Ahhh, sea breeze, seagulls, salty air, the sound of the ocean, sunshine, Gnawa music pouring out of tiny little shops... Essaouira is a much better fit for me than Marrakech, that dirty, sinister-feeling city. I'm feeling myself relaxing now, maybe coming out of the funk I've been in; my head feels less tight, I'm taking deeper breaths, I'm walking more slowly.
Today I went shopping for apartments, somewhere to stay for at least a couple weeks. Things are more expensive than I expected but I'm not too worried. I'd say things are falling into place nicely. Yesterday, just by accident, I found Ma'alem Mahmoud Guinea's drum shop; he's one of the most famous Gnawa ma'alems that happens to live here and whom I thought I'd look into studying with... or something. Maybe I'll just bask in his presence and hope it rubs off on me somehow. So once I get a bit settled, I'll go knock on his door again and see what happens. Boy, is my Arabic coming in handy once again!
In any case, I'm going to enjoy the more relaxed paced of Essaouira, despite the still unfortunate presence of tourists (and thus, still a little bit of shop-related heckling. It's nothing like Marrakech, though).
Now, pardon me while I go soak up some more sunshine and sea breeze...
