Safi, Morocco

May 24, 2026

Safi also has a kasbah (fortress).  It is on the Atlantic coast.  It too was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. 

In recent decades, Portugal has been funding preservation and restoration of these ancient buildings.  These facts are well known to the locals and they are quick to point this out to tourists

Unfortunately, the kasbah was recently damaged by torrential rain in Dec 2025.  After a seven year drought, the rain caused flash flooding in the walled city.  That the kasbah slopes toward the ocean made it much worse.

Fifty two people died.  Many of them children.  Something similar happened in Fez at about the same time.

Currently a strong effort to rebuild the damaged area is in progress.  I am told this is well funded by the Moroccan government.

Path to Safi

So the last time we were in this area, Sharon discovered Abdullah, a farmer living in a rustic one room house, no electricity,  or plumbing.  The produce he grew on his one acre farm, he sold at the roadside stand where he lived. 

Abdullah insisted that we both come inside for tea and cookies.  Even though we had a language barrier that I was not able to bridge well with Google translate, he was very happy to have company and share his world with us.

We noticed his walls were covered with thank you notes from all over Europe.  Sharon and I concluded this was important to Abdullah, and we should contribute.  We did.

When we returned to Portugal, Sharon printed photos of our first meeting and wrote a postcard from Portugal.  I found a trinket (Barcelos Rooster) as a momento to give him.

Instead of mailing it all to him, I decided to deliver it to him by bicycle. He lives about a day’s ride north of Safi.  He did not know I was coming.  We have no way to communicate.  I just showed up.

In the first minute of my arrival Abdullah demonstrated how important these connections are to him.  I had barely removed my helmet and sunglasses when he called me by name. 

Like I said, he was not expecting me.  He doesn’t know I ride a bicycle.  Next he shrugged ‘where was Sharon?’  I think he really  missed Sharon.

Anyway, Abdullah was generous with tea, cookies, and melon.  I really would love to have taken him out to dinner.  I could not communicate this, and perhaps it was an impractical idea.  It is 30km to the nearest town.  In fact Abdullah never indicates that he would like to be compensated in any way.

Glitch in the plans

Strange and surprising how this adventure is coming together.  While I have been slowly pedaling down the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, my wife, brimming with curiosity has been exploring the Mediterranean coast of Morocco.  We did not plan this out in detail.

Sharon did not bring her bicycle this time.  She is traveling by public transportation, and demonstrating her chops at traveling alone in this strange land. 

We planned to meet up occasionally, but now we are almost three weeks into this adventure and haven’t yet met.  We will need to meet later this week.  I will explain below.

So now I am only two or three days from my destination, Essaouira. I find myself constrained by a combination of weather and culture. 

The weather will get uncomfortably hot over the next few days and Morocco will be celebrating its largest holiday later this week, Eid al- Adha.  This holiday will shut down all stores and restaurants for two or three days, while the families assemble for a grand feast. Tourists are warned. 

Sharon and I had figured we would hunker in an apartment with a kitchen during this time. This way we cook for ourselves.  Like we did during Ramadan last time we were here. 

Our target was to do this in Essaouira.  We’d need a day or two to set this up.  But the uncharacteristically hot temperature (38C =  101F)  in the next few days will slow me down.

Solutions exist.  Sharon could arrive in Essaouira ahead of me and set up the place as we’d planned.  It could all work, but  this morning, a better solution presented itself.

I met a fisherman named Nour Eddine Ramouli.  He has spent much of his life here in Safi.  His English is pretty good.  He showed me the highlights of the place. 

We discussed the upcoming holiday.  He suggested that Sharon and I spend it with his family.  We could get involved with preparing the feast. Talk about cultural immersion.

I will meet him tomorrow morning to go shopping for the food.  This is a great solution.  Sharon will join us the day after to get involved in the preparation.

In my next blog I’ll tell you how this went.