traveling during the ramadan

[rikita]

we just realized yesterday that our holiday in morocco will be right during ramadan. i searched online a bit and most sites say it is no problem, but you shouldn't eat right in front of people and eat inside in restaurants and not all of them are open, and other places too might have restricted opening times ... so, just wondering, did anyone travel in a muslim country during ramadan? what are your experiences? we want to include some things particularly for a., like visiting a fun park - is that a problem during ramadan?

[Baz Faz]

I was in Tunisia during Ramadan one year. Eating in a restaurant they closed the shutters during daylight but were happy to serve us food (and even wine).

In Turkey one year we were on a bus at sunset. The bus stopped. Everybody got out and began eating their packed meals.

By and large I have found that during Ramadan you may have a restricted choice of restaurants but will always find something to eat.

[OnlyMark]

Ramadan varies a lot between countries and even areas in the same country.
Just to say first that children don't have to obey the rules at all and most aren't bothered about westerners doing so either. As said, many restaurants will close down in the ours of daylight but usually tourist attractions will stay open though you may find the fast food places in somewhere like a fun park may well be closed.
The main rule is no eating, drinking or smoking so as a westerner it is very impolite to be walking along a street stuffing your face with last night's kebab or even swigging from a water bottle. But when being discreet, it isn't a problem. Tourist type hotels will tend to just run as normal but local ones will close down the kitchen and bar, if there is one.

On long Ramadan days tempers will flare more easily later in the day but there is a big party attitude when the time comes to eat in the evening and there will often be places set up, a tent on a piece of waste ground for example, where a business or a rich individual will sponsor the tent and the free food for all. Expect of you pass one at the right time to be dragged in and force fed. It happened to me quite often.
Another thing is that before sunrise you'll hear a lot of people going about, the clattering pots and pans and the such like as they eat their last meal of the night/first meal of the day as they know there'll be no more until after sundown.
This will happen in hotels as well and it can make for an interrupted sleep. But, I've often gotten up and eaten as well just for the experience.

A lot of places will do Ramadan specials where a cheap buffet can be had or cheaper activities done. You also should find many, many Ramadan lights hanging at night which can give a place a magical air. A bit like a version of Christmas lights but they are traditionally lanterns and not fairy lights though modernity is changing that and you will see some garish displays.
Ramadan hours will also be worked in most offices and the such like so places you'd expect to be open during the day change to opening in the evening and late at night. many Government places will close or have restricted working.

As a non-Muslim it can be a time of inconvenience but it is also a special time to be in a country abiding by it. Expect short notice confusion, bad tempers sometimes late in the day but a party atmosphere when the sun has gone down and the time comes to eat. It is generally a holiday time for all. You'll find most people who are employed will have time off and so often the amusement places are actually fuller than you'd expect.

[rikita]

thanks for the replies! very pretty pictures, mark!

[kerouac2]

Basically it is better to eat indoors during Ramadam during the day. However some friends of mine had an additional problem last year because a Brazilian friend was part of the group. I know him, and even I will admit that his complexion and hair make him look just as Moroccan as any Moroccan. So the restaurants did not want to serve him -- they thought he was an imposter. In the end it was always possible to convince them, but it goes to show that adherence to traditions is becoming more and more strict, which is a negative as far as I am concerned.

My own very first Ramadan experience was in... Saudi Arabia. Just imagine. But my colleagues and I were still able to eat (it was a business trip) with all of the curtains closed. Breakfast was served in the hotel room so that nobody would see it.

[rikita]

i suppose none of us look particularly moroccan ... still, am a bit annoyed at myself for not having thought about it at all when we booked the flights ... i enjoy eating out when traveling, and the atmosphere in restaurants, especially those visited also by locals, and i like buying snacks on the street and so on, and we tend to buy lots of ice cream to keep a. happy while sight seeing ... so while it is good to know we won't go hungry, it is still a bit of a shame we didn't think of it and postpone the trip for a few weeks ...