Heading to the coast
Trip Start
Dec 19, 2008
1
5
Trip End
Jan 16, 2009
Essaouira, Morocco
Saturday, January 17, 2009
before getting to Marrakech we had tried to make a reservation at a place that
was recommend by another couple but we didn't find out that it was booked until
that day. So we turned to our trusty Lonely planet book and found a riad that
was listed as the "coolest" riat in Marrakech. So we were glad that we could
get a room. Unfortunately after staying in the riats in Fez, and the two
Kashbahs in the desert (which we thought were pretty cool) our definintion of "cool"
wasn't as hip as the Lonely Planets. I don't know what this says about us
(maybe we're not as hip as we
thought) but this place was way to chic for us and kind of a disappointment. (Black
and white tile floors, plain white walls, no tile work, and a purple
room.) We decided to stay there
only one night and be on our way to E ssaouira.
We
ventured out to the grand plaza, called Djemma
El Fna. It was filled with
different "shows" or circus/acrobatic acts, story telling, musicians, fortune
tellers, etc. that each had a surrounding of people watching and giving a few
coins for the show. There was also
a line of stalls with fresh food being served, including fried calamari and
other fish, and fresh vegetables that you could chose to have cooked up into a
side dish for example. It was quite the show but we just felt like we would
enjoy a lower key city in our last days in Morocco. So the next day we were on
our way to the coast.
Essaouira
We caught a bus to this
coastal city. About 2 ½ hours away
from the bustling Marrakech, we were entranced by the calm and relaxed fishing
village. Essaouira was the port
city at the end of the trade routes so at one time it was an important city.
Now its more a fishing village with a tourist slant that was all white washed
buildings with blue windows that reminded Jason of the Greek Isles. The medina was not near the intense
environment as with the other towns we had been, which was a nice break. We could stroll through and look for
any last minute souvenirs without being hassled. We strolled along the fishing port and watched the
sunsets. We stayed in a beautiful
riad that had a ceiling terrace with views of the coast, called Riad de la Mer,
which was recommended by other travelers we met. Finally, after about a week of
cool rainy weather we were rewarded by beautiful blue skies, sun, and only a
little wind. It was a great way to
end our trip. A breath of fresh
air.
We took the train back up to
Casablanca and flew out the next morning.
We barely caught our connections each time and from now on will book our
trip on one flight ticket, instead of buying separate US and international
tickets. Even though this may be
more expensive, any delays on one leg would be caught by the next airline and
they will know where we are and be more forgiving when we show up late.
Now here we are back in
Montana and trying to get adjusted to the time difference. Even though we had been up and
traveling for 24 hours yesterday, we both had trouble falling asleep after
getting back, because it was 8AM Morocco time. Now we have a weekend to recover before getting back to
work. It feels like we've been
gone for a long time after all we've seen. We both feel very fortunate to have been able to take such a
wonderful adventure.
