Sardine Safi

Two reasons we called this blog this name. This rather large city catches and processes 30,000 tonnes of sardines a year. So the fishing industry is huge here as well. The large vessels are worth over one million and are owned by Europeans who hire Moroccans to do the work. We met a local when we were wandering around Safi who is an “unofficial “guide. He is a fisherman off one of these boats but is disenchanted with the way things are run. He wants to buy a smaller vessel for $8,000 to work for himself. Meanwhile he scouts around for the odd tourist to show them around and has taught himself English. Most of the sights were closed due to off season but he took us through the old medina. The alleys looked a little daunting to us earlier when we saw them. But entering everyone was so friendly especially the kids. We heard some children singing in the class room for after school singing lessons and being curious our new friend showed us in and introduced us to the children and they sang a song to us in French. What a lovely moment. The room was so tiny, dark, no decoration just old wooden desks. The kids were about 6 years old I think. Onwards we went, this medina was on a hill so the alleys went up at a fast rate. No pretty decorations or tiles here in this part as in other towns. Not the place tourists went in to very often so it was a la natural. Dogs, cats, food scraps and very damp. We climbed up steeper and steeper until we reached the Sultans Palace at the top of the city. The views were fantastic. The palace is a museum now but closed for renovations…after parting with a little tip we were let in by the security person. All the artifacts had been removed but the decorations, frescoes and artwork on the ceilings were quite beautiful and the stonework etched like lace. We saw the rooms that people were imprisoned in. Outside we saw two trees from Mexico over 350 years old. Interesting to have someone find this for us and then know all about it. He then took us up on to someone’s walls on to a precarious terrace to see all over Safi. Marvellous. The city is also famous for its pottery but we chose not to get involved in the processes as we were tired of the bartering etc that goes on in the very competitive world of the Souqs. When we arrived in the city we found a dodgy small hotel. It was 90 Dirhams a night the cheapest accom yet, that’s $13 a double. The room was very Spartan but very clean and it was at the edge of the medina. The only toilet was on our floor and was a squat. It was an insight into a true Moroccan city without the trappings of tourism. OK now part two of the sardines. There are two types of taxis in Morocco the ‘petit’ that takes you around the internal part of the city and out to the fringes to the ‘grand’ taxi stand. Then you take them to the next town or village or you can take the local bus which is always unreliable. Upon arriving at the grand taxi stand which is a dusty paddock we were assigned one of the Mercedes going to Oualidia to us. The mercs are about 30 years old or more. Door handles are rope, there is no such thing as a speedometer or any dials that are working. We loaded our packs in the back and we knew we would have to wait until the taxi filled up. It was the standard 5 seater sedan that should hold 5. We got in the back and two more squeezed in. Then two sat in the passenger seat next to the driver. Don’t ask me how he changed the gears because I could not see squashed in with 3 others in the back. We start to drive the 70 kms then pulled into the service station and fill up with oil not fuel. It was all very funny. No -one uttered a sound or spoke to us or each other. Next thing he stops and picks up another customer on the side of the road. He shared the driver’s seat, how he even turned the wheel I don’t know..so that was the sardine bit. Next thing the guy next to Nick starts talking to us in English…he is a French teacher. He thought it was all a little crazy too. People got in and out then a friend of the teacher gets in and said hello not just from him but welcome from all Moroccans to his country. Great drive and nearly rivalled our Chicken buses in Central America.