The Beginner’s Guide to Bargaining

After ranting about the traffic in Casablanca I didn’t think going on a road trip through Morocco was really in the cards for me.  Then two weeks ago I found myself behind the wheel of a small automatic Kia, zooming (the car didn’t go more that 30mph uphill) through the northern Rif Mountains of Morocco and wondering if my insurance company would award me a lower rate for making it through Moroccan traffic circles accident free.

We had a week off from classes so we packed our bags, booked our rooms, and boarded the train for a five hour ride to one of Morocco’s northern most cities, Tangier.  The next few days were a whirlwind tour of the north of Morocco, including Chefchaouen, Tetouan, and the Spanish city, Ceuta.  It was also our first big test in bargaining with souvenir shopkeepers, and to explain the process I’ve put together a beginner’s guide to bargaining in Morocco:

1. Prepare your battle plan. Know what item you want to buy and how much you’re willing to pay before the shopkeeper hurries you inside to “just take a look for pleasure."
2. Ask for the shopkeeper’s price and give a counter offer at half the amount, even if he insists it’s a “student discount.”
3. Do not buy anything without first walking out of the store. They’ll know this isn’t your first rodeo and will follow you out while continuously lowering the price.
4. If the shopkeeper reaches a price you’re willing to pay, turn around hesitantly, examine the item one more time, and take the offer.
5. Congratulations! You are now a black belt souvenir shopper. Now all you have to do is find a suitcase to get everything back home.

CHEFCHAOUEN

The view from the riad in Chefchaouen, also known as the Blue City.  Riads are traditional Moroccan houses with interior courtyards or pools that many owners turn into small hotels. Chefchaouen was the first time we were treated to 5a.m. calls to prayer. In smaller cities mosques will project their call to prayer loud enough so that it sound like a guy with a megaphone has stormed into your room and begun chanting.  The call happens at intermediate times during the day, but I could swear the morning call was always the longest.  Each time you thought it was over and had relaxed back into your pillow it would start up again as if they knew people were trying to go back to sleep.  

It’s impossible to not have Blue by Eiffel 65 constantly stuck in your head while walking through Chefchaouen’s medina.

The older the medina the harder it is to navigate, but you get comfortable with being lost and, after asking enough people for directions, always manage to make it back to your hotel.  Moroccans often joke that it’s hopeless to ask for directions here since people with either tell you to keep going straight if they don’t know the way or will tell you something so complicated in the process of trying to help that you’re still just as lost as when you started.

The view over Chefchaouen.

Kids playing with marbles in the Medina.

Breakfast at our riad in Chefchaouen with mint tea, croissants, mssemen (a type of Moroccan crêpe), bread, olives, cheese, honey, and jam.

TETOUAN

Our riad in Tetouan which the owner said dated back to the 18^th century.  It was located inside the city’s Medina which is a UNESCO world heritage site built in the 15^th century.  The Moroccan history timeline makes U.S. history seem like a blink of an eye.

Rooms like this one only cost only 400 Dirham or US$40 a night.

A guide took us around Tetouan since navigating your way through the Medina is nearly impossible. If visitors want to eat at a restaurant after dark, someone from the restaurant will pick them up and then bring them home afterwards so they don’t get lost.  One of the stops on the tour was the tannery pictured above. If you imagine the worst smell you’ve ever experienced and then multiply it by ten that’s about how nice the tannery smelled, and we were careful to watch our step while walking around the vats of manure, cow skin, and other arrays of lovely smelling ingredients.

Another stop on the tour was a traditional Moroccan pharmacy which appeared to date back as far as the medina itself.  We were shown cures for headaches, asthma, and acne, and I half expected Professor Snape to pop out from the back room to show us a potion or two.

CEUTA

Waiting to get our passports stamped to enter Ceuta, a Spanish-controlled city inside Morocco that is still partly used for military training.  While many nationalities aren’t required to have visas to enter Morocco, we are only allowed a 90 day stay without getting our entry passes renewed.  Ceuta is the easiest way to enter and exit Moroccan territory for tourists, and many Moroccans try to enter the city to find jobs or sell and buy items. 

MARRAKESH

Completing the trio of Couscous, Camels, and Casablanca.  Marrakesh, or “The Red City,” is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Morocco, and after running into camels I can see why.  The Moroccan student welcome team treated us to a trip to the city for the second part of our break, and made sure no one got lost in Marrakesh’s huge markets and souks.

Outside the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, home to designer Ives Saint Laurent in Marrakesh.  He spent the end of his life here and drew much of his design inspiration from Morocco.

Inside Jardin Majorelle.

One of the highlights of Marrakesh- the Djemâa el Fna, a huge market square at the center of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The market has all types of food stands with everything from fresh juice to couscous and grilled meats.  There’s also henna tattoos artists, snake charmers, monkeys, and musicians that keep the back ground music going and give the market a life of its own.  Between taking everything in, trying to stick with our group, and making sure my bag was always tucked under my jacket, a couple extra set of eyes could have come in handy.   

Not feeling too sure about my new friends in the market.

Rug shops next to the open market in Marrakesh.

The view from our lunch tent in the mountains outside of Marrakesh.  We left the city for a ropes climbing course and zip lining after a traditional meal of chicken tajine with bread and large bowls of fruit for dessert.

Tajine is traditionally eaten using bread instead of forks and knives.  It was a messy affair for us beginners, but at the end we were even able to cut into chicken using the crust of the bread.

The bridge and zip line over the valley. It’s advisable to leave plenty of time to digest your tajine before crossing, but the views and weather were hard to beat.