I really enjoyed the city life of Essaouira and Marrakech on the weekend. The turmoil in the medinas was fun but not optimal for working. Too many people, too much noise. I wanted to spend my workweek in a relaxed environment. So, I left Essaouira headed south.
A few kilometers in front of Sidi Kaouki, I spotted a little side road. The road ended in front of a little fisherman’s camp at the beach.
A nice spot behind the dunes
While exploring the area behind the boats, I met some other travelers. Christina from Chile and Günter from Belgium came here with their two kids in a Ford Transit camper van and a little trailer. Timo and Ivelina from Bulgaria slept in a tent behind their blue Lada Niva. Everyone seemed very friendly. The spot was quiet and beautiful. The network connection was great, too. I found the perfect spot to spend some productive workdays!
Two trees on the dunes perfectly grew to install my hammock. I could finally spend my breaks swinging in the wind again.
The sunset created a peaceful atmosphere every evening.
I quickly forgot about all the chaos in the cities.
Cooking fish on wooden fire
A fisherman knocked on my door some afternoon. He offered freshly caught fish for 40 Dirham (4 EUR) per piece. I ended up buying two pieces for 35 Dirham. The only challenge: I’ve never gutted fish before. Luckily Brahim showed up in the evening. A really nice dude who lives in the area and used to work in a restaurant where he cooked traditional Moroccan food. He offered his help and showed Timo, Ivelina and me how he prepares the fish.
We didn’t have the traditional Tajine to cook the vegetables, but we improvised with a regular pan and aluminum foil.
The meal cooked for about an hour on the embers. It was delicious!
Spending a relaxed week with new friends
The days flew by. I mostly worked during the day and joined the others at the campfire in the evening. Brahim usually joined us after work, too. A mixed group of interesting people!
Timo and Ivelina bought a huge Tajine and we were finally able to cook our dinner like the locals do.
We tried different recipes every night: seafood, chicken, vegetables. We either ate in Christina’s and Günter’s trailer or in my van.
Eating together out of a Tajine was a very social way of having dinner. Everything was shared. We ate and talked lot. Good times!
After our dinner, we usually went back to the campfire where we drank tea and had conversations in a mix of German, English, French and Spanish.
What a great week with awesome people!