ESSAOURIA
In February I was days from flying to Barcelona and then on to Marrakech and a bus ride to Essaouria, Morocco. But a new panic over Covid was hanging over Europe, one of my flights was cancelled, I didn’t yet have a booster and at the last moment I bailed out, recovering most of the money I had put down. Two months later I had a flight to Paris and an Airbnb in Montmartre and forgot about Essaouira.
But even while I was circling on Amtrak around the United States in July I was dreaming of going somewhere quiet and peaceful beside a beach in October. But nothing came up. I wanted to fly to Sri Lanka and to take the train down to Galle and a rickshaw to the beautiful clean beach at Una Watuna with palm trees leaning over the crystal water. I wanted to sit quietly in the former govenor’s beach house, now a guest house with rooms circling around a pool. I would sit for a month and do nothing. But the inexpensive ticket never showed up and Sri Lanka went bankrupt with huge crowds of protestors outside the Prime Minister’s house. He finally fled. But it didn’t seem to be a good time to go to Sri Lanka.
For a brief time I dreamed of going to Amsterdam where Kathe’s niece, Henny lives. But no cheap ticket appeared. So finally I gave up. I’d save my money for another time.
But the only way to find a cheap ticket on Scott’s Cheap Flights is to not decide where you want to go, just wait for a cheap ticket and go when it is offered. Usually you can’t find a cheap ticket within two months of when you want to go.
And then ten days ago suddenly Scott offered a ticket to Casablanca from Asheville, not really cheap but a pretty good deal, and I bought it. I followed that with finding a very nice Airbnb with plenty of room for visitors in the heart of the Medina, the old walled center of Essaouria, with narrow lanes, right by the ocean. I will have a private apartment with a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a sunny rooftop.
So I have started looking at photographs of Essaouria and imagining that I am there, which I will be, very soon as I fly out from Asheville for a month on September 20. Stop by if you are free.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 