This morning Abdullah took us to the port. We chatted with a retired fisher who now paints names on boats. He explained that most fishers go out in open boats, some with inboard motors and others with outboards. The boats have deep keels to store the catch; if the catch is small, they will stay out on the ocean – in their small open boats! – for days before returning.
Informal auctions take place as boats come in with their catch and other organized vendors display their fish on the quay. We saw older women leaving the port with baskets of fish. They were widows of fishers – their former colleagues give them fish every day to help keep them going. We picked out our lunch from the morning’s catch – red mullet, red snapper, squid and shrimp. The fish was cleaned on the spot and the discarded parts thrown on the ground for the many cats and hundreds of seagulls who help keep the quay clean.
While we lounged in the sun at a sidewalk cafe, Abdullah took the fish and some veggies he purchased to a restaurant to be cooked. The restaurant opened just for us; during Ramadan there’s not much point of all the little local cafés opening during the day. Talk about service!
We wandered through the medina and the souk, orienting ourselves to Essaouira. The city is picturesque, a photographer’s delight.
I spent some time shooting doors.
We have been fortunate with the weather – while we have had a couple of overcast days we have had no rain. Here in Essaouira the evening fog rolls in so we also have no brilliant sunsets to watch. But we lucked out with no sandstorms in the desert so I’m not complaining!
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