Fish, More Fish and Camel Tagines

---

Good intentions. The road to hell is paved with good intentions (whereas the road to southend is paved with bitumen...). I never did make the essaoiria dawn, although for a holiday 730 am isn't bad as a start. Iwent down for breakfast then set off for a final stroll around this citythat I have to say I have really taken to. Its such a relaxed place and just existing here is nice. I can't really say I've done a ton the last few days but I've loved it. I think three days in marrakech doing nothing much would have driven me to drink, which is not particularly easy in this country!

Friendship is a funny thing. I returned to my friends at the spice souk. While willing to offer me all sorts of narcotics for free they made me pay pretty much full tourist price for my spices and argan oil. I was feeling a little let down, as I didn't feel I could haggle but felt I was being ripped off a bit. No one here pays list price. However my confidence was restored as my argan oil was changed for pure rather than diluted tourist oil and my purchase was augmented my a whole host of other complimentary herbs and spices.

I sorted out onward travel and then went for lunch with liz and john who I met in the Riad. We went to the seafood stalls at the end of the town and had a delicious yet cheap meal. As this is a primarly tourist operation prices are fixed but we managed to score a good deal on content. For 60 dirhams (roughly £4.50)we managed to get prawns, 2 sardines, 1 sole, and 1 red mullet, a ton of calamare, drink, bread and salad. Everything was fantastic and as fresh as can be. I would reommend this way of eating to everyone (and thanks to malene for the reccomendation).

After lunch it was onto the road for agadir. Agadir is not a place I really want to go to, but practically I've ended up here on my way to the next place. What is there to say about it? Its pretty much a resort town much like I imagine much of the spanish resorts to be. Most restaurants have very little moroccan food on offer, but if you want a pizza or a burger washed down with a del boy style cocktail - sparkler, umbrella and all you're in for a treat. I managed to find camel tagine on one menu and in my quest to eat the weird and wonderful this seemed like the only option. The fact that I've never seen it elsewhere makes me question if this is infact only on the menu to appeal to people like me, and whether it is infact camel at all. I suspect it is as it is neither beefy enough to be beef nor lamby enough to be lamb. And no, it doesn't taste like chicken. Served with a delicious (passable but delicious having not drunk for 5 days) guerrouane rouge wine from meknes it made for a pleasant if forgettable meal. The restaurant in question serving said wine and camel is an interesting place.Give a place sheltered outdoor seating and you manage to set a certain scene. From the outside the message is 'class'. From the inside its kitsch. There is actually a domed fish tank in the ceiling with two barely alive specimins looking down as you eat. Delightful. The bathroom has a foot switch which when pressed (and after a 5 second delay) makes water come out of a pipe in the ceiling. What is wrong with a tap? This is set against a 2 piece band featuring a very talented guitarist with a nice ovation (which I doubt is easy to find in morocoo) and a pianist who has become something of a virtuoso with the preprogrammed functions of his bells and whistles electric piano / keyboard. And feel free to take bells and whistles literally... Oh dear god, they are now playing hotel california. I always think non english speakers singing english songs very funny. I'm sure that the word shit never features in the eagles original version. And they never did a kermit the frog impression with the line 'welcome to hotel...'. Oh no. Now they are massacring shine on you crazy diamond... Totally my sound trackbut I just can't listen any more...

---