
Essaouira
Leaving Marrakech and traveling southwest to the Atlantic
coast we traveled across the Valle Harsz, or plains. This
was rich farmland, orchards, and vineyards - all with
irrigation.
The local town of Hanchan had their weekly market on Tuesday
so we decided to stop and look around. Our guide decided
that I need my
head
shaved so there are some great pictures taken by my fellow
travelers.
Our destination was the walled city of
Essaouira
with a population of about 45,000. It is known for its
windy conditions and windsurfers. We walked the narrow
alleys of the old city and had lunch at a local
restaurant. We were invited to see a former building being
converted into a luxury hotel with 24 rooms overlooking the
ocean. These pictures were lost when I accidentally
deleted them from my camera.
The harbor is
interesting with numerous small fishing boats and a shipyard
still building wood-hulled boats. The ramparts and harbor
gate are from the Portuguese influence.
The land between the coast and the plains is rocky and flat
but ideal place for Argan
trees to grow. Local goats actually climb the thorned
branches to eat the larger nuts and then eliminate the smaller
hard nuts used in Argan oil. We stopped at a local co-op
in the town of Tioute to watch the ladies make the oil.
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