Agadir

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We decided to take the bus to Agadir. Only 3 bus companies run from Marrakech, one of which isn’t air conditioned. Of course we picked an air conditioned bus as the temperature was averaging around 100 degrees. After boarding our bus in between the mass chaos, we realized it was HOT. The AC wasn’t pumping and there was a faint smell of urine. Definitely not the Hampton Jitney. After sitting for 45 minutes in the melting heat, the bus finally started moving. We drove 3 hours to the coast - Agadir. We got off the bus and a miracle happened… we were not sweating. It was easily 20 degrees cooler than Marrakech. Heaven hit us - a cool breeze. YUM!

We got into a grand taxi (there are petit or grand - only the grand can hold luggage) and headed to our hotel. This was more like a resort. Hundreds of rooms, a huge pool with 100+ lounge chairs, spa, and concierge… completely opposite from where we came from. The beach is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. We spent the afternoon walking around the town. The roads are so windy and confusing. It is near impossible to follow it on a map. We got plenty lost. When we realized we made it to the Royal Palace… it was definitely confirmed that we went the wrong direction. By the end of the night, we saw a lot and got a good feel for Agadir. Overall, it is a cross pollination of Atlantic City and Florida with a lot more culture and history. This is one city that houses American fast food (Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds). We even ate at an Italian restaurant as we needed a Tagine break.

The following day we spent hours at the beach. It was quite lovely. There are so many different nationalities of people in Agadir. It is a big beach town for Europeans and Moroccans. Everyone first assumes that we are French. When we say no, they assume we are British. When we tell them we are Americans, it is very clear they have not met many! On multiple occasions, some Moroccans told us that we were the 1st Americans they have ever met. Anyhow, the beaches are interesting - some Europeans are topless, some women’s head’s are covered wearing shorts and t-shirts, while other women are fully covered head to toe - and YES, they do spend time going in the ocean… fully clothed.

Our 2nd night was spent by the Marina; this is a new part of Agadir with lots of high end shops and restaurants. We tried a beautiful restaurant at the edge of the marina and the beginning of the beach. The atmosphere was mesmerizing, the food was terrible. I think we’ll stick with more local places from now on.

The morning of day 3 was spent at the Souks. The Souks are similar to a flea market; however there is livestock. This was very different than Marrakech. There was a lot more space to roam freely and the shop owners weren’t as pushy. There was also the most beautiful ‘famer’s market’. The fruits and vegetables were plentiful. We then wondered over to an area with 100’s of caged chickens and rabbits. Two words - stinky and depressing. Chickens were being defeathered after they are killed… we walked out after 3 minutes. We spent the afternoon at the pool… reading, relaxing and chit chatting.

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