So far Morrocco was as I had expected, if not better but it was time to put Marrakech on hold for a couple of days and go check out the much spoken about Eassouria on the West coast of Morocco.
It's known as the windiest city in North Africa and I promise you this is no word of a lie - tourists get sick of the wind its that strong and ever present. To get from Marrakech to Eassouria is an approximate 3 hour bus ride with a company called Supra Tours, who seem to have the Morroccan domestic market wrapped up along with their competitior CTM. One thing to note is that the seats are totally cramped - as in I think they snuck in an extra row at the comfort of the passengers as I'm glad I've down yoga to help me get comfy in the seat! It wasn't too scenic a drive, more countryside harvesting olives and wheat and a lot of road works happening. The current King Mohammed 6th is known as the King of the people and appears to be upgrading roads across the country in order to better service tourists and locals alike - sounds like a nice guy.
Arriving early afternoon we had no luck contacting the riad who the booking agent told us he does not speak English but just call say your name and supratours and your arrival time and he will understand. So we never reached him so decided yet again (every arranged pick-up so far has never happened) it was time to wing it. As you hop off the bus there are taxi and luggage cart touts all hassling for your business. As usual I insist on ignoring them until most have been taken by the tourists and the less aggressive ones are left behind. In this instance a young boy that wanted my attention from the start patiently waited by my side so I decided to ask if he knew of the riad we had booked and he pointed it out on his very old crumpled map. I asked how much and we agreed on 40 dirham (which is probably too much but he's a student) so in our bags go into his trailer looking luggage cart on two wheels and we follow him through some run down looking gardens and end up at one of the many gate entrances into the walled Medina.
First impressions is that it is a beautiful cobblestone walled city and spectacular ocean views - just the perfect change from the big cities I keep finding myself in. Narrow lane ways with tall stone buildings and hole-in-the-wall shopfronts with their traditional Berber carpets hanging on the walls make the walk colourful. Even in Eassouria we find more cats begging for our food and attention. The locals generally aren't too interested in the tourists unlike the tourists hungry Marrakesh and this too is refreshing.
Through an English site we found a little riad and booked out the top floor room with its own private terrace. This was definitely the highlight of this riad for me - there was like an attic ladder that lead to a glass sliding door in our roof which we could climb up and access the rooftop terrace which we could see all around the rooftops of the Medina and beyond the grand old sandstone walls out to the Atlantic ocean. The breeze was very refreshing at first - just a little painful after a day though as your ears start to hurt :( We even had a visitor come through the rooftop door one evening - a resident cat that would meow for love each night... next thing we know its come in to say hi and looking for food. One thing we quickly noticed about Eassouria is the size of their seagulls - damn chickens! As we would sit to eat breakfast on the roof terrace I was always consciously keeping an eye out for these predators thinking, just imagine if they decide to attack for some food!
Eassouria has a main port that each day hundreds of fishing boats bring in their nightly catch for sale at the fish markets. Locals and tourists can buy fresh from the boat and take them to a man who will cook them for you, alternatively there are little stalls lining the main garden of the port displaying fresh seafood which you select and they will cook for you. I have to say that I was a little disappointed in the flavour as they added no herbs or spices to the seafood, which being Morocco I would have expected that they did - but it was the experience and the fact that you could have fresh seafood - fish, calamari, salad, drinks, sea urchins (note to self: never eat them again eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!) and drinks for less than $20!!
Walking through the windy bazaars there was no pressure to buy, just friendly shop sellers who would occasionally greet passersby with a Marhaba (welcome in Moroccan Arabic). It's the perfect weekend away to write postcards and blogs - but in my case I had no Internet access so I just got to enjoy the town instead. I admit that I came to Morocco with the intention to purchase a carpet from here or where I actually thought I would actually find it in Turkey- well I finally bit the bullet in Eassouria and bought a beautiful red, black and white carpet from a young Berber guy who made the bargaining process fun and I felt we both walked away happy with the outcome. On the other hand I did have one rather near nasty shopping experience with a old guy that I bought a jumper from as I was freezing at dinner so thought I would quickly drop in and buy something cheap for the night. We agreed on a price of 150 and I gave him 200 and waited for my change - he said he needed to go and get change - alarm bells slightly rung but he seemed really sweet so I dismissed the thought. When he came back he said I owed him 100 so he could give me change and I was caught off guard actually wondering if I had infact not given him enough. Luckily I knew exactly how many notes were in my purse so I knew he was testing me to see if he could get away with it. I polietly smiled and firmly explained to him that I knew how much I had in my purse and that he was confused and I took a step closer as I was significantly taller than him and that seemed to do the trick as he quickly handed over my change.
On the last day we decided to go do a half day horse riding expedition with Ranch de Diabat who come pick you up and in a cool 70's hippe VW wagon and drive around 10 minutes out to their ranch which reminded me of a Mexican stable. One thing I am in love with is the horses from the Middle East - they are huge and such stunning horses. Every horse at this range had a very healthy coat, mane, tail and perfect weights. I was given Atlas who was a stubborn horse - little did he know about his rider. At one point or should I say twice, just before lunch Atlas started playing up and decided he didn't like the hilly terrain we were walking down so suddenly I looked like I was one of those Spanards riding a horse in a mid air pose with the horse on its two hind legs! Thankfully I had my left hand already holding the saddle and some of his mane and the right holding the reins - as he launched into the air I squeezed my thighs and knees in and held on tight whilst somehow knowing how to control him to get him to co-operate. It was actually quiet dangerous but I loved it at the same time. We took the horses onto the straight beach which was perfect and I kept practising my trot with Atlas, who was more than happy to burst into a mini run. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much more to make him break into a full blown gallop but he was too big and strong for me to even brave the idea. Our Berber guide took us into the tree groves and unpacked a picnic lunch for us - sardines, rice, tomatoes, bread and coke. Along the walk back we came across many wild camels grazing, but thankfully none looking to fight with Atlas. It was the perfect finish to the days in Eassouria, but my butt was not so grateful for the punishment and for the next 2 days I sulked about my bruised thighs and butt probably from my attempt to be pro and trot for the half day with Atlas.
That afternoon we took the bus back to Eassouria and I just couldn't take the pain in my legs or the constant migraines I have had pretty much everyday going on 4 weeks! So in true backpacker style I found myself lying on the dirty concrete floor in the shade with no shoes on as I waited for the bus to board. I knew I was being looked at in disgust by the locals, but the pain was preceding and I was anxious about the tiny seats for 3.5 hours back to Marrakesh - in the end it was all fine as I just tried to sleep most the way to make it go faster.
Eassouria was the perfect few days away from the hectic Marrakesh and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Marrakesh - even if you only have time to do the Supratours or CTM bus day trips - you will love the photo opportunities of the fishing boats, fish markets, walled Medina and the views over the Atlantic Ocean.
Next blog Marrakesh the last 3 days....
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