Morocco - Part 8 Essaouira

The final leg of the road trip took us up and over the final mountain pass, through the sprawling suburbs of Marrakech and on the wonderful seaside town of Essaouira. Coming over the coastal ridge after several hours of hot and dusty driving made the first glimpse of the pure turquoise sea even more exciting, a little like being a child ahead and seeing the first little snapshot of the beach ahead. Ending our travels at Essaouira was the best decision we ever made, the whole town is geared up for relaxing, last minute shopping and soaking up the incredible beauty of north Africa's coast.

We stayed at the Dar Maya the most incredible boutique hotel with a wonderfully friendly owner and two cheeky little puppies. The Dar Maya has only been open for several months and so remains a hidden gem in the back streets of town and it just happens to have a spectacular roof top terrace and pool with views of the ocean. 

Marrakech is known as the red city and to me Essaouira should be known as the blue town, because what could be more fitting for a seaside town other then brightly painted windows, walls and doors in the happiest shade of cobalt blue! I may have gotten a little carried away taking pictures of pretty little alleys and wonderfully wide heavy doors. 

We spent a blissful couple of days wandering the narrow maze of streets, doing some last minute shopping (much cheaper than Marrakech), eating some deliciously fresh fish and guarding the ramparts checking for pirates. The strong stone walls of the Medina form ramparts looking out over the wonderfully dramatic crashing waves and are even dotted with some good old-fashionned cannons. 

Essaouira is very much an up and coming trendy town, Jimmy Hendrix used to come and party and I can completely understand why! Just a quick stroll down to the port and you can find stand after stand of fresh fish stalls, complete with friendly fisherman who will fry you up a lobster. The boats line up displaying their wares and make a perfect photo opportunity. In my opinion Essaouira represents the perfect blend of old Morocco with a modern buzz. 

Leaving such a pretty place was very tricky and I had to tear myself away form the gorgeous sunsets and the cute little kitties from the shop opposite the hotel. 

I will be back, everyone should visit Morocco, such a cool place, with a new surprise around every corner! 

Mood- Next stop, Singapore! 

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Morocco - Part 7 Imlil

Our next leg of the journey took us up twisty mountain passes into the High Atlas mountains where we were treated to breathtaking views overlooking steep valleys and sun-kisses mountain tops.

These goats are incredible and climb trees! Their dung is used to make argan oil which is found everywhere in Morocco and can be eaten or used to make your hair super-duper shiny! 

Rules of the road and safety should be obeyed at all times! Watching these little jokers was like watching a cartoon, every time the truck faced a sharp corner they all swayed to the side, clinging on to avoid falling out over the cliff face! Who needs seat belts anyways? 

We knew we were heading to a simple little guesthouse just outside the village of Imlil and our instructions were to follow the road until the road came to an end. Well, I can tell you that the Moroccan definition of a road is drastically different to our definition of a road, as when we decided that bumpy, thin tracks had come to an impassable point, we found out that actually we still had a way to go to reaching our destination. We made it and as the donkeys carried our bags down what can only be describes as a small cliff face, I have to admit I was a little daunted as to where we were going to be staying. By this point of the trip we were tired, hungry, dusty and unashamedly in need of a little R and R.

We arrived, however, at a little piece of heaven. Nestled high up in the mountains, perched on a cliff-edge was every child's fantasy treehouse, with level upon level of wooden huts creating a network of dreamy rooms. As if this couldn't get any better there were hammocks, seats, hidden balconies and tucked away corners for exploring. I cannot explain how much of a contrast the guesthouse (the Douar Samra) was to what we imagined a basic lodge in the mountains would look like. There was no electricity which only made this little retreat more special and comfy, woven blankets were provided so you could wrap up warm in the evening's chill. I got a little bit carried away with photo taking, but this place is special, it deserves documenting!

I mean look at that terrace! Can you imagine a better place to enjoy a sunset with a glass of wine? 

Whilst staying in the mountains we were able to do a bit more trekking, all day ventures for the adventurous amongst us and trips to the village for those in need of a gentle stroll. Although, this gentle stroll did involve an hour's hike back up the cliff afterwards. I also took the opportunity to have my hands painted with henna by a wonderful village lady who didn't speak a word of English or French. We managed to communicate with a serious of hand gestures and lots of smiles as she pronounced "beauty" "beauty" repeatedly as she viewed her finished artwork.

The pigment goes on orange and after an hour or two turns into a beautiful rich brown. 

I was very reluctant to leave this little corner of paradise and head towards the coast and I can safely say  that I will be back!

Mood - Peaceful

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Morocco - Part 6 - Sahara

Zegora was our next stop on the road trip and was our final point of call before heading out into the desert. 

We stayed the night in an original mud-walled Kasbah on the way to Zegora in a town called N'Knob which is pronounced rather rudely. The Kasbah was an interesting insight into traditional Berber life as goats were kept in the gardens and dinner was served in a berber tent. 

The hotel in Zegora was a little slice of heaven for us, now weary, travellers and we had a half day relaxing by the pool, enjoying the view of the desert and relaxing in the beautiful garden, filled with fresh flowers. 

The following morning we woke up to rain. I repeat, RAIN! In the desert! Apparently it hasn't rained in over a year so we were a little unlucky really. We decided to view this as a positive thing as we gained a little snapshot of Morocco that other tourists never get to see, I mean rain in the desert is pretty much a once in a lifetime moment. We used the wet morning to venture into the buzzing metropolis that is Zegora in order to stock up on desert supplies and to snap a pic by the famous Timbuktu sign. 52 days by Camel to Timbuktu, we decided to give that one a miss. 

Later we hopped in our 4x4 to venture into the desert and enjoyed a wonderfully thrilling and bouncy ride over the dunes with our friendly guide Majoub! Thank goodness we had a guide because there is literally nothing as far as the eye can see and no tracks to follow. After a day's driving we were well into the dunes and found our camp for the night, which was very basic and wonderfully peaceful, that is, if you don't mind sharing a toilet with hundreds of creepy-crawleys!

The camels took us for a ride over the dunes and into the sunset, which set beautifully over the sand, despite the rainy morning. 

Camels are very funny looking and make the oddest sounds but are nevertheless a wonderful companion and amazing creatures. 

That evening the camp hosts whipped up the best tagine we had during our whole trip, no mean feat considering they were in the middle of a desert! We were then treated to a little song and dance and enjoyed watching the guys beating out a mean rhythm on a few drums. 

The next morning we woke early to watch the sunrise and I celebrated my 23rd birthday in pretty much the most awesomely beautiful place on earth. The guides made me feel very special by playing happy birthday on their drums and presented me with a handmade henna plate. Sadly we only had time for one more barefooted run up the dunes before we had to head back out of the desert to continue our journey. 

Mood - Missing the peace 

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