Dar Al Bahar Essaouira

Got up to another really tasty breakfast had a terrible nights sleep as some spanish girls that were staying in our Riad got up with the call to prayer at 5am and they were going off on a trip to the desert! You can go on a camel to the desert and stay overnight sleeping in a traditional tent and eating traditional food something that we would have done had we had more time.<br><br>We decided to go for a little walk around and try and buy ...

... However, upon much Googley research it turns out that PERMANENT tattoos are taboo in Morocco while TEMPORARY "henna" tattoos are apparently all the rage among locals and tourists alike. Thus, I settled for a full set of temporary "Berber bracelets" daintily hennaed 'round each of my ankles.<br><br> - Munching on a giant "McCrepe" at the local Golden Arches wanna-be - a little sandwich shop that I discovered tucked amid the ...

... behind the fish stalls &#8211; where your freshly bought seafood is placed on a bbq and a few minutes later its in front of you on the table ready to eat.<br><br>Anyone who knows me well, will know that I don&#8217;t eat any kind of fish or seafood (except fish fingers &#8211; which don&#8217;t really count as fish, lets face it) &#8211; its been the longest psychological battle in my mind over food and I&#8217;ve no idea where it came from, I just have never been able to ...

... workshop where local masters make different and and extraordinary things using the tree Thuja. Diiferent small souvenirs, tables, boxes, cupboards, hangers, toys... All that can be found here, such beauty things...<br><br>Then we had some free time to walk around the city and shops by ourselves, and then we met again to go to Agadir again.<br><br>While on the road, we saw local trees Argan ...

... need assistance planning your day (perhaps a hike to explore the lovely<br><br><br>Atlas Mountains?) or a babysitter for the kids so you can have a night out alone on the town.<br><br><br>The list of entertainment possibilities is endless.<br>Both within and outside the hotel's walls. Pace through the courtyard of Heure Bleue Palais<br>and let the gorgeous palm trees and breath taking fountain put you ...

... with a second ice cream. We couldn't manage it, but love the logic... we're on holiday, why not. The time had actually flown by in Essaouria - it lacked the intensity of Marrakech, and at times it didn't really feel like we were in Morocco, or indeed, Africa, at all. So a contrasting experience... nice to get out of the city for a day and ...

... The road to Essaouira is partly along the coast where some huge waves attract surfers, but at 17 degrees water temperature at this time of the year, it appears somewhat pale compared to Hawaii. So I guess they come here if Daddy's cheque didn't arrive in time for the flight to Honolulu. Essaouira is a town with a great atmosphere. It is right next to the coast, a walled city that looks unchanged ...

... then parted and I decided to walk along the ramparts by the sea. It was still very windy but at least the rain had stopped. The sea was angry and I abandoned plans for my beach walk. Not surprisingly, Essaouira is renowned for it's kite surfing and wind surfing, aided by the powerful trade winds. It was a beautiful beach and I imagined how wonderful it must be to enjoy hot summers days here. Ironic that we had enjoyed good weather all the trip and now at the seaside, it ...

... settlements to even smaller ones. The prospect of doing a 2 day trip following one of the Paris-Dakar stages is thrown at us which we jump at, but jump right back when told it will cost us 5000 Dirham (500 Euro) for a guide. Knowing how microeconomics works Moroccan style, we hang back, say our budget is tiny and are in no hurry to make a decision. Hiking up the dune is hard work, mainly because of a scalding hot wind that is sandblasting our skin and scorching our lungs when we ...

... which I discovered later to have soaked my bag´s straps with pee! Gross! This made me cranky, so I let Michael take control and find a hotel. He found something that was more like one floor of a house, but this was actually above a restaurant. He and the lady in charge had some miscommunication and he ended up getting the rooms for 1/3rd of the price, which was about $4! It was nice, because we each got our own huge rooms,access to the kitchen, and very ...