Tafraout to Essaouira- another side of Morocco

Thursday, September 12

Today we travelled from the past to the present and saw another side of this amazing country of Morocco. I had no idea our early morning departure from Tafraout for Essaouira would mean such a change my mind’s eye image of Morocco.

We wound through the hills of this region with great vistas along the way. It’s so frustrating not to be able to get good pictures of the landscapes to share but on the bus it’s near impossible to get pictures that would really give you a sense of what it looks like. There were oodles of hairpin turns and snaking up and down, with the odd glimpse of another huge and beautiful villa on the hillsides. These are summer homes of some of the Moroccan and international rich, that for the most part of the year sit empty. The gap between the rich and the poor here, like in many countries in the world, is vast. And as always, travel and seeing how other people of the world live, reminds me of how good a life I have in the best country in the world.

Along the road today Abdul talked to us about the healthcare system in Morocco. Again, I may not have understood properly and any errors or omissions are mine alone. To start with, people that have the coveted government jobs are covered for healthcare and for those that have a fixed salary there is insurance available. And 4 years ago the government created a new card system whereby those deemed to be poor can get access to hospitals and medical treatment. The government is encouraging the nomadic people to settle into an area where there are services and their children can be educated. This free healthcare would appear to be one of the incentives to help them do that. Many companies only give people contracts of only 5 months and 29 days rather than putting them on salary and for those on contract or without jobs there is no option but to pay for healthcare themselves. Add the fact that there is no unemployment insurance program and for those without health care insurance any serious illness can lead them to financial ruin. As our American fellow travellers pointed out, this is also currently the case in their country.

After making our way toward the Atlantic for a few hours we left the traditional small villages and mountains behind and arrived into the relatively large city of Agadir with a population of approximately 700,000. Agadir is on the Atlantic coast and provides support for the surrounding agriculture industry and also is a tourist destination given it’s proximity to the Atlantic and it’s beautiful beaches. A huge earthquake in 1960 devastated the city and so it has been mostly rebuilt with modern architecture. It is still growing fast and there was building going on everywhere, with condos and malls with Walmart-like superstores.

Just for something different we stopped at a supermarket to buy lunch for a picnic on our way up the coast. It felt a little surreal after all the ancient medinas, and small villages to be back in the present. I love visiting grocery stores in other countries to see what products are for sale there, and while we were scrambling a bit to find something that we wanted to eat, it was fun to look around and see familiar things. Although my Coke Zero had an Arabic label, I could tell by the can it was the right one.

A few kilometers up the coast, Abdul and our driver found a great spot where there were surfers to watch and rounded rocks to sit on, and shade for those that wanted it. It was a perfect spot to enjoy our lunch. The ocean air feels great at any time, but after all our time in the arid countryside we especially enjoyed the gentle breezes of salty air.

We followed the Atlantic for a short while and then headed over the coastal hills and on to a fairly straight route on to Essaouira. Along the way we stopped at a cooperative to learn about Argon Oil. I had never even heard about it before coming to Morocco but it’s apparently “a thing”. It’s used for both beauty products as well as cooking, although the process for anything edible includes roasting. One of the foodies on the tour was waiting for this stop and loaded up because it’s so much cheaper here than in the States. We had heard stories of the love that goats have for Argon seeds and sharp eyes on the bus saw several of them in the trees of a grove along the highway. We weren’t able to stop at the spot that we first saw them but a little while later there was another herd and we stopped at the side of the road to take pictures. It was hilarious to sense them actually climbing in the tree to get at the nuts.

Our stop for tonight, and the last one before heading back to Marrakesh, is Essaouira, an ocean side town with a small medina that has become a typical beach tourist town. There are lots of Moroccans here, but there are also visitors from around the world judging by the style of dress and languages spoken. The focus here seems to be on fun and entertainment.

Our beautiful hotel is inside the medina and we’re able to walk around the manageable area to get to the restaurants and shops of the medina. The medina is small enough not to be overwhelming and Abdul gave us an orientation tour and then left us alone in the square. It was like a mother letting her chicks go! We came back to our hotel and had a drink on the roof top deck and enjoyed what is my favourite hotel of the trip for a bit. We had seen a roof top cafe/bar just off the main square and although it was a little windy and cool, we opted to go there for dinner and it was the right choice. They had live entertainment and the singer from the Côte d’Ivoire who had just a great voice and the music added to the location to create a fabulous buzz.