Photography
» » Morocco is a photographer’s dream, but never point your camera at anything that’s vaguely
military or could be construed as ‘strategic’.
This includes airports, bridges, government buildings and members of the police or armed
forces.
This becomes more of an issue near the Algerian border and further south, particularly in the
Western Sahara.
Hide your camera when going through checkpoints in and near the Western Sahara.
» » It is common courtesy to ask permission before taking photographs of people.
Urban Moroccans are generally easygoing about it.
In the countryside locals are not so willing to have cameras pointed at them.
Women and older people very often don’t want to be photographed.
Respect their right to privacy and don’t take photos.
» » Memory cards and batteries for digital cameras are quite easy to find in photo-graphy
shops in major cities (especially Marrakesh and Casablanca).
For a short visit it’s easier to bring equipment from home.
A USB memory stick is useful for backing up photos, but most internet cafes can burn you a CD
if needed.
» » Kodak and Fuji colour negative film (35mm and APS), as well as video tapes, are readily
available in bigger cities and towns.
They are marginally more expensive than in Europe.
Slide film is more difficult to come by.
If you buy film in Morocco, check expiry dates.
Professional photo labs offer the most professional processing services.
» » Lonely Planet’s Travel Photography provides comprehensive advice on taking terrific photos
when you’re on the road.
Post
» » Offices of Poste Maroc (www.bam.net.ma, in French) are distinguished by a yellow ‘PTT’
sign or the ‘La Poste’ logo.
» » Tabacs, the small tobacco and newspaper kiosks scattered about city centres, are equally
useful. They often sell stamps, and have shorter queues.
» » The postal system is fairly reliable, if not terribly fast.
» » It takes at least a week for letters to reach European destinations, and two weeks to get to
Australia and North America.
» » Sending post from a city normally gives mail a head start.
» » Worldwide postcards cost around Dh13 to send, and letters around Dh18.
Sending Parcels
» » The parcel office, indicated by the sign ‘colis postaux’, is generally in a separate part of the
post-office building.
» » A 1kg package costs Dh122 to send via airmail to the UK, Dh123 to the USA and Dh202 to
Australia.
» » Parcels should not be wider, longer or higher than 2m; weight limit varies according to the
destination, but it’s typically 30kg.