Banana Village or Aourir is situated 7 km north of Agadir. The Atlantic Ocean coast location with a mountainous back drop give this village a special appeal to people traveling south in Morocco down the "International Road" a few km after the village of Taghazout.
Banana Village was given its name by Jimmy Hendrix in the 1960's due to the large quantities of fresh sweet bananas which are found for sale on the side of the road and grown in Imouzzer situated in the valley above.
The spring water flowing up through the rocks has been redirected to irrigate the banana trees which have been a main source of barter through the generations. The village is still called Aourir by the older Moroccans. Argan trees can be found growing behind the village.
The Souk is the highlight of the village's week, every Wednesday the market place is filled with the colours and smells of the fresh products, lemons, oranges, the mixed aroma of Tajine spices, the heat of the afternoon sun and the distant noise of the waves hitting the beach give this market a special vibe to the people who are lucky enough to be there.
I picked up a new accessory for the Yamaha TY250 at the Souk; baby Mule panniers. These fit over the frame of the bike and are perfect for a quick trip to the market.
Founded in 1977 and hopefully still going strong. Siad's Garage, is filled with parts and hands which can help you with any mechanical problem which could appear...You have one of the problems that we have all bad dreams about; the van goes wrong. SIAD with his team (Mohammed and Lowafi) can mend all, from an oil change to new springs, these boys will do the job. This was the first garage in the village and the main customers over the last 3 decades have been the hippies and their collection of colourful campers. Road Side Repairs and Recovery.
The people of the city are used to the passage of different cultures, with the hippies of the 50s, 60s and 70's leaving the last scar on the cities colourful history when it became a favourite refuge for rock stars including Cat Stevens and Jimy Hendrix in need of rest and relaxation away from the pressures of their fast moving worlds. You will be able to talk to the older generation over a few cups of tea on the topic, they all will give you stories of wild nights and beach parties.
The surf Club of Aourir has a story which would easily come from the fairy books: One sunset a Moroccan surfer was out surfing 6-8ft Anchor Point, when King Hassan V joined the lineup to shoot a few waves on his jet bike.. the boy in the water started to talk to the King about the lack of funds in Moroccan surfing and how it was difficult to find and buy equipment.
The King listened to the boy over a few sets and said that he would help. Since this point break meeting, money has been given by The King to help Moroccan surfers compete on the International, National surfing circuits and to buy equipment for the fund less surf clubs of Morocco.
