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 in the USA and Canada.
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.
Freshness
is the order of the day, every day, here at Chez
Sam and at the long row of outdoor stalls, perched
side-by-side along the dock area. Each stall offers
visitors fresh products from the sea to the table
and each competes vigorously with its neighbor for
our attention, with barkers, menu boards and
tempting displays of fresh catch from the Atlantic.
I enjoyed a generous portion of sole fillet and
fresh salad for less than five dollars U.S. My two
colleagues split a large crab for a similar
tab.
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 SofitelMogador,
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.
Comments
by Muguette Goufrani: While
visiting the Medina in Essaouira, I had the
opportunity of visiting an exceptional rIad, called
Les
Terrasses d'Essaouria,
which will be featured in detail later on this
website and in our printed magazine. Also on this
site is a feature on one of my father's escorted
tour company, when we visited a "Wedding
Fair"
at Hadiddou Imilchil, a Berber village in southern
Morocco. The article prompted the following letter
from a travel agent in the USA.
Letter
from a reader
Dear
Muguette,
Since I read your article about
Morocco,
we took a group of African American Female
educators there last year and had a wonderful
time. Hope to take a group again next year.
Briefly, the experience was wonderful. We spent
most of our time in Agadir with a one night
excursion to Marrakech. We stayed at Club Valtur
and the resort was great, albeit very Italian. I
didn't learn much about the people or culture of
Morocco, hence the need for a second trip.
However, I did make a few friends
(smile).
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.
For Further information,
Contact:
USA: Moroccan Tourist
Office: 20 East 46th St., Suite 1201, New York, NY
10017, U.S.A. Tel.: 212-557-2520. Fax:
212-949-8148. Web Site:
http://www.tourism-in-morocco.com/
CANADA: Moroccan
National Tourist Office: Suite 1460, 2001 rue
Université, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A
2A6. Tel: +1 514 842 8111/2. Fax: +1 514 842
5316.
...
Discovering
Essaouira
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.
Freshness
is the order of the day, every day, here at Chez
Sam and at the long row of outdoor stalls, perched
side-by-side along the dock area. Each stall offers
visitors fresh products from the sea to the table
and each competes vigorously with its neighbor for
our attention, with barkers, menu boards and
tempting displays of fresh catch from the Atlantic.
I enjoyed a generous portion of sole fillet and
fresh salad for less than five dollars U.S. My two
colleagues split a large crab for a similar
tab.
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. 
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.
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