AIBU to think Marrakesh was far worse than I expected?

[LondonLass37]

I'm 40. I went to Marrakesh for a week with a female friend of the same age. Both white, both blonde. Just looking for some warmth, culture, and a proper break.

What I experienced was genuinely awful.

We were harassed constantly , not just persistent sellers, but followed, hissed at, and touched. A man spat at my feet because I wouldn't give him money for directions I never asked for. Later, a drunk local chased us through the medina. We had to hide in a shop for nearly half an hour.

The medina is filthy. In the markets, animal carcasses hang next to food. Live donkeys are visibly mistreated and beaten. I'm still upset about what I saw.

The food was bland and lukewarm. My friend got food poisoning.

I wanted mint tea and beautiful tiles. Instead I felt unsafe and miserable.

So – AIBU? Or is Marrakesh genuinely as terrible as I found it?

I’m with you. I went with friends many years ago now and hated it. I ended up sitting on my male friend’s shoulders in the souks because they wouldn’t stop touching me.

Men followed me outside of the souks too. I felt so unsafe. I could only relax in high end hotels and restaurants. We took a taxi from Marrakesh to Essaouira and the driver drove us to an isolated location and forced us to change to an older car after we had paid. Fortunately I was with 2 men who could be assertive with them. The toilet on the journey there was an outdoor hole in the ground surrounded by 💩. I couldn’t go after seeing it. A bunch of local men rushed to the hole after they saw me leave there. I don’t know what that was about, but it wasn’t wholesome.

Once we got to Essaouira, I was followed by more men. I stood out like a sore thumb. There were men in these big medieval coats who looked other worldly to me. One cornered me and tried to touch me. I screamed and he hurried away.

I have never been more relieved than when our plane took off and we were on the way home. I’ll never step foot in that place again.

To put it in context, I found Egypt so much safer and more pleasant. I also traveled in Belize and Guatemala alone and was fine. Wary, but fine. Morocco is not for WASPs or women who stand out as foreign. My friends who went to Casablanca on that trip had even worse stories. The one person who was fine was a Jewish girl who was travelling with us. She looked like she could be a local and she was absolutely fine.

My parents had a house in the south of france, and so we went there often. The hissing my daughter experienced there was from me who appeared of all stripes - so not ones who had just landed. Same in Italy. This was over a decade ago from when she was in her early teens. revolting. It was men. Just men.

I enjoyed it, but I was prepared for the culture shock and I don’t mind things feeling a touch edgy. I did find it exhausting though as it’s quite intense as a place and I also don’t think I would go without a man with me as I can see how women on their own would get harassed more.

Ethnic food would be that that is cooked by people of that ethnicity. So in Morocco it would be Moroccan, in India it would be Indian. Hope that helps.

That is horrendous. The taxi journey could have gone so awfully wrong too. What is a WASP by the way? @LalaPaloosa2024

Some horrible stories here. I have clearly benefited from being able to blend in and go unnoticed. I don't wear hijab though, just my normal clothes, a shade more conservative.

@goldingoosewhite anglo Saxon Protestant.

I will add that the worst harasssment I’ve ever seen (of my teen dd not me) was in Greece - in Parga-an otherwise lovely touristy town. Waiters hitting on her, men following her down the street…she was 15 at the time. It actually spoiled the holiday a bit as we couldn’t walk around the town without it happening.

I am taking this off topic, but a number of posters mentioned harassment in India, which is often terrible, I admit. But Southern India is a lot better, as is Eastern India, and have beautiful things to see. Both very overlooked in favour of the Golden Triangle.

Egypt, Turkey and Morocco . All horrendous hassling experiences from men. Even with a male boyfriend . Groped continually in Istanbul as a young woman n my 20s. Disgusting men. And that was covered up too. Anyone who say it’s not typical is in lala land. The thing with Marrakesh is it’s marketed as a city break, people don’t realise until they get there the sheer culture shock of the
place. Travelling with kids was fine as I was obviously viewed differently as a mother 😬 İstanbul and Egypt were the worst in my experience. I was sexually assaulted in Egypt and groped in Istanbul.

That’s bad but we’re talking about being surrounded by groups of men, being groped and hissed at.

I've been to Morocco 3 times and really loved it. I'm a typical type to get harassed (blonde hair, blue eyes), but travelling with my DH who is a huge 6ft 3 with a Rugby player stature (48 inch chest) meant that I had no bother whatsoever. It's such a shame that these local men spoil the experience for women travelling alone.

Imagine if we allowed lots of these men into this Country and let them loose amongst the local women?! Oh wait.......

I was walking about with my language class books and dressed like a tourist (t-shirt, trousers) so the sex worker angle baffled me. One of the male teachers at the language school laughed it all off and said I must be aware that Italian men love exotic, Black women.

My friend’s brother had to escort me when I went out in the evenings. It was ridiculous!

They don't "love" them, they want to exploit them. What a shame when you were just trying to learn the language.

I escaped gang rape by the skin of my teeth in Goa. Found out that gibbering in fear is actually a real thing.

So sad and horrified to hear this.

Have heard very different accounts of Marrakesh - your type and people that loved it. I should imagine it depends on who you are - attractive fair woman - nightmare, middle aged couple - ok!
Doesn’t sound pleasant either way even if you take the harrasment out of it!

I have told my girls not to travel to Africa or India unless they are older or with a man. Not worth it. We never took them there either. Imagine taking your girls there and something happened - I couldn’t live with myself.

Foreign cuisines.

Anything else you’d like to pretend not to understand? We can help with those questions too.

Not true. My husband and I might be middle aged but our daughter is 27 and a brunette stunner, with cool swagger to boot. She explored Marrakech on her own and reported zero problems. Unless you're saying only blondes have problems there
She lives in London so can handle herself in a city - and regularly reports small incidents that happen in her day to day life there (not that I'm of the fashionable opinion London is a no go zone - I love it!).

@Piglet89 No way!

I was groped 4 x in Istanbul 2 times each during 2 visits by men passing by and groping - boobs and crotch.

These men casually walking by and groping women are disgusting pigs 🐷
I also wore quite modest clothing each time, long skirt oversized tee large hat .

London is NOTHINg like e.g. Istanbul, Paris and some other large cities. I know all 3 cities very well.

Absolutely! No comparison, day to day.

Watching with interest as my friend has just bought a riyad (sp)in Morocco & I've been invited over. After the Egypt experience many years ago I'm a bit wary & I'm prone to picking up illnesses. Doubt I'll get harassed much at my age .