# Morocco. Pork. Booze. ??



## nafricasurfer

Hello everyone -

Very soon we'll head over to Morocco. Taking the ferry, ala Carlos.

Planning to stay 5 months. (plan is to extend the visa)

Question is... how much booze & pork can we get away with bringing in? Is it legal? Is there some official limit?

Thank you!
Matt


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## Patrick_Phillips

They are not going to search you for either alchol or pork bits!
Alcohol is freely available in Marjan supermarkets (mostly all over). If you fear the Imam might be watching you, you will find a helpful man outside who will sell you plain brown plastic bags to put your booze in at very reasonable rates!
Pork is also available but is treated as a luxury and so quite expensive. The general Moroccan principle is that life's essentials should be very cheap so everyone can afford to live. If you want to market a luxury product, show the low cost product first. This usually means that the luxury branded goods are hiked to subsidise the basics. Fair enough in my book!
If you are going to Atlantic Park, North of Agadir, they will get you your visa extension for about 200 Dirhams.
Please don't encourage the scrounging kids. They are a pain and their scrounging has been made illegal but it doesn't deter them. The whole business of cadging from European motorhomes was started by the likes of us throwing sweets out to them. Bad idea!
We found the Morrocans as honest and helpful as any folk anywhere in the world - especially if you can speak French but are not, yourselves French (colonial hangovers...)
Parking guardians are very useful as long as you don't over pay them. Ask around to get a guage on what to pay them. Campsites aren't European standard but they are quite adequate and cheap. Internet is also good and cheap (15 Euros a month unlimited a couple of years back).
Have lots of fun and be ready to suffer visual overload - we did!
Patrick


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## peejay

Hiya,

We stashed loads (and I mean loads) of wineboxes in hidey holes everywhere around the van, never got asked about booze at customs but I suppose there must be a limit. I haven't heard of anyone being fined for too much booze stash but that's not to say it hasn't happened.

Dunno about pork, we just had a few frozen packs of bacon in the freezer compartment.

I have heard somewhere since our trip that the Marjanes don't sell alcohol anymore, could be bad news if you're off for 5 months although there are other places you can buy like hotels etc but it will probably be overpriced.

Sorry, not much help really.

Pete


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## nafricasurfer

That does help, Pete. Gives us a bit of confidence to fill in the gaps around the camper. We drive a Eura mobile with a handy double bottom floor, so we can really fill up.

On that note -- do you have a favorite Spanish boxed wine?

As for the pork, we were thinking of getting one of those big dried legs you see hanging above the shops around Spain.

Thank you Patrick for the tips. Thats a great tip about extending at Atlantic park. So you extended out for a 6 month stay? No problems when you left Morocco?

One tip: two years ago we were in Agadir. Then you could buy booze in a liquor shop near the bus station, in the direction of of the beach. Walk away from the taxis and hang a left at the bigger road. Don't cross the road, just go left and its there a couple shops down. I remember the price of a bottle of wine would always change. After a while I figured what the locals were paying, but I can't remember what it was. 

Can't wait to be down there!

Matt


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## teemyob

Morocco sounds like Marmite to me?

TM


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## jeffro

*morocco*

And me ! :withstupid:


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## cabby

Yes but that applies to a lot of places.  

cabby


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## Kev1

Really fancy going to Morrocco
But with having the dogs
i guess that would be an issue for coming back into the UK
Kev


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## JackieP

Not at all Kev. It used to be that you had to spend six months in Europe before returning to the UK by way of satisfying quarantine restrictions but that all ended a couple of years ago and now you can return straight to the UK from a country outside the pet passport scheme. 

We're going with two dogs and a cat! 

One of the things I love about Morocco is that it's not a country yet dominated by alcohol. I love going out at night surrounded by locals drinking nothing but mint tea and coffee. And what else is going away for but to learn and participate in the culture of the country we are visiting? 

One of the many statements made about visitors to our shores is that they should abide by our traditions and culture - I can never quite understand why we think it doesn't apply to us too.


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## makems

nafricasurfer said:


> On that note -- do you have a favorite Spanish boxed wine?
> 
> One tip: two years ago we were in Agadir. Then you could buy booze in a liquor shop near the bus station, in the direction of of the beach. Walk away from the taxis and hang a left at the bigger road. Don't cross the road, just go left and its there a couple shops down. I remember the price of a bottle of wine would always change. After a while I figured what the locals were paying, but I can't remember what it was.
> 
> Can't wait to be down there!
> 
> Matt[/quote
> Re wine we took loads of the cheapest red from Lidl (Conde Noble) in 1litre boxes. We got to like it and brought a load home with us too and I've just opened a carton tonight. It's never going to win any prizes ina wine tasting competition but it's perfectly drinkable.
> 
> The booze shop you mention in Agadir was still there in February/March this year. We didn't buy anything there though as we managed to take enough with us to last the whole three months we were in Morocco.


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## Kev1

Thanks jackie
For that
We may well give that a serious look next year
our older dog is struggling at the moment
and I think the heat would get to him too much
kev


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## kevanna1959

We're coming 5th Jan ferry to tanger med
Anna


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## HermanHymer

If you're thinking about a ham leg, consider the delicious Jambon de Bayonne which one can buy in the major supermarkets in SW France. Useful too when you have a craving for bacon. Of course being cured it lasts ages and doesn't need refrigeration if kept in a cool place. 
Also buy a muslin bag to keep it in. If it gets a little "mouldy-looking" in the heat/humidity wipe it down with a (clean) cloth soaked in white vinegar. That usually keeps it going until you've eaten it. For a longer term storage solution, cut off a chunk, shrink wrap it and keep in bottom of fridge. Needs to be eaten when removed from packaging though. Yum...


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