Armed -> Essaouira

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Early morning hike from the gite back down to Imlil was invigorating and we encountered a Berber shepherd and his herd of goats. It was back on the road again, driving through Marrakech to reach the seaside town of Essaouira. Along the way there were many argan aka goat trees, a thorny tree whose nut is much valued for everything from dip for homemade bread, protection for skin and acne treament. The argan tree only grows in Morocco and Mexico and due to over exploitation argan forests here are slowing receding. Hopefully with the UNESCO designation of world biosphere reserve, the argan forests will thrive again. Many women argan product cooperatives can be found near and in Essourira. We stopped at one to see the process of argan oil extraction, a very tedious process.

In the afternoon we had a guided tour of the port and the medina. The medina is smaller and much more manageable and it was nice to hear the pounding Atlantic waves. The port was built in 1760 and is still going strong, with many stands selling daily catch of sardines, calamari and other kinds of seafood. We then walked along the wall to the north bastion. Here if you stand in the middle of the circle and talk, you can hear your own echo. Many canons are still positioned along the wall, some with engravings. Tonight I had seafood instead of a tagine for a change.

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Photos

P1020433
Berber shepherd

Essaouira
port

Essaouira
blue is Essaouira's colour

Photo 11
Moroccans love their spices

Photo 13
tagines and more tagines

Photo 14
fresh catch of the day