Morocco is a coastal Arab country in northwest Africa. It borders the vast Atlantic Ocean to the west and faces Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar to the north. There are many famous tourist cities on its coastline of more than 1,700 kilometers, such as Asilah, Casablanca, Essaouira… Our trip to Morocco is about driving along the coast all the way to visit the most romantic big cities and towns. Schematic map of Morocco self-driving tour If it were not for more than 7 days, we might only take a walk in the northwestern part of Morocco, and would never have thought of going to Essaouira in the southwest, the sister city of Changde, Hunan Province (2013 On May 20, 2010, Essaouira, Morocco and Changde, China became sister cities). Because it is 700 kilometers from the seaside town of Asilah in the northwest of Morocco to the city of Essaouira in the south, this made us hesitate before we set out whether it was worth it to go so far. But as soon as the car drove out of Asilah, I immediately dismissed the idea. After coming out, the car has been driving along the coastline highway of the Atlantic Ocean, with the vast sea on the right. I opened the window, and the warm sea breeze drifted into the car with the sound of waves hitting the rocks. This journey was originally a good experience. Driving along the coastline to Casablanca, Morocco’s largest coastal city, the car began to leave the coastal road and turn into the A7 highway, and the road became more and more desolate. At noon, the temperature outside the car reached 40 degrees Celsius. At this time, we passed a large desert and a small oasis. Three hours later, the car came from the hot and noisy city on the edge of the desert to the quiet, fresh, cool Atlantic shore. . After I came to Essaouira, I realized that, in fact, coastal themed tours are not all about surf beaches, sunny coconut groves and bikini beauties. For example, in Essaouira, you can see many stone forts. The fortress was built by Barbary pirates composed of Turkic and Moorish people more than 500 years ago to monitor British fleets who came to steal or loot sugar and spices, and these two properties have always been the courts of European nobles. An important raw material for pastries and gourmet food. Nowadays, Essaouira has no need to worry about who will steal, because the tastes of Europeans have also changed, and the way of life and work of Essaouira has also changed. Some people say that maybe Essaouira does not have the best beach in Morocco, but it has the most famous wind in Morocco, and has the reputation of “African Windy City”: the sea breeze from the Atlantic Ocean blows the small town throughout the year, making the human body feel It is comfortable and attracts many tourists and enthusiasts of surfing and windsurfing all over the world. Every morning, large ships full of sardines set anchor from the fishing port of Essaouira and head to distant places for seafood trading. The hotel we booked in Essaouira is only a 5-minute walk from the fishing port. After putting down his luggage, he walked along the stone wall built on the coast towards the fishing port. The air was filled with the smell of fish, and there were countless seagulls flying in the sky. At the end of the stone wall is the old castle, and you can overlook the entire busy fishing port when you walk up. Just like the large fish piers in the coastal areas of China, Essaouira Fishing Port also has a large-scale agricultural and aquatic product trading market. However, the air in the market is not so good. Under the heat wave in the afternoon, the air is bad and even nauseating. Every small stall is full of fresh produce and seafood. The stall owners also follow the principle of returning home immediately after they are sold out, and don’t want to wait for a minute, so whenever there are customers coming Ask for quotations, all smiles greet you, promote sales vigorously, try to empty the goods in advance. Turn back from the fishing port and walk leisurely into the old town of Medina in Essaouira. Here is a little different from Chefchaouen. In addition to the souvenir shops that can be seen everywhere, there is also a lot of artistic flavor here. Under the ancient mottled city walls, you can always see the creations of artists in the old city. People say that when immersed in the art world, the hands of the watch spin as fast as an electric fan. Unconsciously, the sky is getting darker and darker. After walking around the beach, we returned to the hotel and when we passed the central square of Essaouira, we found some people were busy setting up the stage. It is said that a large international music festival will be held here on the night after tomorrow. I suddenly thought of the vendors in the fishing port market. They might look forward to this music event very much. Everyone is rushing for life in the day-to-day fishing and soaking in the smelly fish market. A free concert should be their best spiritual comfort! The ancient Atlantic city of Essaouira, which was formed in the 16th century and built in the 18th century, was once glorious as the most important spice export port in North Africa. This place combines Arabs, African indigenous tribes, and cypresses. The “Cultural Melting Pot” of Berles and Jews is now embracing more new ideas with an open attitude, showing brand-new changes, and is also hosting us foreign tourists who are separated from the ocean in a more gentle way. Tips for Traveling by Car in Morocco: 1. If you are not very proficient in driving in China, or you have only driven in European and American countries, you should carefully consider driving in Morocco. The road conditions here are very bad. 2. The main models in Morocco are manual transmission, but there are often steep slopes in cities, so the proficiency of the slope starting technology is also relatively high. 3. Most national roads in Morocco have only two lanes, so be careful when overtaking. 4. There are a lot of traffic police checking speeding on the Moroccan national highway, and most of them are friendly to tourists. Morocco’s national highways will pass through some towns along the way, and the speed limit will be reduced from 100 or 80 kilometers per hour to 60 kilometers per hour. 5. The Moroccan police will check the driver’s license every time they block a car. It is generally not a problem to use the Chinese driver’s license plus the French translation notarization and the double certification of the domestic embassy.
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