Day 7
We woke up around 9 only because breakfast would be served only until 10. The riad had a lovely terrace, and we chose a table that gave us a view of the beach and beyond. Some bees apparently liked the table too. After attempts from both sides, the bees successfully shooed us away! The staff very kindly sent the breakfast to our room.
Essaouira, formerly Mogador, (that sounds so GoT!) seemed to have a very active market, and Marrakech was the only stop left, so we planned to exert our shopping muscles a bit. The WIFi was working fine and we mapped our entire walk. It helped that the routes were pretty straight forward and the places weren’t far off. Our first stop was supposed to be the Bab Doukkala, but we managed to distract ourselves and wander into the side lanes. There were a couple of shops which made some very interesting figurines with vehicle spare parts, cutlery, cameras etc. We reached Bab Marrakech, another corner of the medina, before we realised we had forgotten our original destination.
We finally reached Bab Doukkala, but not before D bought raspberries, though the shopkeeper did a bait and switch with strawberries. D didn’t seem to mind. We then walked along the walls, and as we were nearing what appears on the map as a key point – City Walls – we realised that this was the same street we had walked the previous night. But it looked entirely different – filled with stalls! On the way, we spotted an Indian restaurant too!
Shopping happened, and so did locating Il Mare, one of the places on our list for dinner. Skala du Port – the fishing port – was our destination. We first scouted the area because it had a lot to do with our plan for the evening.
For lunch, D wanted to try out the stalls there which served seafood. These are a bunch of similar looking stalls with similarly dressed guys selling similar food engaged in some serious competition to drag every customer into their respective stalls. They have large displays from which you can choose the fish and they will cook it for you. Costly affair. We had a snapper, sardines, prawns and squid, and were totally stuffed by the time we finished. I needed a Coke to wash it all down! During the meal there were performances by Gwana singers.
There is a fantastic music festival here in May apparently, and it’s a big event. Now is a good time to note that the place is also famous on account of Jimi Hendrix having made a visit in, wait for it, the summer of ’69! We managed to drag ourselves back to the hotel for a quick nap, and saw some excellent street art on the way.
In the evening, we continued our shopping expedition. We were quite fascinated by the figurines we had seen earlier in the day, but carrying them wasn’t easy, so we gave up the idea and made up for it by buying other stuff! We walked to the beach and spent an hour there, watching children play, and the sun making its way slowly down.
I was reading the part of “Sapiens” where the author was breaking down the allure that has been built up for travel. He goes through the process by which, over time, a compelling narrative has been created for it – romanticism meeting consumerism. Pretty much slays all the things I like about travel – new people, new sights, new food and in general, a set of experiences outside of the business of life. Most of the one hour was spent rolling these thoughts over in my mind.
Our original plan was to catch the sunset at the tower in Skala du Port, but that place, we realised when we got there, was open only until 5.30PM. Sunset is usually after 7.30! But if you’re willing to brave the fish market, beyond the Bab el Mersa, there is another spot ahead, where seagulls will try their best to irritate you, especially when they see your camera. But it is worth it, despite having to wait for it! Go a little early to catch a good spot to park yourself.
Though we had decided on Il Mare, we didn’t really fancy the menu, mostly because of the heavy seafood diet at lunch. The view was splendid though. We walked to La Licorne, which seemed to be run entirely by women. Cosy, with a medieval-like setting, the presence of wine and meat made the decision for us. Beef and chicken, and a bottle of wine. They brought us the small bottle, and we had to convince them that we could finish the bigger bottle! Great food.
We waded back to the hotel, noticing that most of the shops were closed. It was only around 10. We had hoped to find some dessert, but that was not to be. Sometime during the night, I thought I heard music. Either that, or the wine was really good. We really liked the place because it had everything we wanted – excellent weather (cool, not cold), shopping options, good food, great walking spaces, and the sea. That, I guess, is why it is a popular tourist spot among Europeans.