Morocco Travel Journal 2014

The story of my recent trip to Morocco, told in sketches:

Two days in Marrakech:

Entrance to Maison Tiskiwin

Arch detail in Bahia Palace

Then my travel companions and I set off on a three-day driving adventure to Guelmim before joining a drawing group in Essaouira. 

Day One - Marrakech to Taroudant over the High Atlas:

Driving over the Atlas mountains - an enterprising cafe
owner has positioned an old van to hang over the cliff.
 Naturally travelers stop to take pictures and have
refreshments in the cafe.  

The Hotel Palais Salam in Taroudant is set into the walls
 of the Kasbah.

Day two - Taroudant to Guelmim:

Breakfast by the turtle pool at the Palais Salam.

Evening meal at Maison Nomades in Oasis Tighmert,
 just outside Guelmim.

Day three - Guelmim to Essaouira:

Early morning visit to the camel and livestock market in
Guelmim which is close to the border of the disputed
territory of Western Sahara. There were traders from
several countries and tribes.

Traders wearing Jallabas

Lunch at Chez Josephine, just North of Agadir.

After our arrival in Essaouira on the Atlantic coast we had six whole days to draw and have fun:

The Port of Essaouira - from the sea wall.

The old jewish district in the North West corner of the medina.

Fishing boats

Fishing boat

Fishing boat

Paint and steel on the side of a boat

Hand painted - small fishing boat

Courtyard in the medina

View from Cafe Glacier towards the mosque.
(This was done on a pre-prepared page with Moroccan
 newspaper and sprayed henna design.) 

Camel waiting to give a ride to a tourist like me.

Drawn from the back of my moving camel:
team leader Diane on her trusty steed. 

The back of my (moving) camel's head.

Boz riding ahead (done from my moving camel).

Boat being painted

Early morning on the harbor: a fishing boat arrives with
 a catch of sardines. The crew stand in a semi-circle to
pull and stack the nets.
No photos allowed - my sketchbook is the only option!

Another view of the fishing net action: the nets are being
carefully pulled over the winch and stacked.

A new fishing trawler being built. The wooden ribs on
 the underside are still visible.

Looking down from the raised sea wall: fishermen hook
the bait for the next voyage.

Moroccan tea. The strange padded figure is in fact a
heat-mitten for the hot handle of the tea pot. Drawn on
paper used for wrapping large cones of solid sugar.

Young men at Cafe Glacier 

A camel sticker, purchased from a stationery store in
the medina, applied to a piece of vintage wallpaper
pre-pasted into my sketchbook.

The Portuguese architectural style of the port.

Then back to Marrakech for two days:

Dar Mouassine - the cool dipping pool.

Dar Mouassine - terrace detail

Dar Mouassine - shadows through the window grille

Final night in Morocco - dinner on the terrace at Dar Mouassine.