Day Fifteen - Essaouira - Marrakesh

Day  Fifteen

Date:     12 May 2013

Place:    Essaouira - Marrakesh

Weather:   Sunny and very hot

Accommodation:   Hotel Akhiti

After a very enjoyable evening we were up, a little slower and knowing that this was the last full day of the Moroccan trip.  Essaouira has been a very enjoyable stay at the end of our exciting trip.  Being heavily French influenced makes it easier for people to negotiate their way around restaurants and of course our favourite hobby of shopping!

Essaouira enjoys balmy temperatures with windy conditions and is such a contrast to hot and dusty (albeit exciting) Marrakesh which we were heading back to today.

The baggage was loaded for the last time and Said had two wagons full to head through the alleys to the bus outside the medina.  Marrakesh was only three hours away and we had two stops – one to take photos of the goats in the argan trees and a coffee/WC stop.

The last time.....packed up and ready!

 

At the goat stop next to the highway there were quite a few of the animals up the trees and Said had warned us that the people place them there for tips!  Undaunted we asked to stop and paid the usual amount before taking photos.  One of the men wanted us to hold the cutest little goat but as I am one of the last people standing that hasn’t been sick it was a polite ‘no, thank you!’.

The men had built little platforms of sticks for the goats to stand on and they were busily chomping away on the flesh of the argan nuts.  A little way along I saw a small kid clamour up a tree so although we saw a staged setting for tourists I was reassured that  goats really do climb the argan trees!

 

I kid you not.....excuse the pun!

 

I often wondered what they ate!

 

As we arrived in Marrakesh to the same riad we had stayed in before it was very hot once again – such a difference from the coast.  Our guide, Said, settled us into the hotel and distributed our luggage before we said sad goodbyes to him and our lovely driver Abdullah.  We were a lucky tour group to have such attentive and thoughtful people.

A group of us headed into the souk for some last minute shopping and lunch.  David and I sat overlooking the square under an umbrella taking in the sights.  Acrobats performed in front of the restaurants for tips and small shops dotted the square.

You can feel the heat just looking at this!

One last look at the snake charmers....for a price!

 

As one of the group had shown us the main street of the markets we headed back in for some more shopping.  It is a great pastime on a hot day as the area is covered and much cooler and we spent some considerable time before raising the white flag – so much to see!

By mid-afternoon we had had enough of haggling and we made our way back in the heat to the hotel for a sleep.  I must have needed it as two hours later I felt much better.

We met up with eleven of our group for dinner (one was feeling the heat, the other still not quite well enough) and chose a bar near the riad that sells alcohol…..we couldn’t celebrate our last night without a few ‘good health’s’ before we went our separate ways.

The group savoured the last night with each other’s company and reflected upon the marvellous, interesting and sometimes bizarre experiences of our Moroccan adventure.  What a time we have had!

Tomorrow we head off in all directions so this is the last post from me until our next adventure!  Wishing all my lovely new friends ‘safe travels!’. 

 

 

 

Day Fourteen Essaouira

Day  Fourteen

Date:     11 May 2013

Place:    Essaouira

Weather:   Sunny and warm

Accommodation:   Hotel El Mehdi

It was lovely to wake up and not have to pack up and be on the road again.  We enjoyed a slow-paced breakfast and then headed off to see Essaouira.

Some of the travellers, including me, had booked massages for today and the first group went in the morning.

David and I wandered over to the beach where there was a brisk cool breeze blowing.  Kites were flying and the beach was sprinkled with walkers and wind-surfers but it would have taken a hardy person to be a swimmer.   A soccer field had been marked out in the wide stretch of sand below us from the promenade and a serious game was about to start between two kitted out teams. 

No fishing today...too windy!

 

With the 18th century rampart in the background.

 

 It was a short walk to the fishing boats in a protected area and plenty were tied up as it was too windy for fishing today.  An older gentleman kindly took us around and showed us the area, the different hooks, the boats and behind the scenes with the men mending nets – all for a tip of course!

Essaouira is Morocco’s third largest fishing port after Agadir and Safi and the restaurants’ boards near the port advertise a lot of fish dishes.

David and I were on a shopping mission as I had decided to give out ‘awards’ to our fellow travellers for our last official night out together.  We found a lovely fellow who helped us choose some Moroccan ‘fez’ style hats to be given out.

It was great walking the streets and browsing in the shops as there is certainly a diverse range of goods.  After a café au lait and some crepes I bought some beads and then we wandered back to the hotel for a bit of a rest.

Essaouira is a great place for shopping!

Spotted this man with firewood while we sat at the café.

 

My two hour massage was wonderful – Cameron and another traveller and myself were lead through the alleys by our guide to the upstairs room of a Berber massage parlour.  They were obviously doing a roaring business as there was no time delay between clients.  Our whole bodies were rubbed with argan oil so we cannot complain about dry skin!

After we left the massage parlour the sun was shining but a very cool wind was blowing.  We now had to get ready for our last night ‘en masse’ as our tour guide is leaving us after we return to Marrakesh tomorrow. 

It was decided to wear something we had bought on the trip…..a very easy task…..and the group came up trumps with leather jackets, pashminas, beads, t-shirts etc.  We set off from our hotel to the bus and drove to a lovely restaurant (Fanatic) situated on the beach. 

After our first round of drinks Cameron was charged with the task of thanking Said and Abdulla for being such a great tour guide and driver respectively.  They were very appreciative and Said followed up with a short speech thanking us for being such a great group…..of course we were!

I then presented ‘awards’ to the group and David and I had earlier in the day purchased Moroccan hats to give to each member of our tour group.  Everyone seemed to appreciate the idea and we had some good laughs!

Said our guide with Abdullah our driver.....great people!

 Second last night....and a great dinner on the beach.

 



Some Moroccans joined us!

 

At dessert time I’d arranged for Said to organise a birthday cake for David and we enjoyed a ‘western’ style sweet.

Happy Birthday!

 

It was time to head off and tomorrow is the last day as we head back to Marrakesh.  The time has flown and we have all enjoyed each other’s company…..I’m already feeling sad to be saying goodbye to such lovely people!

 

 

Day Thirteen - Marrakesh - Essaouira

Day  Thirteen

Date:     10 May 2013

Place:    Marrakesh - Essaouira

Weather:   Sunny  with cooler conditions at Essaouira

Accommodation:   Residence el Mehdi

We were on our way to coastal resort of Essaouira which is quite a Europeanised port city. 

The landscape was once again very barren and I’m not sure how the people live in such harsh conditions.  Donkeys were grazing on sparse food and there were some sheep however there was very little grazing land.  We passed olive groves and argan trees and we were lucky enough to spy the goats up an argan tree eating the fruit!

Donkey and cart in the middle of nowhere!

 



We were lucky to get this photo as the bus sped along!  Goats are pretty hardy creatures around here.

 

Our first coffee stop was half way at Chichaoua where an Arabian horse festival was being held.  We spied a few horsemen  in wonderful white robes adorned in red and yellow as they rode through the street.  They wore large sheaths for their daggers and were quite a sight for us.

Not too far along we visited another argan oil outlet and watched the women grinding the seeds.  Out came the mint tea and we tried the ground argan seed (not unlike tahini) with honey on home-made flat bread.   The obligatory shop visit followed and we came away with some more cream – it had better work!

A real production line!

 

The road took us high above the township of Essaouira and we stopped for a photo opportunity.  Unlike the majority of homes in Morocco which are coloured the brown earth colour the homes in the town are white with a lot of windows and doors painted blue.  I felt like I was back in Mykonos!

Beautiful Essaouira.....ocean in the background.

 

The hotel is very comfortable with spacious rooms in a riad style.  It is also very handy to the main streets of the shops so we were pretty happy with that!

Loading up the hand pulled wagon with our luggage to make its way through the medina to our hotel.

Our hotel from the laneway.

 

Our guide settled us in then we followed him to a restaurant not too far away.  The town has a very French feel about it with a lot of European tourists consequently there is a lot of French spoken.  With another tagine digested we were then on to our next stop – the silver shop!

Reminded me of Byron Bay!

 

There were multitudinous varieties of pendants, bangles, rings and ornaments.  Many of our fellow travellers came away with lovely purchases.

It was now time for a rest and most of us went back to the hotel for some R&R.  I must have been tired as I slept a couple of hours even though our room is on the street side and very noisy.

We met up for dinner and sunset drinks overlooking the ocean and the remains of the fortress.  The restaurant offered a great array of food options however it was very busy and service was slower than usual.  To add to the mix, the electricity went on and off a few times so a candle was lit so that people could go to the toilet!

Remnant of the old 18th century fortress - a view from the restaurant.

David coming out of the WC with his candle!

 

Generally, everyone enjoyed their meals but by the end of the evening we had had enough of the loud music and we were ready to head back to the hotel.

We are looking forward to a free day in Essaouira tomorrow and massages which quite a few of us have booked.  Of course, shopping will be the order of the day as well.

Tomorrow evening is the last ‘official’ dinner as our guide will be moving on to another tour.

 

Day Twelve - Marrakesh

Day  Twelve

Date:     9 May 2013

Place:    Marrakesh

Weather:   Sunny and very hot

Accommodation:   Hotel Lakhiti

The hotel proved to be more comfortable than I thought would be possible and I had a pretty good night’s sleep.  Breakfast of bread, jam, pancakes, coffee and tea was served in the central courtyard.  Our sick companion made it to breakfast and was feeling quite a bit better however he was having a quiet day around the hotel to ensure a good recovery.

Another guide called Said was given the task of taking our tour group around the medina and souk.  The medina is not far from the hotel and we joined the shop-owners opening up for the day.

It was a fun morning trying not to be road-kill with the donkeys, hand-pulled wagons and motor bikes!  There was a vast array of good for sale including scarves (yes!), kaftans, iron ware, leather goods, shoes……and on and on and on!  There was no time for shopping however as we were herded along en-masse discovering Marrakesh.

Our tour guide showed us all the different goods on sale.....made a great difference to our understanding

We need to do this.....recycled rubber tyres made into barrels, photo frames, shoes etc.

Mind your toes!

Spoilt for choice!



Intricate plaster work....takes two hours for one square.

 

We emerged from the alleys (there are about 4000) to the central square of The Djemaa el Fna which was established over a thousand years ago.  This morning it presented a different picture as only the fruit stalls were there, a few women with the henna for the hands and many vehicles making their way across to the souk.

Our first visit for the day was The Royal Palace which is open to the public.  It previously housed the prime minister, his four wives and his twenty-four concubine.  The tiles and plaster work was very ornate and the intricately decorated cedar ceiling made it a very beautiful place to visit.

The Royal Palace.....the home of the former prime minister.

 

The museum of Marrakesh offered a reprieve from the midday sun and we wandered in and out of rooms with displays of silver jewellery, pottery, clothing and daggers.  The central area was very vast with two fountains.  The group sat together enjoying a tea, coffee and a good sit down!

Next on our itinerary was a visit to the spice shop including the selling of argan oil.  Two women demonstrated the crushing of the nuts – one with a dark brown mixture using roasted argan nuts and the other with a lighter colour mixture with unroasted nuts.

Demonstrating the crushing of the argan nuts.

A demonstrator and his helpers showed us their creams and potions and after using orange, rose, jasmine, grapefruit etc we smelt better than a prairie rose!  Some of the group, including Cameron and I, had a five minute neck massage.  Yes, of course we bought up big – so I’m expecting big things from my face cream!

It was time for lunch so we walked for another ten minutes in some intense heat to a lovely hotel for some delicious tagines. 

Passed this fellow in the square on the way home selling false teeth!  Business must have been slow as he was fast asleep.

 

We were now on our own.  The lady without the luggage was on the way to the airport to collect her bag……she has been without it for fourteen days!  Some of the tour did a carriage ride however we headed back to the hotel as David has had a bit of an upset tummy and needed a bit of rest. 

We emerged after an afternoon rest to head out for drinks (and found a place that serves alcohol) at 6.30pm.  Our shadow Peregrine group were going out for last night celebrations however with only five in the group, two now ill their celebrations were cut down to three.   It was a little like a Agatha Christie novel:  And then there were three!

Our group of eight (minus David who was resting) then headed over to the main square to the restaurant we had been to the previous evening.  Once again the square lit up and the noise heightened – such an exciting air.

A walk through the souk afterwards proved that we had no sense of direction so after about an hour we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  Marrakesh is a very exciting city!

 

 

Day Eleven - Ouarzazate - Marrakesh

Day  Eleven

Date:     8 May 2013

Place:    Ouarzazate – Marrakesh

Weather:   Sunny and very hot

Accommodation:   Hotel Lakhiti

After a very enjoyable evening we were up and ready to hit the road again.  One of our fellow travellers has been up all night with gastro and unfortunately, the same one who was sick the first couple of days.  It was a five hour drive to Marrakesh so it was an extremely long day for him.

Mesmerising .... on the road again and just out of Ouarzazate.

Stark, barren and captivating...the Kasbah is top left.

 

We stopped overlooking Ait Ben Haddou a three hundred year old Kasbah. 

Great shopping....we all succumbed a little - for a good price of course!

 

Walking over the dry river bed to explore the Ait Ben Haddou.

 

We met on the way to the top!

 

On arrival our guide at the Kasbah lead us past shops to cross over the dry river bed and up into the inhabited complex.  Ait Ben Haddou is famous for many films, once again, including Gladiator and Jewel of the Nile.  A dug-out circle on the exterior of the Kasbah is where the colosseum in Gladiator was built.  We moved slowly through the complex diving in and out of rooms, shops and even a small pen with goats and chickens.  The views over the valley were worth the hot climb up.

It was time for a rest and we joined up at a café with those who did not make the hot trip up the Kasbah including our sick traveller.  He had been in the café all the time lying on his back asleep. 

The landscape from here to the top of the pass was extremely barren broken only by greenery and villages in water ways between the mountains.  The road to the Tischka Pass at 2360 metres was long and slow.  The drop to the bottom from the roadside was huge so I was glad I was seated near the centre of the road – I put on my seatbelt!  Driving sensibly is sometimes an option here and there were a few narrow escapes with overtaking from both directions (all of which I missed as I couldn’t see through the front window) and I heard gasps of ‘ooh’ followed by ‘aahs’ after another narrow escape!

On the descent to lunch....wonder how we ever ate after this!

 



 But undeterred we ate.....inside the Berber tent on top of the restaurant.

 

I kid you not.....took this from the top of the restaurant!

 

After we passed the gap we made our way down the mountain with only one stop for photos and then on to lunch.  We sat upstairs under a Berber tent and our guide put a rug on the floor with a pillow for our sick traveller who looked like death as he made his way to lie down while we ate. 

We were now two hours out of Marrakesh with reports it was 40 degrees there.  It was a long drive and from the top pass it had taken an hour to reach the valley floor.

Nearly at the bottom.....found the washing drying on hot rocks spread out on the far mountain!

 

We arrived in a very hot Marrakesh at 5.15 to our riad style hotel which is only 5 minute’s walk from the main square.  The hotel is very old and quite grand in a very tired way.  The pungent odour of toilets permeated the air as we sat waiting for our keys in the central area.  Fortunately, our room did not have this smell – however I can’t quite make out what the other smell is either!

Our riad for two nights - looking down on some strange house guests!

 

After a rest we met up at 7pm for a wander down to the main square The Djemaa el Fna.  What madness – thousands of people walking and watching with plenty of entertainment including snake charmers.  We saw cobras and what looked like death adders on the concrete fortunately staying where they were!  One charmer sounded his trumpet and the cobra stood up and danced.  Fascinating!

 

This tall Moroccan had a good view of whatever was going on!

Paid 10 dirham to take photos - about $1.  We can't complain as this is how they make their living.

 

Our guide settled us in to our restaurant and most of us ordered pizzas….missing some western food.  We sat and overlooked the square taking in the sounds, smells and sights as darkness descended and the lights shone over the scene.

Smoke emanating from the food tents, wild musicians, snake charmers....an exotic mix!

Day  Ten

Date:     7 May 2013

Place:    M’gouna - Ouarzazate

Weather:   Sunny and very hot

Accommodation:   Les Jardins

Our gite was a good hour up the valley so we were able to have another look at the Dades Valley  -  this time in sunshine.  The cliffs are bare and stark and we stopped high above the valley and overlooked a Kasbah perched on a small hill above the stream.  It reminded me of castles on the Rhine.

Early morning view from the terrace up the Valley of the Roses.

 



On the road again......

 



Stunning views....amazing what a difference water makes!

 



A Kasbah along the way!

 

We passed through busy El Kelaa where the rose festival will commence in a few days and saw many shops selling rose products.  Our first stop out of the town for a coffee and a break was attached to a little shop selling a diverse range of gifts including rose face cream, hand lotion, oils and naturally scarves, jewellery and hand-carved animals.

We were now heading to the road of a thousand kasbahs and the dry riverbed of Oued Amahidil.  The Kasbah Amridil is a grand and very large Kasbah used for many films including Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.  Our guide was very entertaining describing this now unlived in Kasbah.  From the top we could see the riverbed, date palmeries and other kasbahs dotted along the scene.  The guide said most of the kasbahs were either in ruin, used as museums or hotels.

Kasbah Amridil - an amusing and informative guide took us through here.

My delicious raisin and prune tagine for lunch.

 

The Skour Oasis which the kasbahs sits on has its river fed from the High Atlas Mountains when the snow melts.

Not too far along we stopped at Ouarzazate  for lunch and the heat was now pretty intense.  As we waited for our fellow travellers to use the ATM the footpath gauge read 37 degrees.

I enjoyed a very delicious lunch of prune, raisin and meat tagine and David had a vegetable and beef tagine.  A couple of our fellow travellers have funny tummies so they were eating rice sprinkled with cumin.  Another traveller was feeling like a western meal however it was a monumental fail with warm chips and indifferent skewered meat.  I think the tagines are the best bet!

At 5pm the sun was still bright in the sky and half the team set off to the movie set established in 1983.  Jewell of the Nile, Ben Hur (remake), Gladiator, The Passion of Christ and others were filmed here.  I didn’t go however the others enjoyed the visit but the heat was very intense and they were relieved to return to the cool hotel.

Front.......

back.......not is all as it seems at the movie studio!

Drinks were on the terrace before dinner and it is lovely to sit with our fellow travellers who are a great bunch.  One lady celebrated her 60^th birthday and the dinner that followed was a grand affair in a luxury tent in the rear of the hotel.  Rose petals were scattered over the table, fine crockery, a Berber banjo player (brilliant) and a huge birthday cake made it a very special evening for our new friend.

The interior of our hotel.