Scary Experience as a Solo Traveler in Morocco + Lessons Learned!
I recently travelled to Marrakech, Morocco and it was quite an experience. My first night that I arrived, I was walking in the Medina to my Riad. It was quite late at night and two men approached me and said this was a dead end. I knew that since I had my phone out on Google Maps so I ignored them. Then they followed me and asked me if I’m going to my Riad *insert name* and I said yes. BIG MISTAKE. They then proceeded to follow me and told me that they’ll take me there even though I clearly had my phone out with Google Maps open and I was following Google Maps. Then, they corned me in a dark alley and demanded money, and threatened me. I was so so scared! Luckily I immediately called the owner of the Riad on WhatsApp and put it on speaker so they could hear what was going on and he came to fetch me.
Then I saw the same guy the next day and he proceed to call me the f slur and telling me I’m not welcome in his country. After that I started carrying around my umbrella for self defence as it is the only thing that I have which I can use to defend myself.
Lesson learned: do not respond to randoms on the street.
Some other things that really annoyed me: people calling out konichiwa and random Asian languages at me on the street, strangers telling me “this road is closed” when it is clearly not, etc.
Marrakech is a beautiful place, sadly ruined by the people.