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Essaouira - Time to
Chill
The next step on our trip to
Morocco was to head out to the coastal town of Essaouira. We had heard
that this was the perfect place to chill out for a few days as it
constantly caressed by winds from the sea, much like our lovely little
island! This would be a welcome relief after the heat of Marrakech.
However, all was not going to run
smoothly. The intercity bus services in Morocco are very good with
frequent journeys and clean, air conditioned vehicles. As a result they
get very booked up, which we did not know. When we got to the bus station
we found that all the buses on the day we wanted to travel on were full.
However there was a day return bus which we could go on and not bother to
use the return part of the ticket. Expecting to be charged the full fare
for his, we accepted as we had accommodation booked. However we suddenly
found hat our fare was reduced by around 30%, and we didn't have to
bargain at all - things were looking up! So we found ourselves getting a
two and half hour bus trip for the princely sum of 9 euros!
The trip to the coast was
uneventful, except that we did manage to see Argan trees. Argan oil is
used as a health food in Morocco and also for massages. Goats are very
partial to the nuts of the tree and even climb them to get to these tasty
treats!
We had opted to stay in a riad for
this part of our trip. These are old traditional houses located in the
old parts of towns or medinas in Morocco. They are often built round an
internal courtyard and have roof terraces. Sound lovely don't they. The
only problem is that taxis can't get to them so you have might have to
carry your own luggage. With all the shopping we'd done in Marrakech we
weren't relishing the thought of this. However, the free market came to
our rescue. At the bus stop we were met by a myriad of lads all with
barrows ready to take the load off us. We just followed and enjoyed the
view of an almost perfectly preserved maze of streets many with ornate
columns and archways.
When we arrived at our riad, the Mamouna, we weren't disappointed. It
was beautiful. Essaouira was a fort in olden times and we were staying on
the walls of this. Our view out of the window was the dramatic coastline and we
were lulled to sleep with the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks
below.
The inside of the riad had many sumptuous seating areas
where you could relax with a good book.
The courtyard doubled as a restaurant and had a gently
bubbling fountain.
Breakfast was served on the roof terrace so you could
drink in the view along with your mint tea and freshly squeezed orange
juice.
Pleased with our accommodation we set off to explore the town. Walking
the streets was a pleasure to both the eye and the senses. It was far
less crowded than Marrakech - see my
previous article on shopping in the souks. Shopkeepers didn't hassle
you and there were many little plazas where you could stop for a coffee
and an ice cream. Apart from the lovely smells coming from the spice
shops, the mint stalls gave a wonderful aroma to the air.
Many of the streets are very attractive for instance this one where all
the shops sell jewellery. It also helped that thanks to the sea breeze
the temperature was much lower than in the inland. In fact it was quite
chilly, even in July, in the mornings and evenings and we needed to wear
light jackets.
Essaouira is a busy fishing port and down at the port you can see all the
wooden fishing boats lined up.
They hold a fish auction on Mondays to Saturdays from 3-5pm in the hall
just outside the port gates which is well worth a visit. You can then sit
at one of the many stalls and select your fish for the barbeque.
This was followed by a gentle stroll around the Skala,
the old ramparts which has some great photo opportunities of the town,
the islands off shore and the fishermen hunting for crabs along the
rocks. It also had extremely clean toilets and it only costs a euro to
get in to the complex.
We then headed off to the beach - which, unlike the town was absolutely
packed! OK so it was a Sunday, but I think we are more than a little
spoiled here on Fuerteventura with our uncrowded versions.
We started to walk along he esplanade when I spotted
something very rare - a wally trolley. We used to have one here in
Corralejo but for various reasons it doesn't run anymore, even though we
have been assured it is coming back for months now.
So on we hopped and found a quieter spot on which to
sunbathe. We hadn't been there long when we heard he sound of hooves. You
can take rides along the beach, but this turned out to be a couple of
policemen. I noticed that were very vigilant in ensuring that people
behaved well towards each other. At one point they moved some boys who
were playing football too close to families.
After a heavy day relaxing we now wanted to try a
Hammam. These are a little like a cross between a steam room and a sauna,
but less intense. First you have several buckets of warm water thrown
over you and then you are left to sweat for a while. Next comes the
gommage where you are scrubbed all over with something resembling a
brillo pad. Not part of you is sacred in this, soles of feet, armpit and
your ears! More copious amounts of water are used to rinse off all the
grime and dead skin. We had then opted for an additional massage, mine
was with mint oil which left us feeling almost comatose! We went to the
Hammam Mounia, not far from our hotel.
While I was in the mood for being pampered, I decided
to have a facial. This took place in an unusual pharmacists shop, where
they not only dispense traditional medicines but also have homeopathic
and natural remedies. In addition to this they conduct AIDS education for
teenagers and rent out crutches if you are unlucky enough to break a leg!
Upstairs Wafa had all the various machines and potions to take years off
me! This took over an hour, but I felt and looked great afterwards.
Wafa does a whole range of beauty treatments in this
shop so if you're there she is well worth visiting. The pharmacy is close
to the Hammam Mounia and can be found at 122 Av Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
which is one of the main routes through the old town.
The next day we headed off to a beach south of
Essaouira, Sidi Kaouki. This is around 27 km away and it takes 45 mins on
the bus, but it only costs 12 cents return! This place is reputed to be
one of the best windsurfing places in the world and the wind was
certsainly up when we were there - very reminiscent of Sotavento. There
is not much else to do there apart from taking a camel ride along the
beach. A perect palce if you really want to chhill out.
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There are a couple of small hotels there, one of which
seemed to have been designed by with a very interesting view of
architecture, and a string of cafes for eating some of the fish caught
that morning. We had char char, no idea what this would be in English -
and a lovely vegetable tagine. Extremely cheap and absolutely delicious.
Interesting to see a large wind farm there, much bigger than the one on
Fuerteventura!
Back to Essaouira, there around 5 buses a day and time
for some nightlife. We went to Taros near the harbour which has a
wonderful roof terrace and does yummy cocktails. There was live music and
a lovely touch was that hey would lend you a poncho if the wind was a bit
too cool for comfort.
Downstairs was an excellent restaurant, beautifully decorated and also
featuring a library of second hand books.
There are lots of great restaurants here. Another one we tries was the
Dar Loubana, located in an open courtyard yet sheltered from the wind.
They have live Moroccan music on Saturday nights and do a great fish
curry.
Well rested and a lot more relaxed we were ready for our next trip
into the Atlas Mountains.
Corinne Sellens
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Fraggle's Travels
