The Medina and the Ocean
A Slow Road Trip Along the Moroccan Coast on Kodak Portra 400.
Did you know it was part of the hippie trail?” I asked “M” as we drove along the Moroccan coast. We were leaving Anza, heading toward Essaouira with no plan, just time (six days, to be exact) and a few Kodak Portra 400 films.
I found that fact curious. There are two constants in my trips with “M” that I particularly love: how slowly we travel, and how, by pure coincidence, we always end up somewhere along the old hippie trail.
I know, I know, these places have little to do with how they once were. But I like to think that, at least in the ones I’ve visited, there’s still something greater than the place itself. A kind of calm, call it energy, that lets you simply exist. Observing the light, the waves, the music, the people, the smoke… losing track of time.
What I love about traveling is that childlike wonder of exploring: discovering places, people, food… feeling your inner child come out to play (in Essaouira, with the street kittens). The gift of stumbling upon a place you just know you’ll come back to, like that little place on the main street run by women next to the Tamezguida Mosque that prepared flavorful food.
We spent four days in the Esauira feeling the wind, watching the medina come to life after the call to prayer (it was Ramadan at the time), engaging in conversations with strangers, tasting delicious sardines that reminded me of the ones I used to eat with my grandfather at el chiringuito in the north of Spain.
Days unfolded slowly, and I especially enjoyed sitting in a corner, drinking tea, and people-watching.
When the wind calmed, we explored the dunes, played with the seagulls, and encountered camels on the beach. We left with the medina and the Atlantic at our backs, driving the long, straight road to Marrakesh.
Almost everything I shot was in Essaouira. That little coastal town just grabbed me. Marrakesh was harder to shoot. I’m shy, so with that “No photo” vibe and only a 50mm in those tight streets, I couldn’t shoot as much as I wanted. What surprised me, though, was that even with all the “No photos,” people were super easy to talk to. And I really enjoyed wandering around and getting lost in those entropic streets.
*i highly recommend this reading: “No Photos” Substack from Sajad Ahmand
After nearly two days wandering around the Marrakesh medina, dodging endless tourist traps, we came across a Tissir Jewelry shop (I’m a big, big fan of jewelry). I had a lovely conversation with Ibrahim, the shop owner, and left with a pair of earrings from Tarrazart, a local artisan brand with beautiful pieces, fine lines, and subtle details. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself there.
I’d say the Atlantic on this side of the world, the relentless push of the Alisio wind, the shelter of the medina, and the distant Atlas Mountains seen from the road stole my heart on this trip. I had only seen the Atlas from the plane before, but as we drove south, I started remembering the massive peaks and the drums of Himachal.
We’ll go back, “chiquitín”, to Himachal, to these Moroccan mountains. Promise me, M, as we headed south to Agadir.
