Essouira

The next day, we set off to the seaside town of Essouira, which is one of the most popular day trips from Marrakech. Just 3 hours away by public mini bus, the town of Essouira is well worth the 6 hour return commute. Elah and I sat up front with the driver. He did not speak much English, so we ended up speaking to each other in French about Essouira (where to eat, what to see etc.) Along the way, the mini bus took us to an argon oil collective (By this point, Elah and I were not surprised that this mandatory tourist stop was included in our journey). While at the women’s artisan collective, I just felt like there was something slightly “off.” I was afraid that although the tour guides were telling us that the Berber women working there received 75% of the profits, the reality may have been different. The entire set up was just too touristy – all the women lined up in a room, pounding away at the shells of the argon seed etc. I feel that that work would normally be done in the women’s home as part of a traditional artisan economic system.

The road to Essouira, as hinted at above, is know for its argon oil forests. One thing to note about argon oil is that goats are an important part of the processing of the oil. They eat the seeds off the argon trees, and only after they are digested, do the women pound of the shell (which is easier to get off after passing through the goat’s digestive tract). There is a really famous photograph of a goat perched on an extended argon oil branch. Elah was hoping to spot one of those goats munching away on such a precarious perch. On the way to Essouira, we passed entire trees of goats! Sadly, these were not natural occurrences, but part of Morocco’s tourist trade. I can just imagine the goats being like, "How did we get up here? This is so awkward! How do we get down?" We came across another such photo op as we approached an overlook onto Essouira. There were no tree goats here, but camels instead! Elah and I did not partake.

  

Essouira was just so beautiful. Many Europeans liken it to St. Malo in France (it was designed by the same architect). It actually reminded me of some of the seaside towns along the Mediterranean with its white washed buildings and blue shutters. AND it was a beautiful, sunny day to boot (and not too windy).

We had four hours to explore the city before we had to catch the mini van back to Marrakech. We started off on the docks – right where the boats dock and the fish merchants sell their wares right along the quay. The wind smelled like salt and fresh fish (something neither Elah and I were used to!) Dozens of vendors displayed their catches along the road: stingray, squid, fishes, crabs, shrimps. All sorts of delicious, fresh catches. People swarmed on the market, picking out their fish for lunch/dinner, I assume. In addition to the crowds and vendors, we saw many sailors manning their boats, mending their bright red fishing nets, selling their catches to restaurants etc. 

Elah and I walked up onto the ramparts to look out at the famous islands just off the coast – where they used to make the infamous purple dye from crushed crustacean shells only found in that part of Africa (You may or may not be impressed by the following…I actually knew that fun fact about the dyes not from our guidebook but from something I remember reading in one of my world history textbooks in middle school. As part of a project in 6^th grade, I had to do a bit of research on royal medieval garb, and I learned that purple was one of the most expensive dyes for a good part of western history because the dye was produced on one tiny islands just off the coast of Africa. I was history nerd then, and am a history nerd now).

After prowling the ramparts and snapping a few photos, we made our way to one of the ancient forts along the coast to get an even better view of the coast and city. We happily watched seagulls fly by over our heads as we smelled the fresh sea breeze. After our short visit to the fort, we went to some of the nearby fish stalls to pick out some fish and have them grill it right there. I tried a mild white fish. Delicious! We ended up sitting across from a middle aged French woman who lives in the French part of Switzerland. She did not speak any English, so I held an 30-minute long conversation with her and would translate for Elah. This woman had visited Morocco 5 years ago and went on a Berber/Saharan desert tour. She said the Sahara desert part was absolutely magnificent. She said that the immensity of the desert really inspired her. She also had only good things to say about Berber culture and how friendly and open the people are. Elah and I were excited to hear this since we signed up for a hike through the High Atlas mountains/Berber villages the next day.

After lunch, Elah and I headed into the medina where we did a bit of shopping. The prices were so much less expensive in Essouira than in Marrakesh! Things were seriously 1/3 the price – both touristy things and produce. For example, olives are 20 Dh per kilo in Marrakech and only 7 Dh per kilo in Essouira. As you can imagine, I bought a whole bag full of spicy olives to munch on. We also noted that shop keepers just let us look around their shops without pressuring us (for the most part). It was such a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. And, as a little side note, this ADORABLE old man with half his teeth missing struck up a conversation with me in French at the olive stand. He, of course, asked how I liked Morocco and which city I preferred etc. What a friendly guy! He bought his olives, bid us a good day, and set off.

That night, Elah and I decided to brave Jmaal El Fnaa. We left our purses, cameras, and precious items at our hostel. I shoved 100 Dh in my bra, and we set off into the crowds free of worry of being pick pocketed (which is notoriously terrible in the square). We walked around, enjoying the sights that we had only observed from on high the past few days. It was so overwhelming and awesome! Although, I have to admit, it was a pain to be hassled by aggressive performers to donate money for shows that we weren’t even watching. But, when they see a European-looking tourist, they pounce on them to see if they can get some sort of easy income.

Eventually, Elah and I made our way to restaurant #1, which was highly recommended by Trip Advisor/Lonely Planet and is used to dealing with tourists. Elah and I scored two seats right near the grill – PERFECT! We had the best seats in the house and a really friendly waiter who didn’t pressure us into buying anything we didn’t want. The star of the night, by far, was the pastilla. Elah and I are not sure if it was chicken or pigeon pastille, but we loved the sugary cinnamon outer crust and the white meat and peanut filling. I mean, I REALLY loved the addition of the peanuts. I told Elah that I wanted to add that pastilla to the list of things I want to eat before I die. In addition to that dish, we had grilled eggplant, lamb, chicken, and beef as well as fresh bread with tomato and spicy sauces. (We actually ended up going back to the same exact place the next night to have the same things! It was that good).