In my last post, I mentioned going to a fair in the next town south of where I’m staying with my hotel “neighbors.” I met Imat and Safiye, along with their son Salman and they told me that they were going to be visiting Sidi Ifni that afternoon because there was a large fair and exhibition going on this week. They invited me to join them that afternoon.
Riders at Fantasia, Sidi Ifni
One of the big things happening at the fair was a Fantasia. This is a Moroccan tradition when a group of men ride on horseback together in a row. They are armed and the goal is to shoot their guns off simultaneously as they are galloping down the field. It’s actually much more difficult to do than it sounds.
Imat had a rental car. He’s originally Moroccan and Safiye is from Turkey, but they both live in Germany now. Their son is about six years old and speaks German, but is learning Arabic and Turkish and English. Quite the accomplished little guy! We drove from our hotel that afternoon over to Sidi Ifni, about 10 kilometers from Legzira.
Hot Beeswax!
When we arrived at the fair, we first went to a big exhibition hall where many booths were set up, kind of like at a county fair. There were booths with local products, such as jam made from the cactus fruits that grow around here (I think they are called prickly pears in the US) or local honey. We actually tried some beeswax at one booth. You chew on it, like gum. What surprised me was that this honey was spicy. Really spicy! Poor Salman’s tastebuds were clearly killing him after he’d been chewing for a while. He was hopping up and down and sucking air in and out. I offered him some water and he guzzled it down like a man dying of thirst. I’ve never had spicy honey before either – it was crazy! I asked the guy at the booth and he said something about the bees using bark or some sort of flowers from tree bark to make their honey, which gave it the spicy flavour. My own mouth was on fire for quite a while!
Safiye tries on a Moroccan Headdress
Outside were booths with jewelry and local clothing, and homemade flatbread made in large ovens. This was also where we found the booth for the parachuting off the Legzira Arch. In a separate area than the exhibition tents were different carnival rides set up for children. Salman had a great time riding the bumper cars for a little while. There was also a flea market-type area set up with booth upon booth of stuff.
Flying Gun Fantasia
We went around a field near the fair to where a bunch of horsemen were preparing their animals for the Fantasia, which would start later that afternoon. After a while, the Fantasia began and it was very interesting watching the guys try to coordinate the galloping and shooting. It didn’t always work, and occasionally a gun or a guy would go flying….
Salman shows off his fish’s toothy grin
Prickly Pear/Cactus Fruit
That night, after the fair, we went back to our hotel for dinner. We had fish – whole fresh fish, cooked to perfection. They had, oddly, enough, full sets of teeth. Also, Imat had gotten some prickly pears to eat and urged me to try them. This was my first time having any of these. They were quite tasty!
Overall, I had a fantastic time in Legzira. Sadly, I doubt that it’ll be the same when I come back (and I definitely want to come back!) This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life, and the fact that it’s so isolated and has so few visitors is one of the things that makes it so special. Even though there are restrictions on building on the beach itself, there are more resorts going up on the cliff, and a place this wonderful isn’t exactly a secret. I fear that before long this will be more touristy and have a lot more traffic. It may not be quite the hidden paradise that it is now.
First Arch thru Second at Sunset
Nevertheless, I’ll come again to this beautiful beach and watch the sunsets under these gorgeous arches….someday. Hopefully, it will retain the charm and stunning beauty that make it so amazing.
Legzira from the North