Morocco, Essaouira - Day 3

Essaouira (Eh swar ah) is a little fishing village about two hours drive from Marrakech. We went with a tour group in a very comfortable van with about eight other people. It stops at a halfway point for a break and to grab snacks. Gratefully, this was a sunny day and we were looking forward to down time.

This was a little bit bigger than we expected and it was a busy port….

… but the beach was beautiful and the sun was warm. After wandering the little town and eating lunch, it was time for a nap!

One of the stops along the way, was the Argon processing station. Argon fruit looks just like olives (in the picture above) but it is not. Even the trees look alike but the fruit is not tasty to eat. Instead, it is turned into an amazing skin care product. All of this work is done by hand, as you can see in the pictures. They first break the shells off the seeds and then grind the seeds into a paste. Eventually the oil is extracted from the paste and purified, becoming clear. The remaining brown paste is then edible but I don't recall in what. This is a wonderful skin softening product… yes, we are bringing some back with us.

Next stop is Torremolinos, Spain.