Ruweyda Ahmed
Somalia.

索马里

I went to Somalia with my family because my parents wanted us to visit and to see the country and the culture they come from.

我和我的家人一起去了索马里，因为我的父母想让我们去看看他们来自的国家和文化。

I hated being in that country.

我讨厌呆在那个国家。

People in Somalia would just stare at me all day because it was strange for them to see a Somali girl not wearing hijab. Women in Somalia would usually go outside wearing this:

索马里人会整天盯着我看，因为对他们来说，看到一个索马里女孩不戴头巾非常奇怪。索马里妇女通常会戴着头巾出门：
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Relatives of my father would pity my parents, because I was an unmarried 20 year-old woman. They would, of course, then blame it on the fact that I was born in a western country. Then they would go on and laugh at my parents, because they paid for my education; my relatives thought it was an absolute waste since I was just a girl.

我父辈的亲戚们会数落我的父母，因为我是一个 20 岁的未婚女子。当然，他们会把这归咎于我出生在西方国家。然后，他们会继续嘲笑我的父母，因为我的教育费用是他们出的；我的亲戚认为这绝对是一种浪费，因为我只是个女孩。

People thought it was a disgrace that Female Genital Mutilation wasn’t performed on me, and they would wonder what kind of men would want an unclean girl like me.

人们认为没有对我进行女性割礼是一种耻辱，他们会想，什么样的男人会要我这样一个不干净的女孩呢？

There was not a day in Somalia where I didn’t face sexism. All of it just made me hate the country and the Somali culture.

在索马里，我没有一天不面对性别歧视。这一切都让我憎恨这个国家和索马里文化。

I’m never going back to that country, even if it is where I came from.

我再也不回那个国家了，即使那是我的故乡。

Adam
It's going to be very difficult to ever convince myself to ever go back to Morocco.

我很难再说服自己重回摩洛哥了。

I spent 2 months there traveling extensively.

我在那里待了两个月，游历了很多地方。

There are many amazing things about Morocco, and the quality of the leather products are amazing. We saw many wonderful things and met many wonderful people. But, we never knew the wonderful people were wonderful until after we left, because the entire time, we were expecting a scam to emerge, as everything felt very predatory.

摩洛哥有许多令人惊叹的地方，皮革制品的质量也令人惊叹。我们看到了许多奇妙的东西，遇到了许多很好的人。但是，直到我们离开后，我们才意识到这些人很好的人有‘多好’，因为从头到尾，都是一种骗局，因为一切都给人一种被掠夺的感觉。

Old towns in Morocco are labyrinthine medinas and barely have any signs at all. Even some museums didn't have signs, you would need to confirm you weren't walking into someone's house as you entered. You'd walk down a winding alleyway for several minutes, only to find it's, indeed, a dead end, or that the museum is unexpectedly closed on Wednesdays. So, you often get people giving unsolicited advice that streets are dead ends, or a well known tourist spot was closed, and it was often plausible.

摩洛哥的老城区是迷宫般的麦地那，几乎没有任何标志。甚至一些博物馆也没有标志，你需要确认你不会走进别人的家里。你会沿着蜿蜒的小巷走上几分钟，结果发现它确实是个死胡同，或者发现博物馆在星期三意外关闭。因此，你经常会碰到有人主动给你一些建议，比如告诉你哪些街道是死胡同，或者一个著名的旅游景点今天关闭了，而这通常是似是而非的。

These photos should give you an idea of what it's like walking the streets of the old medinas. You'll probably understand immediately how easily one could get lost.

通过这些照片，您可以了解在古老的麦地那街道上行走的感受。您可能马上就会明白，一个人是多么容易迷路。

Even when it seems straightforward, it's not at all, because Google and other map services can only give approximate locations. You know the place you want to go is due north, and the road forks in three northerly paths. One will be a dead end, one will veer the wrong direction after 5 minutes, and the third one will get you there. The maps aren't detailed enough to be of use, so you need to combine guesswork with the help of locals. In the end, something that's a 10 minute walk as the crow flies could take a half hour to locate. However, if not in a rush, this can be a part of the charm of the old towns.

即使看似简单明了，其实不然，因为谷歌和其他地图服务只能给出大概的位置。你知道你想去的地方在正北方向，而道路有三条向北的岔路。一条会是死胡同，一条会在 5 分钟后转向错误的方向，而第三条会让你到达目的地。地图不够详细，所以你需要把猜测和当地人的帮助结合起来。到头来，步行 10 分钟就能找到的地方却要花上半个小时。不过，如果不着急，这也是古镇魅力的一部分。

When looking for the Bahia Palace (perhaps one of the biggest tourist sights in all of Morocco) on Google Maps, it gives clear directions. This is uncommon, because it normally can't find a route. However, the entrance isn't anywhere close to where Google says it is, but rather, it’s where I circled. That's a 5 minute difference in walking down narrow streets.

在谷歌地图上寻找巴伊亚宫（可能是摩洛哥最大的旅游景点之一）时，它给出了清晰的路线指示。这并不常见，因为它通常是找不到路线的。然而，入口并不在谷歌所说的地方，而是在我圈出的地方。在狭窄的街道上行走，这中间相差 5 分钟。

So, for this reason, the locals can very easily assume that the foreigners they see are probably lost. Even if you know where to go, you could very well be going to the wrong location. To make matters worse, if you happened to pull out your phone, you'd immediately be swarmed by people asking you where you want to go. The thing is, though, they are just trying to get you to go somewhere else.

因此，当地人很容易认为他们所看到的外国人很可能是迷路了。即使你知道该朝哪里走，也很可能走错地方。更糟糕的是，如果你碰巧掏出手机，马上就会有很多人问你想去哪里。但问题是，他们只是想让你去别的地方。

I had to commonly yell at people that I was reading an email to get them to back off while I secretly viewed the map and tried to get the sharks from circling. You pull out a phone and you make yourself a huge target.

我不得不经常对别人大喊大叫，说我在看电子邮件，让他们退后，而我同时则偷偷查看地图，试图让鲨鱼（不友好的人）不要围上来。但凡你要掏出手机，你就成了大肥肉。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


When we were looking for that palace, a stranger decided to help us. He lived near the fake Google location and stepped out of his door. He began to get on his motorbike parked nearby. He noticed us and called over to us in perfect English, “Are you looking for the palace? It's closed.” He then pointed to an obviously shut and very large gate that was down the road.

当我们在寻找那座宫殿时，一个陌生人决定帮助我们。他住在伪造的谷歌地点附近，走出了家门。他开始骑上停在附近的摩托车。他注意到了我们，用流利的英语对我们说："你们在找宫殿吗？它已经关门了。然后他指着路边一扇明显关闭的很大的那扇门。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


It would seem that the palace gate would be grander, or at least have a sign, but this guy was obviously just going about his day, and how would I know better? He then told us he was learning English, so liked to chat with people to practice. He also said that he was just going to run some errands, but was in no rush and would happily show us the nearby streets so he could practice his English. He felt bad we came all the way out to the palace on a day it was closed, so he offered to show some hospitality and take us somewhere else nearby that was cool.

宫殿的大门似乎应该更宏伟一些，或者至少有一个标志，但这个人明显只是在忙他的事情，我又怎么会知道呢？然后他告诉我们，他正在学英语，所以喜欢和人聊天来练习。他还说他只是去办点事，但并不着急，很乐意带我们去附近的街道看看，这样他就可以练习英语了。他觉得我们在宫殿关闭的日子大老远跑到宫殿来很不方便，所以他主动表示要招待我们，带我们去附近其他很酷的地方。

We have no interest in a tour guide so politely thank him and then head on our way. He ignores that and (leaving behind the motorbike) he follows and seems genuinely kind. You almost feel bad for not giving him a chance to practice English but it's just you and your girlfriend and you want to keep it that way. You keep insisting he's being too polite but he's still following you and finally when you stop politely saying you don't want to waste his time and state clearly that we came here to explore alone does he finally leave.

我们对导游没兴趣，所以礼貌性地向他道谢之后就上路了。他对此置之不理（丢下摩托车）跟在后面，看起来很亲切。你几乎要为没有给他机会练习英语而感到难过，但是你和你的女朋友想保持两人独处的状态，不想他跟着。你一直坚持说他太客气了，但他还是跟着你。最后，当你不再客气地说不想浪费他的时间，并明确表示我们来这里是为了单独探险时，他终于离开了。

We then wandered a little and decided to get food and figure out what else to see instead. Remember, it's not safe to look at your phone screen in public in Morocco, so we made a habit of drinking tea or eating if we needed to consult the phone for more than a few seconds. We got a wonderful meal, and the owner started talking to us. He asked if we went to the palace, and we told him no, because it was closed. He then leaned in close and said,“Never trust the suggestions of strangers here, the palace is, indeed, open, and it’s just one block over there.”

然后我们又闲逛了一会儿，决定去吃点东西，再想想还有什么可看的。请记住，在摩洛哥的公共场合看手机屏幕是不安全的，所以我们养成了一个习惯，如果需要查看手机超过几秒钟，就喝茶或吃东西。我们吃了一顿不错的饭，店主开始和我们聊天。他问我们是否去过皇宫，我们告诉他没有，因为皇宫关门了。然后他凑近我们说："千万不要相信这里陌生人的建议，宫殿确实是开放的，而且就在那边的一个街区。

We go to see the palace, and along the way, someone else comes up out of nowhere and tries to convince us it was closed and that we should go to the market with him. This time, we knew better and ignored him. Sure enough, the palace was open when we arrived there. It turned out that the area Google sent us to was, indeed, a wall of the palace, and that was just an old palace gate, but the actual entrance used today was quite far away.

我们去看宫殿，一路上，不知从哪里冒出来一个人，试图说服我们宫殿已经关闭，我们应该和他一起去市场。这次，我们识相地没有理他。果然，当我们到达时，宫殿已经开门了。原来，谷歌让我们去的地方确实是宫殿的一堵墙，那只是一个古老的宫殿大门，而现在真正使用的入口却在很远的地方。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Afterwards, we walked back past the original spot from earlier that day. Sure enough, a different young man stepped out that door, began to mount the same motorbike, and then, literally, mimicked the same exact lines we were given a few hours ago, at the same spot. The same door, the same motorcycle prop, the same scxt. It was an organized group of scammers trying to take advantage of the fact that Google sent people there.

之后，我们又走过了当天早些时候的原点。果然，一个不同的年轻人走出了那扇门，开始骑上同一辆摩托车，然后在同一个地方模仿了几个小时前我们听到的台词。同样的门，同样的摩托车道具，同样的剧本。这是一个有组织的骗子团伙，试图利用谷歌引导的人们。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


We learned then and there that we couldn't even trust that anything wasn’t an elaborate setup. The few times we would begin to think someone genuinely just wanted to hang out or help us, the scam would soon reveal itself. Thus, we couldn't trust anyone. A few times, we only later realized we were being a**holes to regular people. But then again, we'd have never known that the first guy was a scammer if we ate at any other restaurant. That's what really sucks about Morocco. Even with those who you don't view as scammers, you're never quite sure if they aren't and you just can't see the scam.

我们当时就意识到，我们不能相信任何事情，到底是不是精心设计的圈套。有几次，我们开始以为有人真的只是想和我们一起玩或帮助我们，但骗局很快就会暴露出来。因此，我们无法相信任何人。有几次，我们后来意识到，我们做的挺混的。不过话又说回来，如果我们在其他餐馆吃饭，我们永远也不会知道第一个人是个骗子。这就是摩洛哥最糟糕的地方。即使是那些你不认为是骗子的人，你也永远无法确定他们是不是骗子，你就是看不出他们在骗人。

Morocco has a tradition where many shopkeepers pay a percentage to anyone who helps them out as a freelance translator. So, someone helping you isn't actually working there as you would assume, or being hospitable, but rather, they are doubling what you pay because their fee is negotiated in. Let's say you can get an amazing leather bag for $20 after negotiation, this would cost $200+ in New York, but with someone helping you, you won't get it for less than $50.

摩洛哥有一个传统，许多店主会向免费帮助游客的免费翻译们支付一定比例的报酬。因此，帮助你的人实际上并不像你想象的那样在那里工作，也不像你想象的那样热情好客，而是因为他们的酬劳是经过协商的，所以他们的酬劳是你的花销的两倍。比方说，经过协商，你可以用 20 美元买到一个很棒的皮包，这在纽约需要 200 多美元，但如果有人帮你，你的价格不会低于 50 美元。

Furthermore, even if you officially hire a guide to show you around, they are still getting that cut, so despite the fact that they're hired by you, they're negotiating against you at the markets. You pay a higher a price so they hurt you instead of helping. However, things are of such good quality and prices are so low that it's still a great deal. But, for someone like me who enjoys bargaining through language barriers, it can be suffocating to have volunteer handlers emerge everywhere. A common conversation at the beginning of each shop visit would be to ensure the person we were speaking to was actually the shop keeper and not a secret guide.

此外，即使您正式聘请导游带您游览，他们也会从中抽成，因此，尽管他们是受雇于您，但他们在市场上的谈判却与您背道而驰。你付出了更高的价格，所以他们非但没有帮助你，反而伤害了你。不过，东西质量好，价格低，还是很划算的。但是，对于像我这样喜欢讨价还价即使有语言障碍的人来说，到处都有志愿服务者出现，会让人感到窒息。每次逛商店之初，我们都会有一个共同的话题，那就是确保与我们交谈的人是真正的店员，而不是秘密导游。

For carpets, which are incredibly expensive, that extra fee makes a big difference. We shopped around a lot for carpets, and we really wanted a shaggy 3m x 4m. But, when we finally found what we liked, the guy refused to go down on price. On the last day, we popped back in, made it clear we felt it should be x amount, and explained to him that we were leaving ASAP, and it was a now or never sale opportunity.

对于昂贵得令人难以置信的地毯来说，额外的费用会使其天差地别。我们买地毯的时候货比三家，我们非常想要一块 3 米 x 4 米的长毛地毯。但是，当我们最终找到自己喜欢的地毯时，店主却拒绝降价。最后一天，我们又去找他，明确表示我们觉得应该是 x 费用，并向他解释说我们马上要离开这里了，这是一个机不可失、时不再来的销售机会。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


He stated that he was, indeed, giving us x amount, but had to charge y amount to cover the fees for the guy who introduced us. If he didn't pay that guy and people found out we bought his carpet, he'll lose those people bringing guys in, and there were so many other carpet dealers that he would go out of business without guides feeding him customers. We were shocked because nobody had brought us in. There was an “employee” at the entrance who saw us looking at the carpets hanging outside, and he showed us a few of his carpet shops before bringing us to his shop that had stock of the kind we were looking to buy. It turns out that he was neither an employee, nor the owner, but that didn't stop him from passing himself off as one. The owner couldn't comprehend that we would have found his shop anyway. We’re actually still emailing each other, as he'd agreed to sell it at what we wanted now, but we're terrified that what arrives at our door will be something other than what we ordered.

他说，他确实给了我们 x 美元，但必须收取 y 美元来支付给介绍我们的人的费用。如果他不付钱给那个人，人们发现我们买了他的地毯，他就会失去那些带人来的人的信用，而且还有那么多其他地毯经销商，如果没有导游给他提供客户，他就会倒闭。我们很震惊，因为没有人带我们进去。门口有个 "员工 "看到我们在看挂在外面的地毯，他带我们看了几家地毯店，然后把我们带到了他的店里，那里有我们想买的那种地毯。原来，他既不是店员，也不是店主，但这并不妨碍他冒充店主。店主无法理解我们怎么会找到他的店。实际上，我们还在互相发邮件，因为他已经同意按照我们现在想要的价格出售，但我们很害怕送到我们家门口的东西会和我们订购的不一样。

The shops and restaurants don't care because these freelance guides or touts are specialists and often drive revenue they wouldn't otherwise get both in price gouging and sales volume. This happens everywhere, not just with artisan shops, but in convenience stores, restaurants, and pharmacies.

商店和餐馆并不在意，因为这些自由导游或兜售者都是专家，他们往往会通过哄抬物价和提高销售量来增加收入。这种情况随处可见，不仅在手工艺品店，在便利店、餐馆和药店也是如此。

It can be pretty mind boggling how prent it may be. For example, you'll be dropping off laundry at a cleaners. This is far off the beaten path, not a tourist cleaners at all. The person in front of you who was there before you arrived, and has actual business picking up laundry, will kindly help you translate, as they adeptly recognize that the old man running the shop won't speak English.

它的普遍性可能会让人匪夷所思。例如，您要把衣服送到一家洗衣店。这家洗衣店很偏僻，根本不是什么游客洗衣店。你前面的那个人在你来之前就在那里了，而且他确实是来取衣服的，他会很友好地帮你翻译，因为他们很清楚，开店的老人不会说英语。

You thank him for taking ten seconds to help, and he asks if you have seen the mosque yet because it's so beautiful. You say yes, and you plan on going, but are worried he wants to guide you there, so you say you're actually just trying to find a place to eat. He'll insist you eat at this place just around the corner because it has the best something or other. You thank him for the advice, part ways as he heads home with his laundry in the opposite direction, and you go enter the restaurant.

你感谢他花十秒钟帮了你的忙，他问你有没有看过清真寺，因为那里太美了。你说是的，你打算去，但又担心他想带你去，所以你说你其实只是想找个吃饭的地方。他坚持要你去街角的这个地方吃饭，因为那里有最好吃的东西。你感谢他的建议，当他拿着洗好的衣服朝相反的方向回家时，你和他分道扬镳，然后你走进了那家餐厅。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


“Wow,” you think, “That guy was so nice and helpful, what a nice experience.”

“天那” 你想想， “这家伙真的很友好，乐于助人，真是一次愉快的经历.”

Ten minutes later, that same person is suddenly waiting your table. You realize that you've been fooled again, but it's too late, you already ordered. You think that maybe his family owns the restaurant, but he doesn't own the restaurant, he is freelancing.

十分钟后，同一个人突然出现在你的桌前。你意识到自己又上当了，但为时已晚，你已经点了菜。你想，也许餐厅是他家开的，但餐厅不是他开的，他是个自由职业者。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


You're handed a bill that's not outrageous, but three times the typical meal cost. They specialize in one kind of food, so there are no menus, and it's plausible that the real price is in that neighborhood, so you don't make a fuss over it. But inside, you feel like a f***ing idiot for falling for the scam yet again.

递给你的账单并不离谱，但却是一般餐费的三倍。他们只经营一种食物，所以没有菜单，实际价格也在这个范围内，所以你也没有大惊小怪。但内心却觉得自己像个白痴，又一次上当受骗了。

And then, when you go to leave, the person follows you and insists that you now go check out a leather shop. You finally get rid of him. The next day, he sees you on the street and comes over, acting like you’re best friends. You try being polite, but he keeps following. Finally, you make it clear that you want to be alone, and then he'll start yelling at you angrily, throwing all kinds of insults at you before walking away.

然后，当你要离开时，那个人跟着你，坚持要你现在去一家皮革店看看。你终于摆脱了他。第二天，他在街上看到你，就走过来，一副你们是好朋友的样子。你试着表现得礼貌些，但他还是一直跟着。最后，你明确表示想一个人静一静，然后他就会开始愤怒地对你大喊大叫，在走开之前对你进行各种侮辱。

It wasn't just shops or tourist sites. We would literally have to shoo away fake waiters at restaurants. It was really blatant sometimes, like all the staff was wearing uniforms, and you saw someone in plain clothes walk in after seeing you from the street. They would insist on serving you, even lie about being the manager, until they finally left.

不仅仅是商店或旅游景点。在餐馆里，我们不得不把假冒的服务员赶走。有时真的是明目张胆，比如所有员工都穿着制服，而你在街上看到一个穿着便装的人走进来。他们会坚持为你服务，甚至谎称自己是经理，直到最后离开。

I learned the Arabic numbers really fast, because it became apparent very early on that we were getting significantly different prices. In a country like Nepal, we also knew that we were paying more than the menu price, but they would only up it a little bit, not enough to require me to memorize the Hindu numbers. You can even justify paying $2 instead of $1 as an inconvenience fee because that Nepalese guy has to work harder to figure out what you want to eat.

我很快就学会了阿拉伯数字，因为很早就发现我们拿到的价格明显不同。在尼泊尔这样的国家，我们也知道我们付的钱比菜单上的价格高，但他们只会提高一点点，还不至于要求我记住印度教的数字。你甚至可以支付2美元而不是1美元作为一种给对方带来不便的小费，因为那个尼泊尔人必须很努力地弄清楚你想要吃什么。

You'd see that no item on the menu was more than 20, and the “manager” who magnanimously insisted on translating for you said every item is at least 80. The thing is, unless you're extremely firm, they just won't f*** off. Only a few restaurants helped us get them to scatter, and it was always only after we protested. After all, it's less work and more money for them. For this reason, once we found a restaurant that was pleasant, we'd become regulars. At one place where we ate at everyday, a waiter just walked up and slapped one of the fake managers without uttering a word to him at all. We always tipped well, but we tipped even more after that.

你会发现菜单上的每样菜都不超过 20 元，而宽宏大量坚持为你翻译的 "经理 "却说每样菜至少 80 元。问题是，除非你态度非常坚决，否则他们就是不肯滚蛋。只有几家餐馆帮我们把他们赶走，而且每次都是在我们提出抗议之后。毕竟，这对他们来说既省事又省钱。因此，一旦我们找到一家讨人喜欢的餐馆，我们就会成为常客。在一家我们每天都去吃饭的餐馆里，一个服务员走过来就给了一个假经理一耳光，根本没跟他说一句话。我们给的小费一向很高，但从那以后，我们给的小费就更多了。

A few times, even the restaurants themselves would try to rip us off directly. If it was too egregious (a tea shop demanding $20 for something we drank every day for an already overpriced $1), I wouldn't pay anything and just walk out. I used to try negotiating to make the bill correct, but then realized that I was rewarding that behavior, so I made a policy of just walking out without paying instead of negotiating it if they hit a multiple of 5x or more the actual price. Not once did they ever even follow me out of the restaurant.

有几次，甚至连餐馆那边都想直接宰我们。如果情况太过恶劣（一家茶叶店要价 20 美元，而我们每天喝的东西仅要价 1 美元），我就什么也不付，直接走人。我曾经试图通过协商来纠正他们的要价，但后来意识到我是在奖励这种行为，所以我制定了一项政策，如果他们要价是实际价格的 5 倍或更多，我就不付钱直接走人，而不是进行协商。他们甚至没有一次跟着我走出餐厅。

That's the problem with Morocco. It forces you to choose to become either an easy mark or an a**hole. You have to assume everyone is trying to f*** you. I know there were times where people were genuinely just trying to help a foreigner that appeared to be lost, but I couldn't take that chance. I’d rather be an a**hole to a few good people than a mark to everyone else.

这就是摩洛哥的问题所在。它让你不得不选择成为一个容易被骗的人或者一个混蛋。你必须假设每个人都想搞你。我知道有些时候人们真的只是想帮助一个似乎迷路的外国人，但我不能冒这个险。我宁愿成为少数好人眼中的混蛋，也不愿成为其他人眼中的 "肥肉"。

Paying more than locals and getting ripped off, that's part of the territory anywhere you travel. But in Morocco, it's orders of magnitude different.

在任何地方旅行都会遇到当地宰客的情况，但在摩洛哥，情况却大不相同。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


As we were there for two months, we'd often stay in a single area for a long time and really get to know the neighborhood well. Yet, like clockwork, on the same walk home every day down the same roads we knew very well, we would always have people trying to convince us it was a dead end. Sometimes, when in a new area, it actually was a dead end, but over 90% of the time ,it wasn't. People would always lie to get you to change your plans or to change your route in a manner that would benefit then financially.

因为我们在那里逗留了两个月，所以经常会在一个地方待上很长时间，对附近的环境非常熟悉。然而，就像上了发条一样，每天走在我们非常熟悉的同一条路上回家时，总会有人试图说服我们这是一条死路。有时，到了一个新的地方，那里确实是死胡同，但 90% 以上的时候都不是。人们总是会撒谎，让你改变计划或改变路线，以获得经济利益。

It wasn't just market guides trying to get us to check out some carpets, either. Sometimes, it was very dangerous. A few times at night, we'd get some very aggressive teenage boys insisting we were going the wrong way and to go down a different route. Once in Fez, different boys would always tell us to go down the same alleyway by our hotel each night.

这也不仅仅是市场导游想让我们去看一些地毯。有时，这里非常危险。有几次在晚上，我们会遇到一些非常凶悍的男孩，坚持要我们走错路，换一条路走。到了非斯之后，每晚都会有不同的男孩让我们从酒店旁边的同一条小巷走。

One day, during the daylight, we decided to check out what this alleyway was all about. Sure enough, it wrapped around like a U, but was a dead end. It, was at best, a prank to waste our time, at worst a mugging ambush. It was a very sobering thought that little kids were possibly directing us into an ambush. I get that traveling can be dangerous, and that tourists carry a lot of cash, so they are ideal targets in any country. But, only in Morocco will children be a part of the setup.

一天，我们决定去看看这条小巷到底是怎么回事。果然，它像 U 字形一样绕了一圈，但却是个死胡同。往好了说，这是一个浪费我们时间的恶作剧，往坏了说，这是一个抢劫伏击地。想到小孩子可能会把我们带入埋伏圈，我不禁肃然起敬。我明白，旅行是危险的，游客携带大量现金，因此他们在任何国家都是理想的目标。但是，只有在摩洛哥，孩子们才会成为设局的一部分。

Another street we walked down had crude paper signs pointing to a hostel. I found that strange because I knew where that particular hostel was, as we walked past it each day. It was midday, and I was curious, so we followed it. Further and further we walked, and the signs led us deeper into a funnel. It ended in a dead end. I gathered the signs on my way back out and dropped them off at the hostel in question. They thanked me and pointed to a large sign at the front desk that warned their guests not to follow any signs leading to the hostel. Apparently, this is a regularly set trap, and muggings happen quite a bit. We were never mugged, but a few times at night, we were definitely being followed by some young men. We soon made it a point not to go out after dinner.

我们走过的另一条街道上有一些简陋的纸质标志，指向一家旅舍。我觉得很奇怪，因为我知道那家旅店在哪里，因为我们每天都要经过那里。当时正值中午，我很好奇，于是我们就跟着它走。我们越走越远，路标把我们带进了一个漏斗。尽头是一个死胡同。我在回去的路上收集了路标，并把它们送到了那家旅店。他们向我表示感谢，并指着前台的一个大牌子，上面警告他们的客人不要跟随任何通往旅舍的路标。显然，这是一个经常设置的陷阱，抢劫事件时有发生。我们从未被抢劫过，但有几次晚上，我们肯定被一些年轻人跟踪了。我们很快就养成了晚饭后不出门的习惯。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Now, I should clarify that this rarely happened in Casablanca, where there are few tourists. It also was infrequent in Meknes. When we were in the modern parts of other cities like Fez, Tangier, Marrakech, etc., and it was very relaxing - quite a normal feeling. The thing is, though, if you visit Morocco, you don't want to see the modern or industrial cities, you want to see the medinas.

现在，我想要说明的是，上述这种情况在游客很少的卡萨布兰卡很少发生。在梅克内斯也很少发生。当我们在非斯、丹吉尔、马拉喀什等其他城市的现代化地区时，这种感觉非常轻松--很正常。但问题是，如果您到摩洛哥旅游，您不会想去看现代化或工业化的城市，而是想去看麦地那。

The medinas are simply amazing. We could happily spend all day just wandering the streets and taking it all in. They are truly unique and beautiful places. There's a very good reason we stayed there so long. It also has amazing craftsmanship, from carved wood, to carpets, and especially leather. Some leather that you find in shops there for a couple dollars is finer than pieces which cost much more back home. Morocco was a wonderful experience, and there's a lot of stuff I actually really want to return to the store to purchase because I regret not buying it.

麦地那地令人叹为观止。我们可以花一整天的时间在街上闲逛，尽情欣赏。它们是真正独特而美丽的地方。我们在那里逗留如此之久是有原因的。那里还有令人惊叹的手工艺品，从木雕到地毯，尤其是皮革。你在那里的商店里花几美元就能买到的一些皮革，比国内昂贵得多的皮革还要精细。摩洛哥是一次美妙的经历，有很多东西我真的很想再去商店买，因为我后悔没有买。

Now, there are many, many things I love about Morocco. But, when every day includes at least one interaction that has you on your toes, it can be a pretty awful experience.

到现在，我喜欢摩洛哥的很多很多东西。但是，如果每天都有至少一次让你提心吊胆的交流，那就会是一种非常糟糕的体验。

I'm an extremely well versed traveler, you name it I've backpacked there. From jungles, mountains, and desert to sleeping outside and hitchhiking. There are places that can be dangerous to be at night and places where the tourists always get ripped off, but never have I ever been surrounded by a local population that happily lies to me to change all my plans just on the off chance I may walk past a shop and, with their assistance, buy $2 of argan oil.

我是一个常年旅行的人，只要你说得出的地方，我都背包去过。从丛林、高山、沙漠到露宿和搭便车。有些地方晚上会很危险，有些地方游客总是被宰，但我从来没有被当地人包围过，他们很乐意向我撒谎，改变我所有的计划，只因为我可能会路过一家商店，在他们的帮助下，买到 2 美元的摩洛哥坚果油。

原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处