El Jadida Magic

El Jadida is for us, a most pleasant place to be. It's a very real Moroccan town which after sunset, comes alive like bees in a nest, ants on the swarm or a flock of starlings on the wing. It is mesmerising. Not uncommon to see a traveller stood staring in disbelief at the sight. The throng of locals, thick as a football crowd, flow like a river! Hunting bargains in the packed shops and stalls, eating snails or chic peas freshly cooked on the roadside. Men, women, children, beggars and Policemen walk side by side. Tourists ( only a few after dark ) are treated with kindness or just ignored. “Hello, Cat Stevens” a friendly lad says to me. “Maharaba” (Welcome). 

We stop at a date shop we know well. Same man, same pleasantries. We buy a kilo of dates, Tmer, a kilo of dried figs, Kermous, and a small pretty bellows! Because it will look so sweet in the van! So that's khamsa u tletin for the dates, settin for the kermous and khamsin for the belows (think scottish ch for kh). A grand total of mya khamsa u reba'in dirhams – one hundred and forty five dirhams! Now the difference it makes to say these numbers is amazing. It opens doors, it breaks the ice. Peoples faces break into huge smiles, shop keepers start chuckling, shoppers start chatting. Friendships are made and often small gifts are given to us in appreciation of our efforts to speak Arabic. It warms our hearts and reminds us of why we keep on coming back. The people are friendly anyway but when you say hello or count in their tongue, the response is multiplied. 

We buy an orange juice squeezer, you know, the sort you press a half cut orange into and collect the juice. The young man was delighted with my teltash dirham (13 Dhs). As we passed his shop later on, I caught his eye and he put his hand on his heart! And smiled. Knocks my socks off it does. 

It's a 2 or 3 mile walk from the campsite to the date shop and back. All through crowded streets of mechanics at work, cafe's roasting chickens, coffee houses full of men at play. And to finish off, the walk back along the crowded promenade, camels and horses for hire, snails and soup to eat, flood lighting the beach for pleasure!! Absolutely Morocco at its best. El Jadida should be on the tourist map along with Marrakech and Essaouira, but it's not. And that is what makes it so special.