be just fine. Just relax, enjoy the new adventure, absorb the atmosphere and collect great memories!

India: First experience

The most spontaneous trip we have ever did. Me and my husband were invited to a wedding in India and it took us about 2 months to think about it. Two weeks before the event we decided that we are doing it. We were actually going to India! It sounded so exotic and so far away, even a little bit scary, but we were all in.

First of all, you need to make sure you get a visa. Then you can start looking around for airplane tickets, although in our case we were pressed to change the order of events, because for such a destination you can't book last minute (price and probably no luck with available seats). It was pretty easy actually, because you can apply on-line and then get your visa within 2-3 work days. 

Vaccination: our doctor said that the obligatory ones are Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid and of course the basics like DT. There are also the Cholera, Malaria and Japanese Encephalitis, but if you are careful enough, and staying at 4 or 5-star hotels, you should be fine only with the first three. 

Packing? That's easy! It is always hot and all you need is some light linen clothes (preferably long-sleeved) and your flip-flops. Be careful though, the sun could be really strong, so don't forget your sun cream! Now the fun part of packing: make sure to have enough anti-bacterial soaps, wet wipes and whatever else that comes to mind when considering disinfection before eating. Unfortunately the hygiene there is poor and we were strongly advised avoiding drinking tap water as well as not to brush our teeth with anything else than bottled water.

Getting from A to B: Uber is your answer. If you by any chance have an Indian sim-card then you can also use the alternative called "Ola". 

Funny story: We went to see this (castle/temple) by the shore and had a good time, took some nice pictures but then... the Uber App crashed, so did our hopes to get home, too. There were no taxis, we could not get the Indian alternative "Ola" and we were just staying there looking like confused tourist which in India is equal to easy money. We were approached several times by a Rikshaw driver. [We of course, kindly rejected his offer to get us back to our hotel. The idea of travelling at approximately 30km/h on a highway with this traffic....And of course, was double the price.] After 30-40min and no luck with the app we had to get the deal. Best experience ever! Just imagine: highway, cars are flying around us with over 100km/h, we are moving at about 20-25km/h. Then, the Rikshaw suddenly stops in the left lane (oh yes, they drive England-like), middle of nowhere and we have not the tiniest clue what is happening. We are looking each other in horror for the next 30 seconds, while the driver gets out of the Rikshaw, opens his seat and gets out a... 2,5l Coca-Cola bottle full with something yellow-ish. Then he gets another, smaller bottle full with something 

green-ish. He mixes the two substances and... refuels. That was the moment we could breathe again and just enjoy the rest of the ride.

The traffic: There are no rules. At least none known to us in Europe. There are traffic lights, there are signs, there are zebras, but nobody cares very much about them. There are three lanes, well-marked with white stripes, but you actually can see 5-car lanes with small motorcycle lanes between them. You just drive and wait for the others to signal you if you are in their way. The cool part is that as funny and dangerous as it may sound to us, it somehow works, people don't get nervous and they are actually moving. Rarely would you stay long at jams.

Temples: better read or ask ow to proceed when entering a temple. Barefoot is a must for some and it is usually worth it.



India could be polluted, unorganized country but if you look at it more as a crazy, colorful place, you will be able to experience the real beauty of the country and its people.



P.S. I almost forgot...Do try coconut water from a street merchant... The best way to freshen up your hot day!