Local time: May 1, 2015
Longest tiring drive in a long time.
Rejoining the car at Marrakech station
On this day, we went from sea to mountain. It was a trip to enjoy the nature of Morocco. It was sunny all day long.
First of all, I checked out of the riad and picked up a taxi near the riad and drove to the railway station where I parked my car. 50DH. 50DH was the price I asked for, but I was told that a petit taxi would cost 20 to 30DH. I had to walk on the unpaved road to the main street, so it was OK.
駅に到着、2日ぶりにクルマと対面、無事でした。心配だった駐車料金（駅の脇に2日ほど駐車）ですが、[highlight]たったの50DH[/highlight]、ものすごく安くてびっくりでした！
To the port town of Essaouira
無事クルマとの再開を果たし早速目指したのは、[highlight]「エッサウィラ」[/highlight]という港町。マラケシュから西へ車で約2時間。エッサウィラまでの道路は高速ではありませんがよく舗装も行き届いており、快適なドライブが可能でした。なお、この日は出発直後、マラケシュの街で給油を行いました。メーデーで祝日でしたが、多くのガソリンスタンドは通常通り営業しているようでしたのでよかったです。
The old town Medina is surrounded by the city wall, and we found a parking place in the space outside of it. By the way, by the way, there was a attendant (a street watchman) peculiar to Morocco by the example. On the contrary, it is safe.
白壁の家々が特徴的なこのエッサウィラのメディナは、世界遺産にも認定されております。その歴史は、先史時代から、そしてカルタゴやローマの植民都市であったなど、大変古いようです。現在は、芸術都市として知名度が高いとのこと、そして、開放的な雰囲気のだからでしょうか、[highlight]モロッコ人が訪れたい街上位にランクインされる街[/highlight]（地球の歩き方情報）のようです。少し街を歩いた限りでは、観光客は多いのですが、なかでもヨーロッパからの観光客が目立っていたと思います。
Well, it was just noon when we arrived and we were hungry, so we decided to have lunch in this town. Since it is a fishing port by the sea, we chose fish dishes for lunch. There are many restaurants in the city, so I was worried about where to go, but I decided to go to a restaurant run by a very kind man. I ordered the fish of the day on the grill as he recommended. I also ordered tuna salad (salad niçoise?) and couscous. and couscous. I’m still not tired of couscous.
Probably sea bass, it was delicious. The taste was a mixture of Italian and Moroccan flavors, I think. By the way, the degree of grilling was normal, and Italians might be better at this area, but it was not bad. It was delicious enough.
After a hearty meal, we went for a walk around the city. It is a very beautiful old town with a very European atmosphere. Just strolling around and taking pictures is enough to enjoy the city.
As it is a popular tourist destination, the souvenir shops seemed to be very well stocked. I think there were certainly many things that made me feel art. Among them, carpets were the most colorful and impressive.
We also went to the city wall by the sea. We saw some citizens sitting and relaxing on the cannon models that were set up facing the sea. Do they have their favorite cannons?
Along that sea wall, we ended up at the fishing port.
It reminds me of the harbor in Malta, with the bright blue ships lined up in a row.
From the gate at the entrance of the harbor, I went back to the city to see the old town and finished my sightseeing.
Over the Atlas Mountains to « Ait Ben Haddou
エッサウィラ観光を終えてからはロングドライブとなりました。ここから一旦西へマラケシュに戻り、マラケシュから南へアトラス山脈を超え、山脈の南側い位置する「アイト・ベン・ハッドゥ」を目指します。本日はここに泊まります。夕暮れ前に到着できるといいのですが…。マラケシュまでのルートは前述のとおりしっかりした道で、多少渋滞があった程度で順調でしたが、[highlight]マラケシュからアイト・ベン・ハッドゥへのルート、アトラス山脈を北から超えて行くルート[/highlight]が、かつて僕が海外ドライブでもめったに体験したことのないほどのハードなルートでした。
And it was an even harder trip because I had just recovered from the effects of a food poisoning a few days earlier, and my physical strength was not yet at full strength.
Just past the outskirts of Marrakech it’s such a good road.
It gets harder and harder…. The curves were tight, but the road was not paved enough in some places and it was very hard to drive.
In addition, there is no overtaking lane in one way, and there is only one main route to go south, so if there is a big bus or a truck in front of you, you will be stuck in the middle of the road, and it was very stressful drive. You can’t get out of the way in a place like this.
Even so, the bus in this picture was driving really fast…
At the highest point, the altitude exceeds 2,000 meters. Because I have to concentrate on driving, I can’t take photos as I expected. Or rather, it is impossible. (By the way, the photos of the drive in this post were taken by my wife in the passenger seat). I wanted to stop the car at the highest point of the pass or something to take a break and take photos, but it was already around 7:00 p.m., so I had to give up crying. I’m sorry I can’t introduce it.
This area is supposed to be quite high in elevation.
If I had more time and was in good shape, I could have stopped the car at a good point and taken some pictures.
Nevertheless, I was able to drive while being impressed by the grandeur of nature seen from this rugged road.
It was already dark when we arrived at Ait Ben Haddou.
Somehow we managed to get through the tight Atlas Mountains Road and arrived at Ait Ben Haddou, where we would stay today. The sun had already set and it was pitch black. But I’m glad to have arrived safely.
The hotel staff was very kind and came to pick us up at the entrance. I think they were worried about us because we were late.
They prepared our meal as soon as we arrived. It was a huge amount of brochette. It was really delicious.
I was so tired that the pictures were appropriate (laughs).
But still, it’s hot! There is no air conditioning in the room. The south of the Atlas Mountains is a desert area, so I wondered if it would get cold at night. I was very worried about it, but I opened the window and slept, and indeed it became much cooler in the middle of the night, so I was able to sleep well because I was tired.
明日はアイト・ベン・ハッドゥを含む近隣の「カスバ」と呼ばれるモロッコ伝統的な街の観光です。（続く）
