Al Jasira Essaouira

... man after his bath with the locals. Apparently you go into a big room and they put local soap all over him and scub he said that a layer of skin came off and then they put big buckets of hot water all over him to make him clean. As I could not go Mohammad brought me back some local clay that you mix with water and put on your hair to make it really clean and nice so will have a girly night when we get home and we can try it out.<br><br ...

Ah Essaouira - a most idyllic seaside town along the Atlantic coast, about 3 hrs. southwest of Marrakech, and a fine spot to wind down after my many adventures across Morocco. (it's also a prime example of the Moroccans apparent fetish for vowels) ;)<br><br> Such a lovely time I've had here - more than 3 days to meander along the waterfront with nothing more pressing to do than sample freshly squeezed O.J. from a seaside ...

I&#8217;d always had this romantic notion of riding a horse along a deserted beach with the wind blowing through my hair &#8211; well it sure was windy, but it wasn&#8217;t quite as romantic in reality due to having an extremely sore bum!! I won&#8217;t sit down for a week I reckon!! Yep, another dream was realised today.<br><br>At breakfast we mentioned to the owner of the riad we are staying in that we wanted to go horse riding &#8211; he says that he has a friend who could ...

At 7 A.M. we already left the hotel to move north to the ancient port town Essaouira. It was a Pirate port and has a lot of history to tell and to show us.<br><br>The trip was much more dangerously now. The Serpentine is so scary, and the driver of the bus drives like a mad man, but of course, he's just very experienced, but sitting near the window made some people almost sick. The road took ...

... of the natives as well as the tourists, the gnaoua music whispering in the<br>background. The hotel is located in the heart of all that is happening in Morocco.<br><br><br><br>If you aren't sure how to start your day, a friendly hotel concierge would be more than happy to<br><br><br>be of help to you. The staff, though discreet, is always at your call to meet your individual<br><br><br>needs. Whether ...

... to our detriment as they hovered omninously over us, threatening to soil our clothing! All this sea faring activity meant it was time for a walk on the beach, and a paddle in the Atlantic. Little did we know that this seemingly harmless activity was Moroccan for, "could do with a spliff, mate". Our initial forray into the ocean passed ...

Breakfast was surprisingly wonderful in my little hotel along the road, I got a very nice French Crepe, a thin crispy pancake, and a fruit salad. The bus to my next destination Essaouira left at 8 am but I didn't want to spoil the day with the sound of an alarm clock. I was sure there would be some other possibility to get there, and I was right. It was the time of some mutton-eating festival in ...

... eine erholung zu marrakesch. alles ist weiss getüncht, die läden sind leuchtend blau - ein wenig wie griechenland und doch ganz anders. der strand ist breit und endlos, der atlantik tobt und die gischt sprüht. weite im gegensatz zur enge der altstadt.

... blue and white buildings, and miles of beach. The climate is way nicer here than in Marrakech, which was a stinking suffocating haze. We're enjoying cool breezes, great temperatures and sunshine. The Medina (the walled central part of town) is very compact, probably not much more than 1 square kilometre. The streets are far easier to navigate than Marrakech, and it also lacks the huge central square that dominated the ...

... tough business!!! Tomorrow we are back on a bus to Marrakech and then catching a train to go to Casablanca so we can fly to Tunis the next day. Look out for our closing comments on Morocco as well as a travelogue from our two-day visit to Tunisia to be posted in about four or five days. She Said: It feels like we have stopped traveling and are on a little vacation. Essaouria couldn't be more different from the other Moroccan cities we have visited - completely relaxed and full ...