No, we don’t want any more tea, thank you very much.
While is not exactly a shocker, we have become painfully aware than when you travel in a country in which tourism is the major industry, everyone wants to sell you something. On the drive from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, we saw roadside pottery stands protruding off the mountain and threatening to fall into the valley below.
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| From Atlas Mountains & the Gorges |
On the road from Ouarzazate to Tinihir, we’ve seen at least five men for every car that goes by optimistically holding dyed geodes on the side of the road. And we’ve done our part. We’ve consciously allowed ourselves to be snookered into buying a carpet from a Berber family in the middle of the Todra Gorge. We willingly let ourselves be talked into going on a guided hike into the Todra Gorge and subsequently stay a second night. But we had to draw the line when discussions about booking a camel ride in the desert went south.
Part of the problem – and blessing – of travelling long term is that it makes it very difficult to plan much in advance. It is a fine line between being spontaneous and being woefully unprepared. So far, we’ve taken the approach of planning each step a day or two in advance. While we’ve shown up places without reservations, we’re not yet comfortable with showing up in a town without some preparation. We’ve been trying not to go overboard with planning, lest we spend the entire day on the internet researching places to stay and things to do. Planning this way can get complicated, however, when internet is unreliable, we have no means of calling anyone except through Skype (which requires an internet connection), and places do not have online booking.
So while we knew we wanted to spend a night in the Sahara Desert, we did not have advance reservations. In our heads, the desert was going to be scorching hot and desolate. Alternatively, we heard and read horror stories of the uber-aggressive touts selling accommodations and camel trips once you arrived. (Turns out neither was exactly the way it was in real life, but more on that later). Either way, we knew we did not want to show up at the desert without reservations.
Our friends Heather and Greg travelled to Morocco in 2007, so we were relying heavily on their helpful recommendations. The place where they stayed in Merzouga, the town just outside Erg Cherbi (the sand dunes where we planned to explore the Sahara), did not have online booking. We tried calling the hotel on Skype, but for some reason the number did not go through.
The hotel where we were staying at while planning our desert adventure was in the middle of the Todra Gorge, in the valley between two tall rock walls, next to a small river and lush palm trees.
Big city, this was not. The hotel was a Lonely Planet pick, with good reviews on Trip Advisor. The room was simple and clean, the scenery was gorgeous, and the breakfast and dinner that came with the price were some of the better meals we had. The hotel appeared to be associated with a colorful cast of characters that constantly circulated in and out of the lobby area. All men, they each had a unique personality. Many were good salespeople – this is where we were talked into buying a carpet, guided hike, and second night at the hotel. All the men were friendly. The one whom we assumed was the owner, or at least in charge, was particularly friendly. One of the others sang, America! America! when he saw us. He asked to see our pictures from Essaouira. When we showed him, he laughed each time he saw a picture of a cat and said, Mrow! Too many mrow.
Sean decided to inquire with our hotel about a phone to call the place Heather and Greg recommended in Merzouga. I predicted that he was going to get a hard sell about the hotel’s own desert excursion. Sure enough, when Sean came back upstairs, he had not made the phone call but had the name and website of a place supposedly run by the owner’s “family.” We checked out reviews on the internet, and it appeared to be legitimate, and the price was good. While we were slightly wary, we figured this place was as good as any, and certainly the easiest option.
Later in the day, we saw the owner. Ahh…did you check it out? I will call my family for you. We told him, okay, please do so. He promised to call after dinner. We ate dinner in the dining room, and looked around for him in the lobby where all of the men who ran the hotel congregated. We saw a new man we had not seen before. The man began talking to us, and told us he was a grand taxi driver from Merzouga. He told us he knew English really well, and engaged us in a conversation. We then saw the owner, who offered us tea. We declined, saying we were going to head upstairs to bed. The owner feigned insult. The taxi driver told us, In the Berber culture, it is considered rude to turn down an offer of tea. You must accept.
This was not the first time we heard this. I really did not want any more tea, considering we just finished a pot after dinner. In Morocco, we have been forced to drink copious amounts of the stuff. When the tea is unsweetened, it is good. It varies slightly, but it typically contains fresh herbs and loads of fresh mint. Preparation of the tea is somewhat of a ritual, culminating in a long pour from high above the glass tea cups. The problem comes in when the Moroccans drop enormous sugar cubes into the pot, making it sickly sweet, almost as if you were drinking melted spearmint gum. Sean didn’t mind it as much as I did, but he too preferred it unsweetened.
After pressure from the owner and taxi driver, we relented and agreed to have some more tea. While we drank our tea, we sized the taxi driver up, and tried to figure out what he was after since he knew we had a rental car. During our first cup, the taxi driver chatted with us about our plans to spend one night in the desert near Merzouga. Oh, you are headed to Merzouga? You must spend two nights there! One is not enough. He repeated this over and over. Uncomfortable, we kept telling him that while two nights would be nice, our schedule would only allow one night. He then mentioned that because he was from Merzouga, he knew the best camps and could set us up with one. We told him we already had plans, and were just waiting to finalize them. He changed the subject. I finally gulped down what I felt was an acceptable amount of tea. I glanced at Sean and just as I was about to say, well, it is getting late, the taxi driver refilled my cup. Crap.
During our second cup, the owner of the hotel came out, and listened as the taxi driver told us again and again that we really needed to spend two nights in the desert. Periodically, they spoke in Berber to each other. I tried to figure out what was going on. The owner had seemed set on trying to get us to go to his “family’s” place. What would he get out of it if we were swayed into spending two nights at the taxi driver’s friend’s place?
The owner drifted in and out of the conversation, leaving us mostly alone to talk to the taxi driver. We finally were able to politely duck out of the conversation. Before we went upstairs, the owner told us that he had tried to call his family, but they were full for tomorrow night – opposite of what he told us earlier in the day. The owner told us that the taxi driver could call his friend to set us up in the desert. Before we replied, the taxi driver was pulling out his cell phone and about to make a call. We told them that we needed to discuss our plans upstairs, and that we would let them know in the morning. They looked disappointed. The taxi driver said, okay. I’ll leave all the information and he can call for you in the morning.
Upstairs in our room, we were fuming. It was close to 11 p.m. We had no place to stay the next night. We felt like everyone was trying to take advantage of us. We were mad at ourselves for even considering going with the hotel owner’s “family’s” place, and for not seeking out a public phone to call the place to which we wanted to go. We discussed how showing up in Merzouga without reservations was not an option. We discussed not going to the desert. Finally, we started looking around on the internet again. We found a place on Trip Advisor that was rated number one. We decided to try Skype again. Maybe something was wrong with the number for the other place. Maybe this number would work. It did. We made reservations to spend the next night at a camp in the desert. Thank goodness. Someone turned off the wireless router shortly after that. We joked they did it on purpose to neutralize our options, but I think it was routine.
The next morning, all seemed okay when we came down for breakfast. Phew, we thought. We can actually get out of here free and clear. But alas, no such luck. Just as we were about to walk out the door upon checking out, the owner asked us if we would like him to call the taxi driver’s friend. He had his cell phone in hand. No, Sean said. We booked a place last night. The owner peered at us suspiciously. We could tell he thought we were lying, since he knew we did not have a phone. He then bombarded us with questions. Where is it? What is the name? What is the price that you pay? This place is cheap. We claimed not to remember such details. He didn’t give up until Sean told him we already gave our credit card number and could not back out now. We to finish checking out. All of the men, with the noticeable absence of the owner, were friendly and gave us tips about the desert. The owner did not offer to help us with our bags, as he did on the way in. We left the hotel, hopped in our car and drove towards the desert, happy to have the freedom of a car.
I’m not sure what the lesson is here. Always pretend to have firm plans even if you don’t? (Then you must be prepared with many details to answer questions). Not trust anyone’s recommendations? Buy a cell phone? Be “rude” and refuse to drink the tea? It is unclear. All I know is that I hate viewing everyone with suspicion, but incidents like these are adding up to make it impossible not to.
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“too many Mrow” may be my FAVORITE line! Hilarious!
I’ve experienced something similar, not in travels, but when I lived in Connecticut. Many of my clients were extremely pushy about me staying for tea or one had his sister cook me an entire meal. He wanted me to take an hour or so out of my work day to sit and eat a BIG meal with him. I think he was hurt when I couldn’t, but I was in sales and had been given too big of a territory for just one person.
My “tea” guy would ask if I could stay EVERY WEEK. When I finally relented and said yes, he went into the back and began preparing the tea. I thought he had it kind of prepped, but no. He made it from scratch. It took FOREVER, and while I love a good cup of tea, I had to explain I couldn’t be sitting there for hours at a time. He eventually realized that I was in a hurry and would have my cup ready for me as I came in.
I understand about the differences. When I first got to CT I had never had interactions with any middle eastern people. Sad as that is, it is true. And while there are some that are sinister and condesending to women (many of my clients), there were the guys like my tea guy, food guy and the one guy who had come over to my place for dinner and brought me a HUGE bottle of expensive perfume. “it is a tradition to bring a host a nice gift” he had said. I believed him. He wasn’t trying to get fresh, it is the culture. I love cultural differences.
Just be smart guys. My street smarts come from the ghetto of New Haven. Not quite like the ghettos of a poor country…. but applicable enough. Stand tall, never stare, but look at people enough to let them know you aren’t a fool. I used to walk with my chest puffed out. I figured it worked for animals to ward off danger, it was bound to work for me. The last thing, was always, ALWAYS be in defense mode. Meaning, don’t put out the energy that you can be taken advantage of….. and always know what you would do if perchance you catch someone sticking their hand in your bag. It sounds crazy, but if you do those things, you will be less likely to be a target, in my humble opinion.
Be safe!
OH, and Amy…… THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH TEA 🙂
“Too many mrow” is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. Haha! That made my day. (Sorry I’m only catching up on these now).
Heya¡my very first comment on your site. ,I have been reading your blog for a while and thought I would completely pop in and drop a friendly note. . It is great stuff indeed. I also wanted to ask..is there a way to subscribe to your site via email?
Hello! Thanks for dropping by. We don’t have email subscription as of yet, but I hope to add that feature soon.