Morocco

Marrakech - Essaouira - Taghazout - Agadir - Fez

March 2020

Last trip before who knows how long. Me as most people did not think the Corona crisis would turn into a pandemic and go into the lengths it has gone now and hopped on a plane on 10th of March and head towards Morocco. A day before it was declared a pandemic.

It was still ok in Morocco and everything considered it was a great trip. There had been 3 confirmed cases in Morocco at that time, everything was open, people were calm and happy.

My essential plan had been to fly from Morocco to Barcelona to visit friends and go together to Andorra to snowboard for a weekend. Morocco closed borders with Spain quite quickly. So I changed my flight to Brussels instead fort the same date - 19th of March. I'm so very thankful for Ryanair that they quickly and efficiently let people change a canceled flight with no extra costs.

Towards the end of my trip Morocco was taking measures as well, most flights in and out of the country were cancelled and I was at one point quite sure I would get stuck there and have to wait out the quarantine. In a sense it would not have been the worst place to be and I have a really good friend there, but, there is no place like home and I know my family would have been worrying every day, so I knew I needed to get home, also in case they might need help, I needed to be available. In addition, no one knew (or knows even now) how long it would be, or how bad it would get.

Somehow, my flight did not get canceled. I have never been that happy to see a plane. I flew to Brussels on the evening of 19th of March. Already in the airport booked my flights home as well. Luckily Ryanair was still flying. Stayed with S and H in Brussels. Thank you so much for fun time and for everything you did for me! Saturday, 21 March, had an early morning flight to Berlin, Germany and afternoon flight on the same day to Tallinn. Spent 14 days in mandatory isolation and well.. not much changed after it. The situation all over is heartbreaking, but it has its small perks as well: environmental effects, humane ones.. hopefully - if not a crisis what else humbles and unites the people, and wakes them up. I have been able to speak (via Skype or any other platform) to so many people I have not 'had time' to speak in a long time. It is weird to have so much time and not be in constant hurry all the time. Time to finish all unfinished projects and work on things I have just thought about before. Of course I miss face to face communication, actual trainings and choir practices, in general freedom and am worried about the world's future in general, but I guess what I mean is that there are always more sides to every situation.

Anyway, on a positive note, Morocco is a beautiful country and there is a lot more to discover. I will happily return one day.

Marrakech

An urban jungle.

The name Marrakech originates from the Amazigh (Berber) words mur and wakush, which means "Land of God". It is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Fez.

The city is divided into two parts: the Medina, the historical city, and the new European modern district called Gueliz or Ville Nouvelle.

Koutoubia Mosque - the largest mosque in Marrakesh.

Tajine! There are two definitions for the word tajine. First, it is a slow-cooked stew. Second, it is the name of the vessel that the food is cooked in; a tajine is cooked inside a tajine vessel.

Obviously I brought some of the seasoning back home as well!

Ben Youssef Madrasa - an islamic college. It's still under construction but the inside architecture is said to be amazing.

The medina is full of narrow alleyways and colorful stalls filled with all kinds of goods. Expect to get lost. Just never act like you're lost. It's wonderful to just wander around. The medina is exciting but also overwhelming and exhausting at times.

The Cyber park. A wonderful oasis in the city to take a break of the bustling city.

Place Jemaa el-Fna. The main square. Daytime it's just a square, at dawn it turns into the real heart of the city. Hundreds of restaurant stalls, everyone trying to grab you to come to their stall advertising they have the best food.

The stalls open at daytime tho serve some amazing and cheap fresh fruit juices. I consumed a lot of it: orange, mixed fruit, pomegranate.. you name it.

Seafood! And olives. I have always been a devoted olive hater. Believe me, I have tried, in many countries, and never liked that. But those red-ish ones in Morocco were for some reason really delicious.

El Badi Palace

Le Jardin Secret, a stunning garden complex and one of the most beautiful green spaces in the city.

The rooftop of my hostel Kif Kif in the medina. The hostel crew was so amazingly friendly and helpful. And this rooftop was such a tranquil escape spot at times to sunbathe in the 30 degree heat. The people in the hostel were a lot of fun as well. We had dinners together on the roof at night and discussed the world.

I arrived at daytime and ended up finding the place quite easy, altho it is a bit hard to find (like probably every other hostel, hotel or riad inside the medina). The location is great tho, 5 minutes from the main square and the road is not too hard to remember.

One of the guys in the hostel, a 30-yo guy from UK arrived one evening around 10pm, first he was scammed with taxi prices, he paid 300 dirham instead of 150 which is typical (daytime, there is a bus which costs 30 dirham and includes a free return ticket, or as the airport is actually really close to the city, it is possible to walk a bit away from the airport and take a regular city bus for 4 dirham). Second, when he excited the taxi he apparently appeared lost, two young men approached him and kindly offered to show him the way to the hostel. He accepted. They walked him to one of the alleyways near the hostel and then demanded money. He was shocked and wanted to give them around 50 dirham, they demanded more. He ended up giving 150 dirham each. So he lost 600 dirham (around 60 EUR) by just going to the hostel from the airport. Fair to say he was quite shaken when he finally got to the hostel and did not feel like exploring the city anymore. I think he ended up going back home in a few days. Always pretend not to be lost in the medina and don't accept help from locals as it is quite a common scam in the medina, especially at night. The offline map maps.me that I always use was a huge help there as well.

A tip I luckily learned before going to Marrakech. Place Jemaa El-Fna is most enjoyable to be explored from some of the rooftop bars and cafes surrounding it. People watching while sipping the delicious Moroccan mint tea and nobody trying to sell you something at the same time.

Khlea (dried meat) omelette and cafe nous nous. A typical Moroccan breakfast on an early morning before taking a bus to Essaouira for 2 euros.

En route to the coast. Never seen goats on a tree. The busdriver was lovely and slowed down to let the tourists take pictures.

Essaouira

Essaouira is a port city on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Its medina is protected by 18th-century seafront ramparts called the Skala de la Kasbah, which were designed by European engineers. Old brass cannons line the walls, and offer great ocean views. Strong "Alizée" trade winds make the beach popular for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. It's also referred to as a "windy city". It's not an exaggeration, there were strong winds almost every day!

View from the hostel's balcony.

Essaouira Beach Hostel - another absolutely great hostel in Morocco. The location, the owners, the people.

Friday beach cleanup and free couscous night in the hostel.

A little hike to the castle of sand.

Diabat village - 3-4 km walk along the beach from Essaouira. It contains sand-covered ruins of an old palace dating from the late 18th century, having been the residence of sultans.

Diabat was once a meeting place for the hippies and music legends like Jimi Hendrix. Legend says he stayed there for some days in 1969.

Today next to being a lovely, sleepy village, it hosts a major new tourist development, Golf de Mogador, a luxury resort and two golf courses designed by Gary Player

Essaouira fish market.

You can buy some fresh cheap delicious fish, then head to the medina to a veggie market, buy some goodies from there and head to this local spot where yo upay a little and they cook a delicious meal of what you just bought.

A view from Taros rooftop bar near Essaouira port area. Prices are quite western but the views are great, worth to go there for a cocktail.

To the south.

En route to Taghazout and Agadir

Banana village aka Aourir.

Taghazout

A colourful fishing village with a really good vibe on Morocco's Atlantic coast, north of the city of Agadir. It’s known for its surf beaches.

It has lots of cafes and restaurants on or right alongside the beach. There was something so good and relaxing about this place. Sitting at some colourful spot enjoying a drink, some fresh salads and tajine, watching skilled surfers do their thing.

Water was also warmer in the south, we enjoyed a lovely dip a few beaches before Taghazout in the great ocean waves.

It seems quite quick and cheap to fly to Agadir through London from Estonia (if we still have low cost airlines in the future). It makes such a lovely vacation spot!

Little puma trying to steal our food.

Last dinner and live music night in Essaouira. Learnt to play some djembe.

A slogan in our hostel in Essaouira. That's kind of what we did.

Back to the north.

Last stop - Fez

It's the second largest city in Morocco, often referred to as the country’s cultural capital. It’s mainly known for its Fes El Bali walled medina, with medieval architecture, vibrant souks and old-world atmosphere. It's also home to the world's oldest university University of Karueein, founded in 859 AD.