Needing a little mental health break from the daily grind at site this May I took my first day of vacation for a long weekend in the coastal town of Essaouira. Planning travel in Morocco is very different than back in the States. Normally I would have prebooked every ticket and detailed my travel route in advance. The hotel I was able to confirm in advance through booking.com but for everything else I’ve adapted the ‘let’s see and figure it out as we go’ mentality. Totally against every fiber of my being from before Morocco. Due to the methods of transportation in my small village it isn’t possible to buy tickets online or in advance. You just show up around the time of arrival and sometimes jostle to get a seat if it’s crowded (for me it usually is). Yet somehow I have always managed to get a seat and getting better every day at the Moroccan methods. 

This weekend required two buses and a taxi for both parts of the journey. Once we arrived Saturday night we spent a good amount of time wandering the old medina, enjoying the plethora of shopping and restaurants. We gorged on a variety of food from sushi and beef wok to cheesburgers and fries. Essaouira is a beautiful coastal town that is know for the fishing industry, great surfing due to it being nicknames ‘the wind city of Africa’,  and plenty of galelries and shopping in the medina. The old medina is listed as a Unesco World Heritage city and highlights 18th century fortifications. Not to mention in June it host’s the four day Gnaoua Festival of World Music aka ‘the woodstock of Morocco’.

The gorgeous array of just some gastronomic delights

Using our Morocco residency cards we got a discount to enter the picturesque Sqala de la Kasbah and see the bustling fishing port from above. 

One of my favorite items I bought while shopping was this unique wood box. While shopping I noticed the same type of wood was made into coasters, jewelry boxes, candle holders, furniture, and even dominos. This was called Thuya wood. It is a type of wood grown specifically in Morocco that has a very unique burr grain unlike any other. Not only that but the smell of Thuya is wonderful and the oil is also used in aromatherapy. Definitely getting some more before I return. 

The most important part of the trip to me, however, was the dromedary ride! Finally, after seeing so many wild camels at my site, I was able to get up close and personal with them. We were able to get a sunset ride at Tagart beach during our last night there. Afterward, we had dinner at a beachfront restaurant to cap off the experience.