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Here
we are, basking in the noonday sun on North
Africa's Atlantic Coast at Essaouira, Morocco,
following a journey of
discovery
which began in the Imperial city of Fès and
continued via Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and
beyond. In a few days, we will drive further south
for two hours to the resort city of Agadir,
with its
rows of luxury beach front hotels and casinos
catering to the jet set of Europe, Africa, the
Orient and Middle East. Most North Americans have
yet to discover these two coastal resort cities,
and that's a prime opportunity for our magazine,
which targets travel professionals. We are enjoying
a nautical view of Essaouira's historic seaport,
once known as Mogador, from our dockside table at "
Chez Sam. " Highly
recommended, this charming waterfront restaurant is
surrounded by fishing boats and marine activity,
from men repairing nets, shucking shrimp and
sorting sardines, to the looming skeletons of new
boats under construction. For some reason the
interior reminds me of Trader Vic's, a popular
hangout in my home port of Vancouver in days gone
by. The fresh seafood, decor and atmosphere are
magnificent and the impressive gallery of celebrity
photos ... Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Stevie Wonder
and others ... attests to the fact that the owner
and founder comes from the world of jazz. Sam and
his huge, jet black dog Nikita joined our table a
few days later, and thanks to that opportunity, I
was able to learn the history of this outstanding
restaurateur and the origin of the Essaouira
seaport area's most popular eatery. Overhead a
flotilla of seagulls was dipping and diving against
a background of crashing whitecaps, rocky outcrops
and rugged remnants of the centuries old Portuguese
fort that marks the city's place in history. Some
call this the "city of winds ... and when we
visited Essaouira earlier this week, a minor storm
was brewing. Gusts swept the beaches clear of
surfers, bathers, wanderers and beachcombers. A few
camel drivers still manned their stalls near the
far end of the crescent shaped beach, and the waves
grew even more fierce as they pounded the shore.
But today, near
the end of December, 2002, it's as balmy as any
spring afternoon, and the buyers and browsers are
out in force, filling the Medina with its dozens of
shops and stalls. We found an excellent Cyber Cafe
right by the entrance and are getting our dozens of
e-mail letters ready to send around the world. What
a great way to stay in touch - which is why we now
carry our own laptop. Arabian Nights
On New Years Eve: One
of my favorite meeting places in Essaouira is the
new 5-star Hotel Sofitel Mogador,
located on the main promenade facing the famous
beach. That's where we spent one of the most
enjoyable New Year's Eve celebrations in years. It
started with our being invited to a Fashion Show
(left) and continued into the wee hours. For
starters, the hotel's dining room waiters were all
decked out in Aladdin costumes, and the entire
ballroom looked like a scene from Arabian
Nights,complete with belly dancers, a Spanish
guitar serenade and special visual and musical
effects. The entire evening was unforgettable. We
then moved to the hotel's beach side restaurant,
where the music was going full tilt. We displayed
some of our own special items including my regal
West African robe in royal blue trimmed in white.
One of the models wore Muguette's elegant soft
green outfit with contrasting shoulder wrap; both
were gifts from Tourism Minister, Sylla
Hadja
Koumba Diakite
of Guinea. We expect to receive some photos of the
Moroccan Khaftan fashion segment, which we missed
by a few minutes. Famous Doors of
Hospitality: Another
friendly, convenient place to meet is the Hotel
des Isles, which next to the Medina and offers
a full range of services. We had the opportunity of
meeting the management and will provide more
details later in our recommended hotel and resort
comments, along with word about Essaouira's new
Ryad Mogador and others. I don't know
whether my story on Essaouira will ever be
completed. Since we spent almost two weeks in the
immediate area and met so many interesting people
from all walks of life, there is already enough
material for a series of travel guides. We met
people who are now permanent residents, who came
originally from the USA, Germany, France, Spain,
Italy, the United Kingdom and beyond, all of whom
expressed their love of Morocco in general and
Essaouira in particular. Several of these people
have riads in the Medina area, and others are
located in the surrounding countryside. Great
Drives? The
whole of Morocco is ideal for enjoyable drives. We
enjoyed the coastal route from Essaouira to
Agadir,and drove the route from Essaouira to
Marrakech twice in a rental car, enjoying every
mile we traveled in this fascinating countryside.
As a firm believers in the magic of serendipity, I
was pleased to meet a very special person who is
now a confirmed "Essaouirian. " One day, we were
searching for computer internet services and
noticed a sign advertising a local travel agency.
Venturing inside, we enjoyed some quality time with
the owner, George Cook. The timing was perfect,
since Mr. Cook moved his company, fleet of 4-wheel
drive vehicles, computers and all, to the heart of
Essaouira, where he operates Mistral
Travel.
This group tour operation, backed by a travel
professional with decades of experience and key
connections in the British Isles, is a valuable
addition to the resort city. Watch for more
information on Mistral Travel on this site and in
Africa Travel Magazine. Much more to come in this
chapter and series.
Letter
from a reader Morocco
is a fascinating if you love sensory experiences or
sensory overload!! The experience started as soon
as we boarded the Royal Air Maroc flight, and
continued for the entire trip. I'll never forget
the sights, smells and sounds of the souk at
Marrakech!!! Shopping was great as well. As I said,
I prefer to get a little more into the country
itself, but it was a great 'spa experience'. The
trip was billed as "Sister Scholars at the Spa"!!!
Actually, Morocco was a great value I would go
again for that reason alone. I started writing an
article several months ago and would be happy to
share my thoughts with you further.
Pamela E-mail
Africa
Travel Magazine
with your own travel experiences in
Morocco.
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Great
Cities of Morocco
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