Essaouria, Morocco

Today we decided we were well enough to hop on the bus over to Essaouaria, the coastal hippie-ish town only two hours from Marrakech.

The town has feelings of Berkeley; urine smell (though this is present in most of the Moroccan cities we have been to), people strung out on drugs, waterfront views, and a few bums to top it off.

We were "greeted" by some well-wishers after getting off the bus, and halfway into the medina a man offered to take us to a hotel that had "cheap rooms" at 150 Dirham for a double (about 15 Euro). We were headed for a hotel mentioned in our Lonely Planet Guide, but it was likely full and listed at not much cheaper, so we were willing to take a look. Very cute place, with an ocean view from the room, and a different color theme on each floor. Ever been to Jacob and Isaac's house in Santa Barbara?

Answers to yesterdays quiz:
1. Definitely dehydrated. Only 1.5 liters of water and two small sodas are NOT enough for 8 hours of hiking. Oops, I should know better. Unlikely altitude sickness, I didnt start to feel bad until back under 3000m, unless there is some odd time delay. And the bottom part of the hike was so hot I felt like I wanted to climb in a nearby aquaduct to cool off. Not sure about the bacteria but...

2. The cipro seems to have fixed me. I feel nearly completely better now, my appetite is back. Either that or it was just slow rehydration that helped. Or the bug passed on...

3. to Alia! But she didnt seem to get as sick as me and is definitely feeling better too.

Lastly, is there anything anyone wants me to buy for them either in Morocco or Spain that they can't get in the states or is cheaper/better here? Shoot me an e-mail.