Last day in Essouaira. We got up and went for a walk on the beach. There was no wind which was a nice change from yesterday. There was a yoga class of 6 or 8 ladies who were obviously there on a vacation. Further down the beach 2 different football games were in progress. One even had a reference. By the time we got to them they were packing up. Back at the hotel we went up to the roof for breakfast. Eggs, so good for a change. They bring you a basket of their round, hard crusted bread, 2 kinds of jam, their pancakes ( very different from ours), sometimes a croissant or a sweet bread, often thin slices of artificial looking ham, plastic cheese or Laughing Cow and the most devine orange juice. Once in awhile there are hard boiled eggs and when luck is with us they cook an egg for you
After breakfast Abdul took us for a short drive. We were content to have a day to rest so we were back at the hotel by 11:00. We did a little house keeping and then went to the port and had lunch where Abdul said we wouldn't like it. Bless him he really has our best interests at heart and does try to keep us safe and healthy. We stopped at the first in the row, prices go by weight. You survey the array of fresh fish and coose what you want. I picked out 3 big prawns and Roy chose a small sole. Back to our seats. Two ladies from New York and two young men from Germany were also seated at the table with us. The company was as good as the fish! We had such a good time. The men had come to ride motorcycles along the coast. One had come on his bike and the other planned to rent one here. He couldn't find one to rent so was riding the bus from one place to the next. To make matters worse his wallet was stolen at the airport on the way here. They were going to rent surf boards and give it a try. They had never surfed before, sure hope they had fun. The young man on the motorcycle had been here previously with his girlfriend. She was history but his memory of sardines was not and said he could eat them 3 times a day. They were entertaining and very nice. One of the New York ladies was vegetarian so she ordered a large salad. It was bigger than our small salads but not very big. It's a fish place! We gave the boys our salads as the tomatoes and peppers were washed in local water. They were happy to have them. The vegetarian wished hers was better. She was a fussy eater as she only ate the crust of her bread. We enjoyed chatting with them for a few more minutes but our seats were wanted.
After lunch we went back in the souk got ice cream cones stand on the way to get Roy the dye from the Herbalist. He remembered us and gave it at 1/2 price. We bought something for Alex and V from our friend who sells wooden items and then back to the hotel to organize our luggage. We couldn't pass the tiny shop that sells huge doughnuts for 2 dhs.
Back at the room we reorganized our possessions and shopping. A little shocked at the amount of shopping! After a rest we went for dinner at a side walk cafe on the avenue close to the port. Shared a small pizza and had a Fanta and a Schweppes while we watched the world walk by. Cool music played and many (especially the children) got caught up in the rythm and danced along. We sat for along time, enchanted by the ever changing scene. Children coming home from school, mama's with little ones, old hippies, young hippies, we'll dressed tourists, old men in jellabas with hoods that end in a little cone making them look like Yoda, bent old women in jellabas and h'jab, young women defying tradition and young men out enjoying conversation and the young women. All the while the lively music played. It was hard to leave.
Two things, school and Fanta.
The children go to school for roughly 2 hours in the morning one day and the next day they go in the afternoon. The time of day seems to change from one time to the next but it is not unusual to see young children on their way home from school at 7:30 pm. For ages 6 to 15 school is compulsory. Roughly 80 percent of primary aged children are completing that level. 18 years ago only 50%. The stats drop as the children get older. There are few attending university and opportunities are limited for them.
Fanta is the drink if you don't want Coke. Roy finds the Coke watery so has been drinking lots of Fanta. I have discovered Schweppes ciron in the can. We have been blessed to have Abdul who keeps us in two 1 1/2 liter bottles a day and usually there is water in our room.
Tomorrow Ramadan begins. Muslim, whether practicing observe the fasting during daylight hours. No smoking, no drinking, this includes water (alcohol is not difficult as you rarely see any. Roy had beer one night and got a 250 ml. bottle for an exorbitant price) and no sex. For one month!
Travelers, pregnant an nursing mothers, the ill and the aged and the very young are exemptions. However, it must be very difficult to eat in front of others. Abdul could eat yesterday because he was traveling over 82 km that day. We had purchased snacks at the grocery store in preparation but we didn't eat or drink in the car unless no one was around to see. He covered his water bottle in the car. He explained that people get very cranky. Ramadan comes from ancient times and he feels that the next generation will no longer fast.
Essouaira to Casablanca. The last travel day!!😀
Abdul picked us up at 9:00. He said it was 5 hours to Casablanca. Make that 8 hours. We took the scenic route an the road is in need of repair in many places but the things we saw and the scenery made it worthwhile. Breakfast on the roof was sparse. Our sweet young server had warned us. She was there serving us breakfast. Us, the only guests in the whole place. Our own hotel. We should have had a luxury suite. Roy called for someone to carry our bags. We never do this but there are 3 flights of winding stairs and they rely on tips. As we have been told repeatedly we have to keep the economy going. That's the tourists job. Lord we have spent a lot of money on tips. They are not shy to ask for more. He put our bags, which have become a messy affair what with shopping and our groceries, in his cart and pulled them to where Abdul will pick us up. We stood across from Hotel design Iles where Winston Churchill, Jim Hendrix and Bob Marley stayed. It is flying a Canadian flag!
Our friend was right on time, dressed in a jellaba and plastic flip flops for Ramadan. Off we go. It truly is a scenic route and not just for the dramatic views of the Atlantic. It was market day in at least two towns. One market was in a field with no town around . It had drawn a huge crowd. There was heavy traffic in either direction - the majority being horse, mule or donkey carts. Some carts were taxis and might have 3 passengers and some were moving goods to carts or cars parked on the edge of the action. People were buying 50 pound bags of what ever and men would carry two bags at a time. They do not want their picture taken lest it is used in black magic. We obeyed as we were warned but if Lee had been here Abdul would have had his hands full.
Because it is Ramadan no restaurants or cafes are open and most of the other shops are closed. Butcher shops and fruit and vegetable vendors are working. The women start preparing the breakfast, to be consumed after sunset around two in the afternoon. Just imagine smelling delicious food all that time! Women do need to rise up. The men become grumpy because they cannot smoke or sit and drink mint tea in cafes, national pastimes here. The men mainly do the grocery shopping but the rest is up to the ladies.
I needed a bathroom stop. Abdul found a garage open and I had to use that work men's toilet. It was surprisingly clean.
We passed three phosphate plants, each one bigger than the previous one. All had very vast port facilities. They didn't smell too great and reminded us of days in Fox Creek when the wind blew the wrong way.
We stopped at El Jadida to see the Portuguese cistern. Lovely but not like the cistern in Istanbul. Orson Welles shot part of Othello here. The Medina here is a UNESCO site. Th few shops that were open in the Medina as we walked to the cistern had nothing we wanted and the owners were quite rude when we didn't buy anything. Ramadan.
We drove through Azemour. The view of the medina and the river is very beautiful. We didn't stop as there really was no need.
We have snacked a bit in the car and so has Abdul. He is sounding weary so I pull out more snacks. The drive is seeming very long and even strange looking squash don't capture our enthusiasm. As we near Casablanca the traffic leaving the city is horrendous. There is an accident and the drivers are fighting. Abdul says "Ramadan".
It is so nice to get to the hotel. Roy starts seeing landmarks well before we get there and remembers the way. We still need to eat. Abdul opines that the restaurants should be open by 9:00 after the staff have had their breakfast. In the long run he can't find anything open and has a friend open just to feed us! Stir fried chicken and onions, the thickest orange juice and of course bread and a plate of fresh fruit each with a banana, two apricots, a Moroccan fruit and a kiwi. 90dh. We were presented with a bag of the fruit we didn't eat when we left. It was just a little snack bar but they were very good to us. They even played Kenny Rodgers music. We sang along and amused them. It was so kind of them to open for us and kind Abdul to ensure we got something to eat. Abdul and I signed up to become Facebook friends. Back to the hotel at 10:00 with full bodies and tired brains.
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