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Published: January 9th 2013
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We left Marrakech on a Supratours bus to Essaouira. It was full of fellow tourists/travellers and was fairly comfortable. This company is part of the
ONCFtrain network and covers the parts of the country where the rails don't go. On arrival at Essaouira there seemed to be a hundred touts from various hostels and riads. We had a reservation so we were able to walk past them all, into the medina and straight to the place we would call home for the next few days.
Hotel Riad Nakhla is located down a small alleyway just off the main drag through Essaouira's medina. They were really friendly but if you go there, try to make sure you get a big room. We had a small room for the first night but then moved to a more spacious one with a nice view. That's because they were full and had to juggle things around a bit. Once again it's a budget Riad so don't expect luxury if you're not going to pay for it. Having said that, it was perfect for us. Breakfast on the roof was a delight, but on Christmas Day we awoke to cloudy skies! Don't fret, the clouds soon dissapated
and the clear blue skies returned.
So, what is there to do in Essaouira? Well, the truth is, not a lot. It was lovely wandering through the old medina and scaling its walls. It wasn't hard to imagine Orson Wells and his crew filming Othello from the ramparts. It is getting quite touristy in places though, but another twist and turn through the alleyways and you soon find yourself lost amongst the traders.
A must-do is a fish lunch near the fishing port. Unfortunately it's such a must-do that it involves a lot of hassle. There are about a dozen fish restaurants all offering the same selection and all trying desperately hard to get you in. Once inside their walls, the prices suddenly change from the menu and you have to argue to get them down to what you should pay. It was so unpleasant in one that we left and found another who didn't want to rip us off quite so much. A fixed price menu would be much better and they would probably be full, but the hassle seems to put many people off. We certainly didn't go back for a second lunch which was a
shame because it was excellent.
The port itself is well worth a visit. It's smelly, dirty, busy, but an amazing sight. You can see the fishermen landing their catch and locals bartering for a good price. Don't be put off by the tens of thousands of seagulls either, they merely add to the atmosphere. Climbing up the turret of the
Skala du Port gave us a great view of the city, port, beaches and the nearby islands.
Essaouira is, however, known as the windy city. It certainly is windy, as we found out when we walked along the beach. It was a lovely walk but the sand blown in our faces was a bit trying at times. There are several watersports schools spread along the way and you can see people learning to kite surf. If you're brave enough to have a go, we presume it's not too pricy. It's also a good place for a camel ride if you've never done that before. We have so we gave it a miss and stayed on our feet.
There are quite a few good restaurants in town too. Once again the principle fare is couscous or tajine, but
we really enjoyed the
harira soup more than anything. We managed to find one place with some lovely swordfish too. And, yes, we found a bar where we could relax and have a beer. There were a few places but most had outside terraces and it was just too chilly at night for that.
Next stop, Agadir!
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