JOURNAL / 旅人日誌

每年摩洛哥的齋戒月（Ramadan）日期都不一樣，大家通常要等到政府觀測月相後公告，才能確定哪天正式開始。很有趣的是，齋戒月一開始，台灣與摩洛哥的時差會從原本的 7 小時變成 8 小時。這是因為摩洛哥平時實行「日光節約時間（GMT+1）」，到了齋戒月則會特別退回標準時間（GMT+0），把時鐘撥慢一小時。

很多人會疑惑，太陽在天空中的「物理總時數」又不會變，為什麼要調慢時間？這其實是為了配合人們的「社會作息」。想像一下，如果你下午 5 點下班，原本要看著時鐘痛苦地熬到晚上 7 點半日落才能吃飯（苦等 2.5 小時）；但把時鐘往回撥一小時後，同一個物理時間的日落，在手錶上變成了 6 點半。這意味著下班後只要等 1.5 小時就能開飯！這神奇的「提早一小時」，不僅縮短了下班後飢腸轆轆的煎熬，也讓人們在晚上有更充裕的時間吃飯、去清真寺祈禱，並爭取多一點睡眠，大大減輕了齋戒月期間的身體負擔。

齋戒對摩洛哥人來說極為神聖。除了孕婦、老人、小孩或生病的人之外，所有人都必須遵守嚴格的規定：從日出到日落，絕對禁止進食，甚至連一滴水都不能喝！為了避免誤吞水分，許多傳統信仰的摩洛哥人甚至在早上起床後是不刷牙的。整整 12 到 13 個小時滴水未沾，這對一般人來說真的非常不容易。

如果齋戒月可以不工作，大可熬夜到日出前吃完最後一餐（Suhoor），白天盡情補眠。但對於身為嚮導與司機的他來說，這是奢望。有時遇到長途行程，早上 7、8 點就得起床準備；如果前一晚為了早起而提早入睡，錯過了日出前的那餐，醒來後就得一路硬撐到晚上 6 點半日落（Iftar）才能進食喝水。你可以想像，帶著遊客跑了一整天行程，又餓又渴是多麼難熬的考驗。

他本身就是一個極具耐心與耐力的人。一開始，我總擔心他這種好說話的性格會被客人欺負、佔便宜；但聽到最後，知道他在飢渴交加下的專業付出，最終得到了客人平等的對待與實質的肯定，我也就鬆了一口氣。

English Version (Patience Tested in the Desert)

Initially, Ramadan in Morocco is a deeply sacred month. Its exact starting date changes every year, determined by the official sighting of the moon. Interestingly, during this holy month, the Moroccan government temporarily suspends Daylight Saving Time (DST), rolling the clocks back by one hour. Consequently, the time difference between Taiwan and Morocco shifts from 7 hours to 8 hours.

Why do they do this? While the physical duration of the sun in the sky remains exactly the same, changing the clock profoundly affects the social schedule. Imagine finishing work at 5:00 PM. If the sun typically sets at 7:30 PM, you would have to endure 2.5 hours of starving and waiting. However, by turning the clocks back one hour, that exact same physical sunset now reads as 6:30 PM. This means you only wait 1.5 hours after work to break your fast. This brilliant adjustment significantly eases the physical burden, giving locals more evening time to eat, pray, and rest.

Furthermore, the rules of fasting are incredibly strict. Except for the elderly, pregnant women, children, and the sick, everyone must abstain from food and, most challengingly, water from sunrise to sunset. Indeed, to avoid the risk of accidentally swallowing water, many traditional Moroccans do not even brush their teeth in the morning. Fasting for 12 to 13 hours without a single drop of water is a profound test of human endurance.

Therefore, working as a Moroccan Ramadan tour guide requires immense physical and mental strength. While some people can adjust their sleep schedules to rest during the day, a guide often has to wake up early for long drives. If they sleep early and miss the pre-dawn meal, they must endure extreme hunger and thirst until sunset.

During one Ramadan evening, he was exhausted and incredibly hungry. He took his clients to a restaurant for dinner, but they didn’t like it. Patiently, he drove them to a second one; they still said no. Specifically, he had to take them to a third restaurant before they were finally satisfied. Hearing this story, I lost my patience and asked irritably, “And then what happened?”

He laughed and said, “Then, they gave me a 50 Euro tip 😂.” My face instantly changed: “Wow, they are so nice!”

To summarize, his personality is built on extraordinary patience and endurance. Initially, I worried that his easygoing nature would lead to him being taken advantage of by demanding tourists. However, knowing that his hard work and professionalism as a Moroccan Ramadan tour guide were equally respected and rewarded, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.