Day 165 - Finding Our Rhythm in Essaouira with Slow Starts, Windy Beaches, and a Home-Cooked Reset

Our first full day here in Essaouira in Morocco. It was a pretty standard start to the day. We were all up around 7:30 or 8, just slowly moving around the accommodation. It feels so good having space again. Everyone can spread out and do their own thing, which makes a big difference. The only thing missing is a proper coffee setup to make it feel more like home.

The kids were straight into Lego while I set up my work laptop to check emails. I was keen to knock a few things over, but at the same time we have a lot going on mentally trying to figure out what comes next after Morocco. It is only about six weeks away which sounds like a long time, but when you are travelling like this it disappears quickly. We are tossing up between staying around non-Schengen Europe or heading somewhere completely different like Central America. Right now we just cannot land on a decision.

By about 10 we finally peeled the kids away from Lego and headed out for breakfast. It was a slow start but a good one. We found a small local cafe and ordered omelettes and some Msemen to ease into the day.

Breakfast was a bit of a strange experience. The cafe was run by two young women who barely spoke. Even when we ordered, it was just a quiet acknowledgement and that was it. When the food came out, same thing. No conversation at all. It felt unusual, especially when you are used to a bit of back and forth.

We were convinced they had not written anything down and that there was no way the order would come out right. But they absolutely nailed it. Everything was spot on. The meals were a bit small so we grabbed an extra msemen, but it was all really good.

After breakfast we checked out a tiny grocery shop next door but decided not to buy anything there. We figured there would be a bigger supermarket somewhere with better options and pricing, so we headed back to the accommodation.

Maddie wanted to stay and keep playing Lego and I wanted to get stuck into some work, so Kia and Emmett headed off on a 2 kilometre walk to a bigger grocery store. Emmett was keen to check out the camels and horses along the beach on the way, so they turned it into a bit of an adventure.

Back at the accommodation, Maddie eventually got bored of Lego and I set her up with some schoolwork while I worked through emails and then jumped into improving the website.

It was just after lunch when Kia and Emmett got back. They came in with backpacks and bags, but when they unpacked everything there was not a huge amount there. Then Kia told me the cost and it caught me off guard.

About 100 Australian dollars for two dinners, a few breakfasts, and some coffee. Pretty much the same as back home or anywhere else we have been. I think I expected Morocco to be cheaper, but that has not really been the case so far.

When you compare that to eating out, we are spending around 20 dollars a meal for the four of us. So financially there is not much difference. The difference is more in the experience. Eating out can be stressful, walking around trying to find somewhere that suits everyone, has space, and has food the kids will actually eat.

So we will mix it up. Some meals at home, some meals out. It gives us a break from the constant decision making and also from cooking and cleaning all the time.

We had a bit of downtime after that while everyone reset. Then in the afternoon we walked up the beach to a local surf and kitesurf school to book a lesson for tomorrow. It was about a 210 minute walk and there are heaps of places around, but this one felt like the best fit for a family.

The vibe was great. Really welcoming, relaxed, and genuinely excited to have the kids involved.

On the way back the wind was next level. We were getting absolutely sandblasted, with sand whipping straight into our faces the whole way. Looking out over the water, it made sense. There were easily 20 or 30 people out there kite surfing.

It is perfect conditions for it, but I have no idea how people do not crash into each other out there. Still, it definitely got me keen to give it a go at some point.

Eventually we made it back to the unit and settled in for the night. Kia got dinner started and we decided to eat in. She made a lentil stew with rice, which felt like exactly what we needed. After a few days of shawarmas and the buffet food from the desert, everyone was keen for something a bit more homely.

I tried to keep working on the website while she was cooking, but the internet here is slow and makes everything harder than it should be. It is funny, you build a website for the internet, but most people are looking at it on their phones. I checked the mobile layout and it was a mess, all over the place. So I had to jump in and try to fix it while everything was live, which was not easy with the connection dropping in and out. Bit of a challenge, but I chipped away at it.

The kids were pretty cooked by this point and we let them sit down and watch a movie on Netflix. It is the first one they have watched in a long time, probably since San Foca. Maddie has been asking for a while just to sit and chill, so it was nice to let them have that.

When dinner was ready we all sat down together and finished the movie while we ate. It wrapped up around 8, and with surfing booked for tomorrow we knew the kids would need the energy. Paddling out is going to be a big effort for them.

So we got the kids into bed early and then Kia and I followed not long after. It was actually really nice to have an early night for a change. The last few nights have been pretty late.

And that was the day. Nothing huge, just figuring things out here in Essaouira and still trying to work out what comes next after Morocco.

Planning a trip while you are in it is easily the most stressful part. Especially when you are constantly changing. We are growing as we go, and what we want is changing with it. How we want to live day to day, what we want to see, what we want to get out of this whole experience.

That is why I do not really understand how people plan everything before they leave. For us, it is evolving constantly.

Exciting, a bit stressful, but all part of it.

And tomorrow, we get out on the surfboards.