Morocco 27/28 July 2007

Final short descent from Aroumd to Imlil where we said goodbye to our cook who had produced varied vegatarian meals in a tent to high standards of hygiene (no tummy upsets - very important when camping and the loo is a hole in the ground), and to our muleteer.
Drove back to Marrakech where we spent the afternoon haggling in the souks. We bought a lampshade for 50 Dirhams, much to the disgust of the shopkeeper who originally asked 1500 Dirhams. We also bought three tagines (a decorated one for Rob and Lee for their new home, a plain one for Mark to use, and an unglazed one for Jenny for its aesthetic qualities) for 260 Dirhams with the deal being concluded with kisses for Mark from the shopkeeper (we must have paid too much) but Jenny was too quick for him and fled the shop before he could catch her too.

Had a final meal out in a hotel where we had our first alcohol for a week - a bottle of Moroccan wine.

Flew home on Saturday.

The trip was organised through Classic Journeys. http://www.classicjourneys.co.uk/

Morocco 26 July 2007

4am alarm call for a 5am start. The ski-jackets finally came into their own in the cold of the early morning at altitude.

We made the long, slow ascent up interminable scree and reached the summit of Mount Toubkal (4167m) about 9.30am.

Somewhat perversely, Jenny found going down tougher than going up (Mark's view being the opposite, probably as a result of him lugging up more weight owing to his podgy gut!)

As on Monday, Jenny used up her full 2 litre camel pack of water, something to bear in mind for our trip to Kilimanjaro - so a useful learning experience. We were both glad to reach the refuge again by lunchtime and have a long cold drink in the shade.

After lunch we broke camp and made the long descend back to Aroumd. And yes, those hot showers again.

Morocco 25 July 2007

A steady climb all day, past the Sidi Chamarouch shrine, brought us to the Toubkal Refuge (3207m).

Here we again found hot showers and Jenny claimed to have seen a flushing toilet. I was sceptical after several days of the "toilet tent" - a portaloo shaped tent that served as mere camouflage for a hole in the ground.

After days of being on our own, the number of people camping at the refuge was a bit of a shock.

We were also disappointed to see the amount of litter being left lying around by all these people.

As we waited for dinner, sitting in our tent, we were visited by a little goat kid. It probably figured it was safer here with the vegetarians than out there with everybody else.

We also noticed that many of the mules had open sores from where their harnesses rubbed. We were pleased to see that ours did not and that they were being adequately fed and cared for by our muleteer.

Guide humour (cont.): "A crocodile lived in a lake and whenever anybody swam in the lake he would invariably eat them up. One day a beautiful girl went to the lake and she was so hot that she decided to go for a swim. Nothing happened. Why not? Answer: Because the crocodile was at the party thrown by the lion."

Morocco 24 July 2007

An easy day. Leaving Tachddirt we climbed to the Tizi n'Tamatert pass then descended into the Ait Mizane valley. After a long lunch break (major progress made on Harry Potter) we continued down to Imlil then climbed the other side to reach our camp at Aroumd.

Paid 10 Dirhams each (about 70p) for a blissful hot shower at a guest house in the village.

Guide humour (cont.): "A lion threw a party for all the animals. Only one animal didn't turn up. Which one? Answer: The horse because it was stuck in the fridge."

Morocco 23 July 2007

Apparently real camping involves putting up your own tent. Mark found it hard to understand why then he had been given a tent designed for a dwarf and was expected to share this with Jenny, when neither of them fitted in it lengthways.



The first days proper trekking started with an ascent of Mount Oukaimden (3263m). Mark was disappointed to find that the ski-lift and mountain top restaurant were closed until next January.

Having allegedly acclimatised ourselves to the altitude, we descended to the track and made the steady climb to the pass of Tizi n'Eddi (2928m). While stopping here for a picnic lunch, we were approached by a berber who appeared out of nowhere and tried to sell us necklaces. We must have been the only hikers through there in days. Where did he come from? How can he make a living selling trinkets to occasional passers-by? Do all berbers have a supply of these to hand just in case they meet a foreigner, however remote they may be from civilisation?


After a long descent into the Inemame Valley, with the camp coming into view then tantalising disappearing out of sight behind another outcrop, we reached Tacheddirt (2300m).

Guide Humour: "How do you get a horse in a fridge in only three moves? Answer: 1 Open the fridge door. 2 Put the horse in the fridge. 3 Close the fridge door."

Morocco 22 July 2007

After a two hour drive into the Atlas Mountains we reached Oukaimden.

We walked around the valley, seeing the neolithic carvings, then climbed a short distance to reach our camp.

Morocco 21 July 2007

The plan was simple. Pack picnic along with the luggage, go to see Jools Holland at Westonbirt then carry on to the airport and snatch a few hours sleep on a bench there before the 4.30am check-in opened.

Best laid plans were thrown completely awry on arrival at Westonbirt to find the concert cancelled. Nothing for it but to turn round, head home and have the picnic in the flat with a cd of Jools Holland. After a slightly longer, and more comfortable sleep (possibly the last for a week), drove to Gatwick in the early hours. On the way, we picked up a copy of the new Harry Potter, to be read in the seclusion of the Atlas Mountains, minimising the risk of anyone giving away the ending.

We did feel a bit out of place on arrival at Marrakech airport, in temperatures in the high 30s and rising, wearing our ski-jackets.

Quick change at the hotel then made our way to Djemaa el Fna. Jenny wondered what all the fuss was about, seeing it in daylight. Had the first of many mint teas near the Katoubia Mosque then, after lunch, ventured into the souks. The impression is of a cool labyrinth of shops and bazaars piled high with all manner of goods: carpets, jewellery, pottery and tourist tat alongside everyday items of food and spices. Some shops seemed to go back and back forever.

Eventually emerged out the far side and visited the Ben Yousseff Mederza, where up to 800 scholars studied the Koran in a warren of small cells around a beautifully decorated courtyard.

We made our way back through the souk and less crowded back streets, where we felt completely safe in a way that would be unthinkable in equivalent parts of major ciies in the UK.


In the evening we returned to Djemaa el Fna and now Jenny understood why it is so famous. The square was full of bustle, people, hawkers, story-tellers, dancers, noise and smoke from the host of stalls cooking food on the spot. We passed booths crammed with people eating anything from sheeps heads to snails. We didn't brave the stalls (food-poisoning on day one of a camping holiday...doesn't bear thinking about) but ate in a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the square.