Beach Hiatus

First impressions aren’t always correct. When I first laid eyes on my tiny apartment here in Essaouira, my heart sank. It felt dark and dank, not at all what I expected, and I shuddered to think of what the next two weeks would be like. Three days later, I am loving my little pied-à-terre. Sure, it’s a bit noisy given its location in the medina and next to the mosque, but it is otherwise perfect, especially with the rooftop available for reading, sunbathing and playing with the Gigi, the resident cat.

One of the joys of traveling in warm countries is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Morocco is no exception. My foray into the market a few days ago was highly successful…peppers, tomatoes, red onion, green beans, cherries, bananas, green grapes, avocados, six eggs and a huge round of warm bread, all for $8. I scurried past the dead fish and live chickens; I swear they were ringing their necks on the spot and I didn’t want that memory seared into my brain…bad enough to see people walking through the crowd with limp birds swinging upside down.

I walked along the magnificent waterfront that lines the town for a few kilometres, starting inside the walls of the medina. The beach itself looks clean, the water calm. I noticed a few folks in it yesterday but certainly not crowds which leads me to believe it may not be all that warm. I’ll go back today for a closer look and the touch test.