We took a little down time in Essaouira. Actually, the timing was good because Justin was very sick, seemed like the flu.
We stayed at the Riad Zahra, about 15 minute walk outside the Médina. We usually like being inside the Médina but this worked out just fine as it forced us to walk along the ocean if we wanted to go to the Médina.
Highlight was Justin and I went to a Hammam. It’s amazing how much it was like the Korean baths. Hammams were used because people didn’t have “bathrooms” in their homes so it was basically a public bath/gathering place. Growing up in Korea we also didn’t have any place to bathe in our home. It was easy in the summer, we just washed in the yard. But, the winter was a whole different story. We didn’t even have hot running water – we had to boil water if we wanted to even wash our faces with warm water. I had only been to a hammam in Spain so I was expecting something totally different. We started with an hour massage, then they took us into a warm room where they basically washed and scrubbed us. It was nice but the Korean baths are definitely more luxurious. We did go to another hammam in Assilah and that was a little better. I’ll tell you about that later. Enjoy some sites of Essaouira.
On our way to Marrakech, we saw some goats on a tree. This, unlike the previous one, was staged. The goat herders actually put them up on the trees so they can get money from the tourists when they stop to take pictures. We noticed that these goats didn’t move. Well, we think they were scared. 😒. I’ll let you see for yourselves. The reason they climb on the trees is to get at the leaves to eat. So, if they’re just standing there, it’s not real.
On the way to Marrakesh we stopped at the Argon oil cooperative. These coops were developed to provide local women work and to provide authentic products. These products are all hand made and organic.
The argon seed is really bitter. Justin and I tasted it and , blah!!! The aftertaste stuck with for hours.
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We are off to Marrakech!
Some amazing landscape on the way. And, more student protests.
We stayed in a cute place in Marrakech just inside the Médina. It was, again, very cute and the food was the best ever!!
We did go to the square with the snake charmers but the monkeys in neck leashes kind of made us sick. We didn’t take pictures. People wanted us to touch their snakes and monkeys. “Touch my snake!” Yikes!!
After a quick stop in Casablanca to visit the Hassan II Mosque, we headed to Rabat.
Stopped by the mausoleum where the King’s father, his uncle, and his grandfather are buried. It was definitely very beautiful. Now that we know how the mosaics are done, we appreciated all the buildings that much more.
Rabat! The capital of Morocco. Definitely cuter than I thought a capital city would be. We stayed in a Dar this time. I can’t remember if I mentioned this but a Riad is a home with a garden in the middle, and a Dar doesn’t have a garden. But, they were all nice to us and many riads are dars were the same so we didn’t care. Hmm. I don’t think I have any pictures of Rabat. We did walk around the Médina a lot and ate about 10 pounds of oranges. They were like $2.
Our last night was in Assilah. A cute little seaside town. A lot of Spanish spoken here. We took our 2nd hammam here and it was definitely a step up from Marrakech. They actually scrubbed us before the massage, which I liked a lot better. The heated room was bigger and beautiful. It was just so cute and the ladies were very nice.
Well, that was our Morocco experience. 17 days of beautiful scenery, amazing food, and tremendous hospitality. Yes, some of the toilets were primitive (squat toilets), but it was definitely worth while and our hosts were incredible.
I would definitely take a “tour” or have a guide. Some of the alleys are very difficult to navigate. I’m past the hostel and struggling stage in my life and like even a minimal bit of luxury.
Www.saharaskyluxurycamp.com is the place to go for your Morocco experience.
Higman Travels 