<--- Boats in the port at EssaouiraI'm hitting the road again. I've finally decided that I've had enough with this apartment and my crazy little landlady. I don't want to deal with her or any other patron right now. So when my time is up at the end of the week, I'm headed south again to check out some supposedly very lovely places in the Atlas mountains and south along the coast.
It will be interesting to see if my health improves in leaving the apartment, too. I've been smelling and finding a lot more mold lately and have been hearing more and more how the medina part of Essaouira is known for being the most damp and humid... which is also known for not being great for aching muscles or injuries, etc..
I am planning on doing most of this 2-3 week journey solo. When I mentioned my plans to Hassan, I could tell that this was going to be a cultural stumbling block. We may meet up later along the coast, especially in some of the well-known surfing villages (some of the best surfing in the world apparently- and he's a surfer) after I get my much-needed time alone. I will be back a few days before the big Gnawa festival kicks off- gotta see that!- and then I'll have a few days to say my goodbyes here.
Anyway, despite the impending dread of goodbyes and the above-mentioned cultural stumbling block, I am looking forward to seeing some new things in the country and getting into the mountains a bit.
As much as I love Essaouira, I'm admittedly becoming a bit stir crazy and ready for something new. Even as much as I'm doing this whole year-long trip alone, there are times I still don't get a lot of solitude- my spirit is demanding that now.
