La Maison du Chameau Essaouira

... gifts for people in the Souk its just really hard saw loads of things for people but try and haggle is annoying I just want to pay a price and it seems silly haggling for like 7 quid nearly bought you a bag Alex but the man was doing my head in so will have to try and find you something else ha ha.<br><br>Had some more mint tea in the square and then back to the Riad as Ian is going to the Hamam this is a place where all the locals go ...

... us on. Eventually dismounting at Ground Zero (a decidedly g-forsaken tumble of thorny scrub that no Lonely Planet guidebook would dare to include among the "Gottasees in Morocco") Mohammad gallantly (albeit still dubiously) helped hunt amid the parched thicket til... we finally found the geoprize (an overturned rusty can concealing a trinket-filled tub of Tupperware) - yippeee!<br><br>Other Essaouria highlights:<br><br ...

... and John is looking at me in total and utter surprise, it amuses him, he says he never thought he&#8217;d see the day &#8211; well, me neither &#8211; I have to say it, I even shocked myself!!! This is what I love about travel &#8211; you are in unusual surroundings, embracing different cultures and it just felt wrong to refuse it &#8211; who would&#8217;ve known it, that it would take a trip to North Africa to cure my phobia about eating fish!<br><br>The price for the meal ...

... two hours. When we arrived, it was such beautiful! We walked to the defensive fortress built right on the cliffs, there are many cannons which looks ahead on the ocean. The waves are crushing on the cliffs under the fortress... And the wind of course! It knocks you down as if you were a puppet... Incredible feelings... Then we went to the deep part of the fortress, to the town itself. We visited ...

... 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 ...

... of Arabia, and lots of people would travel back home to their families, so they put an old rattling bus back on the road and it came just at the right time. There was one seat left and it was next to a middle aged woman in a long dress so I wasn't too sure if it would be ok for me to sit there or would I get thrown out of the bus after only 50 meters, but I guess I was tolerable to the community ...

Free day in Essa today with a visit to a Hammam which was an interesting experience. Jamal has warned us about "wallists" - guys leaning on walls, trying to pick up girls. Now is this the best pickup line you've ever heard: "Hello flower, did you enjoy your shower?" while we were walking back from the Hammam with wet hair (and commando, but that's another story)! People in Essa are friendly, even if the reason for this is that they are trying to ...

... tourism and cramming Arabic into my mind? Exploring Essaouira, of course. It's a beautiful town, right on the Atlantic coast, right on the beach. The medina is of a manageable enough size that you don't get lost after you've explored it enough times, and the people are incredibly friendly. Everywhere I go I'm offered tea. I've been horseback riding along the beach, an amazing experience, and I've ridden bicycles down the ...

... song "Chelsea Morning" in my head - a song so excruciatingly optimistic about greeting the new day you would want to put it on Morrissey's Ipod in permanent loop . I take it as a good omen for what's ahead. Pierpaolo is not quite 100% but many shades better than yesterday, so we can at least look forward to riding this final 80km stretch of the Sahara together today. Scoff breakfast (pancakes with melted goats butter and coffee), say goodbye to our hosts and its off again. The ...

... rundown with the old fort being the highlight of the town. Next stop was Safi. There was a Portuguese castle here called Qasr al-Bahr. Orson Welles filmed part of Othello here on the walls. The views were superb and you could see the old town walls, but the place realistically was one big industrial town, with a railway going past the old castle and into a chemical plant. Nice !!!!! The next morning, we caught the bus to El Jadida to look at the ...