Essaouira HoliDAY 1

I have to write this: when I first visited my travel agent for this trip, Valerie, I knew that I wanted to come to Morocco but I had no preferences beyond that, so when she asked me where I wanted to go exactly, I said, "I don't know. Is Essaouaria in Morocco?" She wasn't sure. So when I got home, I looked it up, and sure enough....

So here I am, almost by mistake, in paradise. It is very quiet here. As I write this, I am listening to lovely soft jazz on the radio and sitting in the shade in a vegetarian restaurant, served by a handsome server in leather pants. Pristinely clean, and in THE most picturesque square.

Still without a map and void of research, I headed to the beach this morning thinking I could walk along it to the old town, the medina. Have I mentioned that this place is paradise? It is a lovely, easy, tranquil point of entry for my adventure. Historic, beautiful beyond description and full of courteous people.

This culture is to colour as Cuba is to music. Every landscape and the shops are a feast for the eye. The medina is like all others, but unique at the same time of course. It is full of tourist boutiques, but it feels like off season here. I am alone in this restaurant and the streets seem almost empty and I couldn't be happier.

I feel absolutely blessed to be here. There is no other word for how I feel: to be healthy and able to come to a place like this... Oh my God, this place, today, I am stoned on its beauty. Truth: one reason I feel so gloriously blessed is that today began with emails containing thousands of dollars in orders for my books—both of them. This is an expensive trip because in East Africa I have engaged a lot of guides/drivers, but my book orders total half the cost of my trip! God knows my number.

Paradise! It is 3:00 pm. I LOVE this late eating habit I have on the road and I LOVE that I can speak with these people in one of their official languages. It is a miracle to be in a foreign an environment but able to speak with everyone. Paradise!

With lunch eaten, I think it is time for a long walk along the beach, then home to refresh and then back toward the Medina for a late dinner I think. The call to prayer just began and I love it too!



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