Moroccan nights (part 2)
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Steph Small
2 May 2006
In the second of a two-part series on Morocco, Steph Smail visits the coastal town of Essaouira.
Morocco is a country of dramatic contrasts. The dusty desert reaches up to lofty mountains, which fall into pristine, peaceful coastlines.
After a couple of days soaking up Marrakech’s frenetic pace, souk-weary travellers are ready for a sea change. Head for the coastal town Essaouira, about three hours west of Marrakech, and enjoy a few days of beach combing and sleep-ins.
The local bus company Correspondence Ha Ha (!) trundles between the two towns, stopping randomly at trees or tiny houses on the roadside to pick up passengers waiting in the barren flat desert. Be warned – Morocco’s transport system runs on complete fearlessness.
Whether it’s a highway or a back road, two lanes can quickly dissolve into three or four and lorries are simply another vehicle to pass, whether there’s room or not. After a while, white knuckles and nervous laughter becomes the norm and you just hold on as you pass a motorcycle with a centimetre to spare. Waiting for the bus often means having to dive out of the way as it screeches to a halt.
On arrival at the white walled fishing port of Essaouira, the peaceful, quiet atmosphere washes over you, a dramatic contrast to the heady hullabaloo of Marrakech.
The pearly beach stretches for miles, bordering tourist resorts and cafes. Huge flocks of seagulls hover over the port, the water packed full of shallow blue boats laden with nets and bait.
Essaouira was once a popular hangout for artists and musicians – rumour has it Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix wrote some of their best songs on the beach before the locals got tired of the drug culture and ran the hippies out of town. Now surfers and families make the most of the freshest of fresh seafood and quiet streets.
The daily seafood market is a highlight. Choose your dish and sip mint tea in the sun as they fry up fresh sea bass, scampi and calamari, served with fresh salads and cold beer.
The tiny souks in Essaouira are packed with beautiful jewellery and wood. Salesmen have a relaxed approach to visitors, so the pressure is off but prices can still be reduced dramatically in your favour.
The tourist spots are minutes away from the winding alleys housing hundreds of local people – it’s interesting to stroll away from the beads and tagine shops and take in what it’s really like to live in a tiny Moroccan town.
In Essaouira, the rooftop terraces look out across the ocean, waves crashing on the medina walls and spraying salt on seagulls.
Accommodation is very cheap and so is food, if you buy your snacks from smaller local restaurants or takeaway stalls.
Essaouira is the perfect place to unwind after Marrakech and the Djemaa el-Fna. Strolling along the beach as the peachy sun sinks below the horizon, turning the dramatic whites, blues and oranges of the coastline pastel, with the buzz of Marrakech still ringing in my ears, was just heavenly.
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