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| Horserace with gunfire, Fantasia Horse Show, Agadir, Morocco |
Before arriving in Morocco, we
had been strongly advised not to wear anything that might show loyalty to any
particular country, and we had to make sure to protect our belongings, so we
had to plan very carefully as to what we would wear as what we would take off
the ship with us.
At a ship lecture the day before
Agadir, Chuck heard that we might be tendering.
I was not happy at the thought of having to haul a wheelchair onto a
tender and off again – twice! Of course
I wouldn’t be doing the hauling, but I don’t like the added inconvenience for
others… So I went down to the Shore
Excursion desk to check and learned that we would be docking. When we got back to the room after dinner,
the daily program stated we would be tendering.
So we checked again. It turned
out that we were going to tender, but the bridge had been informed that a dock
was available – thank goodness. Every
port where we can dock makes things much easier for others!
We weren’t sure what to expect in
Morocco, but we certainly didn’t expect as modern a city as Agadir is! Nestled at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, the
city was founded in 1505; however it was virtually destroyed by an earthquake
back on the 29th of February, 1960.
15,000 people lost their lives, and another 20,000 lost their
homes. The entire city had to be rebuilt
so everything is quite new!
Our excursion took us on a brief
tour of the city, starting with the kasbah high up on a nearby hill. A kasbah is a fort. We wound back and forth on switchbacks to get
up there, and it was worth the journey.
Also destroyed by the earthquake, it was a ruin, but offered a beautiful
panoramic view of the port and the city – that is, if you could get past the
many offers of camel rides, pictures, and wares for sale. These people are very persistent, and it was
a challenge to run the gauntlet of salesmen to get to the walls overlooking the
city. Those who offered the camel rides
were dressed in the traditional blue garb of the Tuaregs, aristocratic nomads
who roamed the deserts south of Agadir with their light-colored camels. Their attire earned them the nickname of “the
blue men”.
Camels used to be the main method
of transporting goods, not to mention part of the bargaining power when a man
wanted to find a wife! Camels can carry
loads of close to 450 lbs, and they eat very little, not to mention their
ability to store water for long periods of time. These camels looked absolutely huge – and
also looked quite healthy. Despite this,
we did take a pass on the offers for camel rides. Our guide Ahmed explained that these camels
were not insured – so we did not take any chances!
As we drove through Agadir on our
tour of the city, we were fascinated by the diversity of people and methods of
transportation. Not only were there many people in western dress, but there
were many men robed in traditional garb.
The women also wore robes as well as head coverings. Ahmed explained that the Berber women could
only show their eyes, so these women were easy to pick out. The Berbers got their name after the Romans
came to try and conquer the area and were met with a tribe that they considered
barbarians. One thing that really
interested us was the contrast between the modern and old methods of
transportation. Most people were either
walking or riding in various motorized vehicles. But for a city of that size, we were amazed
at the number of horse- and donkey-drawn carts we saw!
The main focus of our excursion
was a Moroccan folkloric performance:
Fantasia Horse Show. This
included Berber dancers, acrobats, Andalusian music, and “horse races” run by
horsemen in traditional costumes. As
they finish the race, they shoot off guns.
This race is a part of Moroccan culture that represents manhood,
courage, and hospitality. The acrobats
were incredible – climbing on each other and balancing and jumping and diving
over each other: quite impressive! What
we did not expect was a snake charmer!
He brought out several different snakes, but the only one I could
definitely identify was the cobra. I
never dreamed I’d see someone “charm” a cobra into weaving and swaying to
music! Others may have been black adder,
asp, etc., but I’m not positive on that one.
I found that fascinating, though others commented that the moment the
snakes came out, they headed for the door.
Guess it’s the elementary teacher in me – I was curious, but at a safe
distance, for sure!
Our final stop was at a Berber
market. I went in very briefly just to
see what it was like, but I didn’t buy anything. I was back on the bus very quickly. I didn’t need any carpets or facial
products.
Our stop in Agadir was brief, but
we enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the Moroccan culture.
BT
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