Morocco Day 6 - Marrakech - Essaouira

The guidebooks suggested getting used to Morocco before taking on your first big city. We had done just that, but i still felt apprehensive and wondered what this big North African jewel held in store. Not much as it happens, its big and its cleaner, but felt like a tourist trap. Not really what I imagined after seeing the tourism advertising. I guess it's pretty special if you like a market!

I was expecting loads of hassle, but received almost none, nothing like one poor girl who was exceptionally pretty and was packing a world class ass, she just couldn't shake the looky looky men. We walked to a Palace, strolled about, saw the ancient Medina, the snake charmers and souks. As in other smaller towns and villages, there are hundreds of Cafes where men congregate to chat, women are absent from them.

all the buildings were this colour.

Over a tea in market square we agreed to get the bikes and go... The lure of the bike adventure a far greater pull than this city.

Jason had heard of a place called Essaouira, apparently it was holiday destination for surfing westerners and was supposedly a bohemian paradise. To me, after days on a bike in stifling conditions and now stood in a sweaty city, Essaouira sound like the promised land and just 160KM stood between us.

snake charmers...

We headed directly West in a straight line, it was really hot, the road stretching into a haze in the distance. Once again the now familiar sites, sounds and smells surrounded us, the landscape barren.

Passing through the typical dusty moroccan villages, they are often dirty with rubbish scattered about, its busy and the air is filled with different scents. To give a general idea of what you experience;

..you leave the wilderness, pass the police checkpoint area and immediately the streets are thronged with activity. Tens of fruit stalls, cafes and street food vendors, the air full of smoke and the scent of herbs cooking on meat. You witness loads of scooters, cars, trucks and horses, people pushing carts heading every which way, no regard for laws of traffic. You smell fumes, hear horns, see leather faced men overloading donkeys and kids are always waving or begging. Then, suddenly, you pop out the other side and smell either a sewer or carrion and you're back to bleak wilderness.
That's the baseline and everything is fixed and repaired at numerous garages and welders, life is conducted on the street in full view.



I see another wirey, tanned goat herder guiding the animals and wonder how many miles he walks each day. As I look about I see nothing for an animal to eat here, the land is baked barren.

Roll in essaouira and what a culture shock is about to begin. Its cleaner, there are car show rooms but the back streets are still a little squalid, however head to the beech front and there are suffers, kite boarders , bars(!), .bikinis and board shorts , roller blades and skates boards. Beautiful sandy beeches and civility. It's unbelievable when contrasted to the sights just witnessed. I'm struggling to believe what i'm seeing.



Pitching up at a rooftop bar on the front we sit, relax, drink beer and absorb our comfortable surroundings in the afternoon sun. A quick hotel search revealing the beech front Miramar for £42. Like all the other hotels we used, they have underground parking for our bikes. This time the concierge resplendent his slightly faded blue uniform, complete with sweat stained hat, leads the way.

Watching the sun set over the ocean a musician plays an acoustic guitar and sings in english at a beach front bar. Whilst he's singing we're sampling a 'wine flight of Morocco' compromising three different moroccan wines, what a contrast to where we've been!

Later, heading into the walled and ancient citadel we have the best meal we've had to date at Le Mogadorien.



Essaouira is so different, not at all like the rest of Morocco I've seen. It exists in its own bubble and is quite European, its also kind of fake compared to other places so far. Something that the Berber ladies carrying the herbs will never know, could never afford. Nevertheless, its a welcome break from the relentless dirt and hardship that surrounds you in other places and felt like i was on holiday for a night.