Friday, November 6 ~ Essential Essaouira

We were really enjoying Marrakech but set out about 9:00 am for the coast of Morocco.  From your history book you  may remember this town as Mogador.  Literally the trade winds blow with varying degrees of intensity most every day of the year.  Even though surfing is excellent every day of the year as well, it is not a great tourist place as it is small and has some distance to any major airports.  Mostly locals escape here for some fun in the sun and there seem to be a few nice hotels and restaurants.

Along the way we passed through groves of Argon trees.  Argon is prized for its oils which can be used for either cosmetic or eating purposes.  It is a small, low growing tree with a broad trunk and low branches. Perfect for goats to climb on to get the nuts to eat.  They crack them and drop the pea sized bean on the ground.  They don’t eat it because it is bitter.  The farmer has spread a large white plastic below the branches and lets the goat do his harvesting!  (Harvest season is over so these were finishing off the last fruits and posing for the tourists!  But in season shepherds and farmers do work together.)

We stopped at the women’s co-op.  There was a demonstration of the shelling and grinding of the Argon seed and of the making of the seed into a rich nut butter. 

For cosmetics the seed is cold pressed but for eating it is roasted after drying in the sunshine.  You don’t cook with it but more use it as a dressing.  Several of the ladies in our group purchased various beauty products for hair or skin. 

We continued our drive and all the while Kahlid informed of us the history of Mogador which became the current Essaouira.  It is a long and complicated history of Morocco since the city is a port and was the link for Timbuktu to Europe and the Western World.  As early as the reign of the Phoenicians, Essaouira was a base for warriors and manufacturers as well.  The purple dye that signified wealth and royalty originated here.  Portuguese staked a claim and then the Spanish. A French architect designed the fortress which was desired by Mohammed III as a protection.  The problem came when he tried to defend against his next enemy which was France.  They knew all the tricks of the plan.

Our local guide led us through the always mysterious Medina and to the top of the fortifications. I am always looking for an unusual viewpoint. 

Now only five or six hundred families are permanent residents.  They make their livings from the traditional shipyard which still builds wooded fishing boats.  Ones painted all in blue dot the harbor with colorful nets ready for the next day’s catch.

The town itself is laid out in straight, wide streets with two main intersections.  Since it was a planned village, its whitewashed cement homes and stores are in a neat pattern.  Within the Medina, however, the alleyways are labyrinthine with twists and mysterious dark passageways.  The souk is neatly divided into four sections separated by the broad main streets that continue through the Babs and into the town.  Vendors come daily to sell fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and grains.  Another souk has many antiques and second hand goods.

Since the trade winds blow strongly here and sweep across the open empty land around the city, some years ago forests of Thuya trees were planted to offer an ecological protection.  They are harvested to make many fine wooden decorative and useful objects.  Boxes, bowls and containers of every kind can be produced in a highly polished burled grain finish.  The gnarls, knots, and imperfections create interesting patterns that the skilled artisans know how to enhance.  Many in our group bought gifts for family and friends.

After our tour Elva and I joined Peter and Mey Luoc for lunch at a seaside restaurant.  We selected our Red Snapper from the case and it was grilled for us. The entire fish, minus the head, was served with salad, bread, vegetables, and rice.  We each had wine or soda and the bill was $9.00 each!

The constantly blowing winds bring another gift to Essaouira.  Many visitors come to enjoy the first class wind surfing that is possible year round. While others shopped, Elva and I relaxed at the beach.  We noticed that beautiful hotels were lining the beach road.  None were at the water’s edge.  Each had a private beach across the road on the well packed sand.  These first class resorts had fine beach chairs, bars and small restaurants with plenty of young men to act as servers and beach boys.

The contradictory sights of women in enveloping haiks and holiday makers lounging on the broad beach help you to know that Moroccans are a welcoming people. 

I had to walk down to the water's edge but only ducked my toes in.  The Atlantic was cold!  We all got a little red since the hot sun felt good with the strong breezes.

We walked back to the bus and had a friend waiting for us.  He had to stay behind. We continued back to Marrakech and opted to stay in and skip dinner.