Essaouira, Morocco

Trip Start May 01, 2007

Trip End Apr 29, 2008

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Flag of Morocco Essaouira, Morocco
Saturday, June 2, 2007

We took a tourist coach over from Marrakech - a touch pricier than the local option, but we got there with A/C, and no stops to pick up random goat herders along the way. Essaouira (Ess-O-Where-A) is fairly un-tainted by the tourism industry, although we can certainly imagine that changing. This place is picturesque! A fishing village right on the coast, you've got your fishing vessels, old Spanish forts, pink-walled Medina with 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 Marrakech Medina.

01 Rooftop Shot

Venders here, while numerous, are far more cordial than in the Jemaa-el-Fna, and will leave you alone if you let them know you're not interested. Several of them have offered to barter with us - a couple really liked my blue North Face sweater and my Tilley hat and sunglasses. One guy, and I SWEAR this is true, offered me "6 dozen camels" for Terri! Since one camel is worth 10000 Moroccan Dirhams, I'd be looking at a net profit of about $92000 CDN. Not too shabby...maybe I'll go back...naw, I'll keep her around - hold out for a better offer. Seriously though, offers to buy Terri are meant as a compliment, and nothing else.

We've spent our days wandering around town, and sitting around in cafes sipping mint tea or eating gelato. There's plenty of good food here for excellent prices. Our dollar goes FAR here - a nice change from Great Britain. The locals are friendly, shouting out "Bon jour, comment �a va?" They're all interested in talking to us - they think we're cowboys because of our hats. I'm practicing my French through conversation with the locals. When we tell people we're Canadian, they all think we're from Quebec, that seems to be the only province they've heard of. I've been offered pot and hash several times, but the guys are always nice when I turn them down. I've also heard that they use that as a scam to extort money, or threaten to turn you over to the cops. None of that for us, thanks.

This is a great town - it feels very alive, in a way that would be tough to describe to someone who hasn't been here. There is a sense of community here that is quite alien to us as well. We'll be sad to leave it. Make it out here before it gets spoilt by tourism, if you can.