Essaouira
Finally I’m the out of the pocket and on the sun like real celebrity and she has to photo bomb my photo shoot, that b….vrrrr
Wake up, get breakfast and final check of the luggage and here we go to the bus stop heading to Essaouira me , G and K lovely couple from Canada. We had to stop at local boulagerie for some sweets as the G’s father had birthday so he is going to send him video with cake eating as part of birthday party as he can’t be there in person. Birthday cake eating is now done and since I do not be left out I’ve got few Moroccan almond biscuits too, yummy. At the side of the road waiting for a bus to come we waved few cars who honked on us as usual in Morocco when they try to offer you a lift. Local bus stopped and the figure with grave voice like from Michael Jackson Thriller and look like from star wars movie jumped out of rear door of still moving bus and quickly grabbed our bags and throw them in the luggage storage and hushed us like sheep quickly on the bus. Luckily they had two seats so G and K got seat and I was seated at back on the floor between two seats of last row. Usually the bus has five seats at back but this one has only four and empty space in between them right in the middle where the ail is with leather makeshift cushion as seat to soften your bum. Interesting ride between a Moroccan guy on one side and some very dark black guy I guess Senegal in green tracksuit like from the 80-ts . The Bus was funny, hot, smelly “ahh that is me :-) ” and the death varder was collecting money for tickets from everyone and also had an argument with one woman, who was fierce judging by the voice and gesticulation. We took one more traveler from the side of the road who got lovely seat at the steps at rear doors. The actual golden point of the travel came when we hit the uphill winding roads and death varder came back with plastic sacks for people to use in case of emergency… 😊 I have not seen anything like it since probably the time of trip at home as child for camps in the summer as part of youth groups, where you very given sickness pill “KINEDRIL” as prevention. The last bag was given about four or five rows front of me and that was it, no more left for the rest of you suckers. Well I just finished my box of almond sweets from boulagerie at my middle floor seat and thankfully did not need one. Well after we disembarked bus at Essaouira we were all happy to be out on fresh air and K mentioned that bodily fluids were flowing into plastic sacks… brrr some experience but well that is Morocco so what can be done. Anyway finally we were let go out from the bus and stretch our legs and breath the fresh air, as the Air Con was non existing and the roof vent was open and secured from closing by water bottle, which always mysteriously disappeared after few moments. Out and about like animals from cage we roamed the streets of Essaouira in search of hostel. This Atantic hostel was arranged by owner of the Surf Hostel in Tamraght and since we have nothing booked we said yes let’s see it. The last tourist on the bus was guy from Iceland by the name T and he asked if he can tag along so here we are like four musketeers of A. Dumas on quest to get bed “one bed for all, all for one bed”. Thanks to maps.me we found the hostel no problem and surprise, surprise there was no space for us and apparently no one know about us. Well they try to offer us something else but as soon as the guy said that this is not the best and that he does not want to offer us something without seen it I was suspicious. As we start climbing stairs up to the roof my gut feeling returned that this is another fe… Berber tent and I was not far from it. At the end it was not a tent but some makeshift structure from timber and there was no rain in but apparently no electricity and no window either. I said that I’m going to look somewhere else and left so the rest of them make their own decision what they want to do. So far the Tamraght Surf Hostel was the best hostel. We have regrouped outside the hostel and after quick discussion and using he hostel Wi-Fi to locate nearest hostel around corner we went to see it and then make decision what is next as T wanted to go to café and see what is on the market. My suggestion was to see this one around corner and if it is bad let’s go to café and search. I had hunch that the next one will be good and I was right as from the moment I stepped in the Surf and Chill Hostel was all good, dude was cool not over friendly “my friend” Morocco style and not overselling it either. It looked better than Atlantic Hostel, had normal, cleaner rooms and overall appearance was better so I decided that I’m staying, for three nights 180 dirhams is good deal. K and G were deliberating but looked like they will stay just need a moment. T went to search for something else but eventually he returned back in not more than ten minutes and were took the room. We all sat on our lower bunk beds as no one seems to like the top, having nice warm up chat , discussed all the travelers things and just getting know each other as we will spend three nights in the same room. It was nice to talk around about normal things and feel like bonding, especially if you are traveling and meeting new people all the time, I appreciate to find likeminded people. I would say that we made a nice group and as always all the things that happen are the things what need to happen and you meet people you need to meet. No point yapping all the time so it is time to walk and explore town. The Essaouira is nice relatively small town or better say medina is small with narrow streets full of trinkets selling people and all in all the every shops is the same, shoes, girly things and spices with Argan products. I’m just curious as I saw pile of Safran one feet tall at the street and it was more like brick dost than a Safran but hey what ever tourist buy local can sell. Walked down to port area and that was quite nice with blue fisherman boats, low sun and people mingling up and down. The pier was full of fishermen who were selling their daily catch and tourist more less just looking and taking photos as the local took the fishes out on little carts, possibly for restaurant and evening souk for locals. Some of the fish I have never seen, eel like with kind of tiger style skin with yellow markings. Walking back from pier towards beach I passed nice gate i.e. tower what formed the city protection wall where Frankie was so happy to be out of the pocket.
Now the Frankie was back in pocket as his grumpy mouth was giving out and all the f…, bas…. Ad bol…. Was not a language for such nice day. All along the promenade, walking slowly in the rays of falling sun I went to CTM office to buy ticket for last bus trip to Casablanca. When departing the CTM office I just took right turn and got deliberately lost in new residential part of Essaouira, what was nice, consisted of brand new houses, mostly nicely painted, palm trees on the side walk and neighbors talking outside the doors on the pavement . Kids being kinds are the most curious and always say hello whenever I went, so many “Bon Jour” later I came across butcher shop / stall who was selling meat and also local fast food from the pots for 20 dirhams, some sort of bones with meat and chickpeas, what was not bad at all. There was no French so ordering was easy, guy showed me with hand come here and open the lid of the biggest pot for me to see in and I just nod yes.
View from dinner table.
It is funny that here it is me who is tourist local attraction for people on the street, looking at me like I’m from Men in Black or other planet but with respect or curiosity. Since the butcher shop has no toilets I have to search for one all around the neighborhood but no luck, until I was appointed to petrol station by local women from some coffee shop with expression of fear in her face when I asked for toilet. This was just two streets from the beach as the town is line up horizontally in line with beach so it is bit long but not so deep with main avenue going across the town with light shaped as curved Arabic blade in the middle of the avenue, what is pretty sight. Evening slowly creep ed up and since the sun is on the way home for the night the temperature dropped quite quickly. Well the beach observation was cut short as I was a bit cold in my brown leather flip-flops, shorts and t-shirt, better walk briskly to the medina behind the walls where it was warmer. Also on the way to hostel, there is small stall with Mesmmen, sort of pancake which is either plane or with chocolate or with chicken and since I was a bit cold it was nice to have warm dessert 😊
Well that is what he is saying but how the heck I can know since I was in his pocket, bastard not even let me out so I can get tan instead of this yellow skin, like I’m Chinese or what. Shh… shut up Frankie no one is interested in your grumpy comments.
Got a good night sleep but have to say that local like to stay up late as I went to bed near midnight and the kids were still shouting outside on the streets under our window but ear plugs are great invention. In the morning I decided to explore local area and also buy some food from shop to try save some cash. Found Carrefour on the way to the Diabat village, where Jimmy Hendrics apparently stayed and wanted to buy the whole area. Nice local myth but apparently this is not based on reality. Got tangerine, Grapes, muslibars, granola and water for 68 dirhams which is cheap but still a lot when I could get a breakfast for 20 or 30 but fresh fruit is nice and here it is so tasty ! Stop for one espresso at petrol station as they are clean, have clean toilets and free Wi-FI so I could do some ad hoc planning of next trip. The walk to Diabat was nice and easy on the road through newly developed areas for new housing estate, what had sale office but nothing else expect brand new roads laid in patter of future houses. Diabat is group of few houses at the side of the road opposite the fancy golf course with café near road side with Jimmy picture painting on the wall . Following the map as the road was showing possible short cut through forest to the beach but this came to sudden stop when the road was closed buy gate for the five star golf course MOGADOR.
PHOTOS OF DIABAT.
Turned back and walk down he hill to the Sultan Rachid Palace ruins, what are nicely wrapped in sand dunes and slowly disappearing under the sand. Quads driving through the sand in search for nothing just fun and killing boredom as well as the nice silence where one can hear birds singing and waves crushing noise in background. The beach was nice an long with only few people on it so I just sat down took off shirt and enjoyed silence of the nature and sound of waves, which was soothing that I lay down for a nap. It was so nice and refreshing to just relax laying down and listen to the sound of waves coming on shore with power and noise like army of Poseidon and then to the sound of water retracting through stones back to the sea like they rushing home. Some time later as the time is not measured in Morocco like we do in western word I woke up and stretch a bit a local guy went for swim near me which caused a commotion at the army post above beach . Two soldiers came down and chase him out and called me just simply in French telling me that “Mister go over there” as if we were spying on them or what but people five meters left were o.k to stay. Anyway I had my nap so why not move as well as I got a bit sun tan, lightly red as always when I get out to get some vitamin D for the first time and since I do not like to use sun cream I rather expose my skin to sun in small short moments to build up natural resistance. Views were nice too.
PHOTO of the Island.
Walked slowly back on the sand, sat down on the top of the sand dune watching the surfers battling waves again and again with Sun on the sky was nice but the stomach start calling for some food. Walked to medina and strolled through streets until I found a nice narrow street with local stools of food I resisted the offering of meal by woman at one of the stools and continue to explore it more but eventually returned back to the stool and ordered Cous-Cous with chicken for 30 dirhams. Nice light and delicious change to bread based food. However since I was hungry I’ve got a bread on the side and that was not good as my stomach was in pain for rest of the evening. With dinner over I went to Hostel to get windbreaker and shoes so I can go and enjoy sunset at the beach as well as take some photos but this time dressed up for sunset not like yesterday. Found nice spot where I thought the photos could look good.
Photos taken now let’s stroll through medina side streets as yesterday was the main street now it is side street time. Lovely but the same so just observing people passing by, shopping, talking as life is passing by. Hostel time to get photos sorted and check the civilization through email and what’s up app before bedtime as well as brief chat with K and G about the day.
Today is the last day at Essaouira and my initial plan was to go and see the Argan cooperative outside the city but decided to change plans and rather get nice hike to the next village of Moulay Bouzektoun through beach. Set off with buying water, grapes and tangerines at medina I have left the medina and keep walking through taxi rank, bus station at Bab Doukkala gate. The street is straight and facing the direction where I’m going. After say five hundred meters the street suddenly changed to real Souk of local people selling everything and anything. Sheets of fabric on the ground are replacing shelves or desks and on them anything from old laptop, drills, phones, various power tools, clothes , household items, car parts, furniture and all of it used. IT was look like anything is up to sale and I saw old rusty spanners, wrenches etc… to be sold. Amazing experience and truly Moroccan not like the touristic medina. I saw maybe two tourist on the whole street so probably it was too early in the morning 10:00 or they just not ventured out of Medina. I wanted to take photos but then decide not to as I felt like taking photos in the ZOO which does not felt right to me. People traded all sort of things and this is their normal life which it is nice to observe but not to try document it as I felt like this would be disrespectful to them. At the end of the street were fruit and vegetable sellers with local produce from the farm on the carts pulled by donkeys. Really this was one the most memorable sights I saw and if you are in the Essaouira on Sunday go to the Boulevard Mouslay Hicham to see it for yourself.
The boulevard is literally ending on the beach so I was where I want to be and started walking this long beautiful beach with sand dunes on my right and Atlantic on my left. Few families and some lone walkers were there too with local fisherman in the water and on the island trying their luck or just maybe spending time alone. After two hours of walk I came across the army check point at the sand dunes as it was at Essaouira beach overlooking the ocean and by this time I was walking on my own except one man on the moped racing in opposite direction to Essaouira hunched over the handlebars to reduce wind resistance like some pro racer. We waved had on each other with mouthing Salam Aleikum and he was gone.
Lovely beach experience was shaken a bit by waste water presumably from Essaouira flowing to the ocean with smell of foul, sewer and seagulls near by to try feed of it. Mountains rose on my right behind eh sand dunes with green trees and building on top what by map was hotel. I followed the tracks of this moped as there was nothing else in the nice flat sand as eye could see. Eventually I sat down for a break and some fruit as lunch to rest a bit before start walking again. Walking such a walk is great for quiet my mind and it is a meditation but moving, such as is Camino in Spain where there is nothing else to do just keep walking and don’t think about anything at all. You all know SUP “stand up paddle” well here in Morocco is also SDP “ Sit Down Paddle”
Also when you next time buying something in the shop rom plastic or packing into plastic bag, please look at the photo below what is reminder that our plastic is seriously polluting the planet and we should have such photos as well as photos of the plastic “continent” which is in the ocean at every shop with plastic products and on each plastic bag.
Plastic beach.
After four hours and few hours walking and following the tracks of this moped and some photos I have reached the village of Moulay B…… Few houses, mosque , school and one café as paradise for surfers with lazy sleepy pace of life expect the kids running around me and asking for one dinar it could be a relaxing break from hustle of towns.
As I need to return to Essaouira I kept walking this time on the road for a change as I thought to get some sight seen of the mountains and hoped for a bus or lift since I had four hours to sunset. Three of four cars passed when Fiat stopped with couple from Germany in it. THNAK YOU guys ! We had a brief chat about where we have been, where are we going when I just fixed my belt as I saw police check in front of us and as expected we were pulled over. This time it was for speeding as we were doing 94 km/h instead of 80 km/h and the police was saying that it will be 150 dirhams. Since I was told by surfing lady that the cash should not be paid to policeman I told the drive r do not pay anything on the body camera. Well it was as expected, the policeman said 150 dirhams and turned his back with hand behind his back so it could not be captured on camera. As we said in the car, this is sponsoring of his family and maybe easier than being charged and have to go to police station or court and in the end it is only €15. Experience Morocco ! Well we drove slowly now but for me still faster than walking on my own back to Essaouira as it is about 40km. Couple have not been here and had no maps so they were happy to use my maps.me to navigate them to the hostel and I have increased the users of maps.me by four now 😊 Since I was back in the town earlier than I thought I went for stroll through other part of side street of Medina this time left hand side close to ocean and synagogue and this time it was nice and I came on the Scala fort what was nice part and view too.
PHOTO OF SCALA
There was this blond girl in spandex who looks like promoting some gym or something as she was posing and jumping and the guy took photos of her as ell as all the men salivated since she barely had bra on top and the spandex leggings did not cover anything at all. AS much as she had a nice body on closer look it seems like she had no soul or was full of herself, not sure but as I walked under the arch out of the tower this local girls came in in traditional long dress but without head scarf with beautiful dark long hair with smile on the face and in the eyes and that was the moment I fell in love for few seconds and would take her any time instead of this blond shell. Well since she has not noticed me I was saved from another marriage 😊 and continue walked to the port through the Scala part. Got at the end of the pier wall, climber up and watched sun , listened to waves for some time. The sunset nearly came so I went to side of Scala and took some photos of it again and then marvel of the sight of sunset and thought of how we are trying to capture such a beauty by photos and cannot do so and how the painters did it in the past and we are still wondering how they did it so greatly and life like it. It reminded me time in Sistine Chapel when watching all the paintings what were like alive. Things are amazing if you have time to look at them with empty mind.
PHOTOS SUNSET AT PORT
Time to prepare for tomorrow trip to Casablanca, which means shop for water and fruit so get back to medina and walked towards fruit market outside Bab Doukkala. I met T on the way as he observed a big fish being sliced what I believe was tuna. He was surprised to know that tuna is huge fish as he thought that it is small ish fish. We walked out as he wanted bananas and I wanted tangerines so at local fruit market we got some and I also bought a kilo of peas. Eating the peas back in hostel brought be back to my childhood when we were going to the fields steal some peas as kids. Lying in the field so we could not be seen and also to have easy access to peas we ate until we were full and the stolen peas tasted so sweet, nice memories. Shared some of the peas with K and G and T and talked with T about our girlfriends and how they were similar control freaks and how it was hard to leave them and get back to be ourselves, what is the hardest part. Great chat T and thank you for sharing if you are reading this ! As T went out for food K and G came back to room. Time to brush teeth and get under the duvet now.
Morning came sooner than I though and after the quick shower and pack the little back pack I was ready to set on the road. Handshake with G, K and T as it was so nice to meet you guys and I did enjoyed your company as you are so cool and easy going that you are just behind the Australians in coolness. May God and Angles always guide and guard your steps !
P.S. I want to be invited to wedding :-)
