Tour Day 12
An 8am breakfast on the roof terrace and then we met our guide for the morning – Abdul. Abdul started the morning with a walk to the Bahia Palace, a 19th century home and working place for the Prime Minister of the day. He explained the workings of the various components of the palace – riad, dining room, house, courts of honour, etc.
Stained Glass Windows
Aziz got a laugh when he tried to gather the troops with the Aussie “cooee” cry – and he did it well.
As has been the case all over Morocco cats and storks were in attendance.
We left the palace and walked through some of the authentic areas of the souks, where trades are plied via time honoured methods. For the umpteenth time in Morocco I was called “Ali Barber”, due to my beard. The locals thought it a great joke – and so did we. Yesterday Shirley and Fay stopped at a shop about 20 metres behind me and so Shirley called out my name to get me to stop. So all of the shop people with hearing range responded with ”Chriiss, come into my shop and have a loookk”. Again, a great source of mutual amusement.
Again, we played dodgem with the numerous bicycles, motor bikes and goods vehicles in the souk.
A Shared Souk Corridor
Example of the Museum Photography
At the end of the tour, about 12:30, Shirley, Fay and I found a small eatery and had a panini and soft drink for lunch.
The ladies were after more punishment so back into the souks we went, with me as bodyguard and chief barterer. I bought a brown camel leather belt and a black goat leather belt, and a couple of other goodies.
It was 2:45 by the time we returned to the riad – a walk of around 8.5 km.
We relaxed in the heat of the day and caught up with some reading, diaries and blogs. Others went sightseeing.
Sicilian Pizza
For dinner we visited an Italian restaurant and I had an excellent Sicilian pizza.
Day 24 – Friday 27 May 2016 – Marrakech to Essaouiri
Tour Day 13
We had a sleep in with 8am breakfast and 9:30 walk to the bus. We had said goodbye to five of the group as the last three days were an optional extra. We were heading to Essaouiri on the coast – a Moroccan holiday destination known for its surf and cooler weather than inland. We left Marrakech via the new section and were surprised by the difference between the “old” and the “new”.
We were soon into the richest agricultural area of Morocco with the principal produce being grapes, watermelon, tomatoes, oranges and strawberries. There were also some olives.
For a change the road was flat and straight. It gave me time to proof read my blog, create new text, update the Probus newsletter and write a couple of emails. Although there was not much to see there were opportunities to take photos very typical of Morocco.
A Typical Moroccan Scene
Another Typical Moroccan Scene – Drinking Coffee and/or Mint Tea
At 11:30 we stopped for the obligatory coffee & toilet stop, where we had a great coffee, cake and banana.
The beach opposite the Miramar Hotel
The narrow streets of Essaouira are ideal for casual exploration. Apparently the fishing port is a serious commercial operation and one can observe the daily catch and its subsequent auction. Elsewhere there are numerous shops and several fine art galleries.
Sardine Tagine
I know as we stopped at most of the shops. There is a wide variety of restaurants, and we stopped at one to have a late lunch. I had a sardine tagine and it was superb. The chopped sardines were cooked as little balls. Lovely.
We strolled on and did more looking than shopping although a couple of the ladies opted for the Moroccan tattoos.
After a quick look around 50% of the markets/souks we opted for a cold beer. Now I must say that when we travel we respect the local traditions and customs. Also alcohol is forbidden by the Muslim religion, although alcohol is legal in Morocco. We asked an al-fresco proprietor if we could have a beer. The answer was yes, so we ordered five beers and one coke. After a long break he appeared with three ceramic mugs and one coke and announced that there was no more beer but the two who missed out could have wine. So Shirley and Fay shared a half bottle of white wine. It subsequently arrived in two ceramic glasses with the remainder of the bottle in a ceramic mug. All beers and the wine were room temperature.
Wine at the top. Beer below.
We were amused that we were permitted to have a beer in the open but no sign of alcohol was visible from the street.
We wandered back to our hotel and relaxed before Aziz lead us back to the medina and to an excellent seafood restaurant. The location was selected so that we could see the sunset, and take appropriate photos.
I had grilled swordfish and Shirley had fish kebabs. It was good. There was some great live music and Aziz and Shirley strutted their stuff for a couple of minutes.
It was 11pm before we were back in our hotel room.
Essaouiri Sunset from Our Restaurant
I forgot my camera so the above photo is courtesy of Fay.
Day 25 – Friday 28 May 2016 – Essaouiri
Tour Day 14
I was up early and on the beach by 6:30 am. It was a pleasant 4km walk as shown by the following photos.
Essaouiri Sunrise
Essaouiri
Essaouiri
I met up (accidentally) with the silver/wood crown when I went for a stroll into the medina. Shirley, Fay and I ended up at a great coffee place with a “muffin of the day”. After some more strolling we wandered back to the hotel for more “chill out”.
Around 3pm Shirley and I went looking for light late lunch. It was good. We walked backed to the hotel via the beach, minus sandals as we walked through the shallow. Being Saturday, and warm, the beach was popular. It is also a great venue for many serious soccer matches – complete with nets and uniforms.
Activity on the Local Beach
Around 5pm a few of us gathered on the top floor terrace and demolished our last bottle of red – a well-travelled bottle at that.
Four Aussies Enjoying the Company of Each Other
At 7:30 we headed off to a restaurant, recommended by Aziz, that has excellent seafood. And so it was. My grilled whole sole, topped with calamari and shrimps (cooked tagine style) was superb.
Day 26 – Sunday 29 May 2016 – Essaouira to Marrakech
Tour Day 15
The bus was not departing until 1pm so we had all morning to do some last minute Essaouira shopping. The most popular item was an extra bag to carry home recent purchases. Shirley and I were also in that classification.
At 1pm the bus pulled away from out hotel and we settled into comfortable positions for the 190 km drive. I listened to a couple of the African/Moroccan CDs that I bought in Essaouira, plus keyed in these words.
As usual, on the road home we noticed a number of police who were stopping vehicles and performing paperwork checks. It seemed to be at random locations and not every vehicle was being stopped. There seems to be a heavy police presence in Morocco.
However, it seems to engender safety and security, rather than intimidation. There were places where there were heavily armed police/soldiers, but again these seemed to be a security thing. A smile to a policeman or soldier usually got the response of a smile. However, if you looked like taking a photo of them, you quickly learned that this is not permitted.
By now I am enjoyed the CDs that I bought – most of which has some great guitar work – making me think of guitar-loving mates back home. One track sounds like an African Bob Dylan complete with mouth organ.
We stopped somewhere for lunch and arrived at our riad around 4:30. There was time to chill out before we dined together for the last time.
Dinner was at a hotel in the new part of Morocco, and the food (as usual) was excellent. One Aussie (me) and one New Zealander said a few words to Aziz, our tour leader. He has done a great job.
The tour is now effectively over.
Day 27 – Monday 30 May 2016 – Marrakech
Tour Day 16 & End
The day started at 6:45 when I got up to say good bye to three of our party who were catching early flights. We had a slow breakfast and in turn said good bye to a few more. There are now only five of us left (although two are still in Marrakech at another hotel).
Aziz appeared and we thanked him for his great effort.
Shirley and Fay went looking at a new shopping centre in the new area and I went back to bed – to build up strength for the next major components of our trip – Spain and Portugal.
Shirley and Fay returned with some bread sticks, avocado, cheese and tomato for lunch.
Around 3:45 the remaining five Aussies went for a stroll for a coffee and one last look through the souks. At the last minute Shirley changed her mind and had a mango smoothie (a regular mention in the blog last year).
After our walk we had another cooling rest then headed back to the “square” for dinner. The three of us had calamari, bread and water.
*** This Post is Complete – Next stop Madrid ***
Post Updated 9pm Monday 30 May 2016
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