August 27th – Sunset in Asilah

A wanted to go for a dip in the pool, so I borrowed her Harry Potter and joined K in lounging on the deckchairs. Now, we were ready to explore the town. Asilah is a popular seaside destination for the Spanish, and storekeepers are more likely to address you in Spanish than French or English. We poked through the shops a bit but were pretty much all shopped out for this country. The town plays host to an international art festival every year, where artists worldwide are invited to contribute to the murals throughout the streets. You can see A here posing next to one of them.

On our way through the streets we passed this one stand selling intricate boxes and mirrors made of scented wood (cedar, thuja etc.) decorated with inlaid bones (os de chameau ou de poisson anyone?) and stones. The reflection of the sunset-lit buildings in the mirrors complemented the Moroccan paintings hung on either side so nicely. I distracted the shopkeeper by looking through the postcard rack while A took a picture.

Our big plan for the night was to catch the sunset and have a final Moroccan dinner. The sunset we did do admirably, first from the ramparts of the old part of town, and the final descent from a beach promontory. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen the sun sink into the ocean like that, but what a finale to the two weeks here.

Dinner came with free appetizers of olives (I ate so many olives that night) and some grilled aubergines, as well as one final stray cat begging at our feet (it wouldn’t have been complete without). A and I had the fish tajines (we were by the ocean after all, seafood dominated the trilingual menu), while K had calamari.

During dinner, a boy came up to our patio table trying to sell something. The restaurant owner advanced at him menacingly and the boy fell backwards as he tried to get away. The owner seemed almost about to hit him but then realized that all the people on the patio were watching.

We strolled with the locals on the main road for a bit before turning in for the night. Tomorrow we would begin our long trip home.

Next - The Long Journey Back. Part I - Taxi to Tangier