Morocco, Marrakesh and the mountain.
Morocco, Medina and mayhem!
At the beginning of this year, we travelled to Morocco, it’s been on my list of places I’d love to see for years. We spent a couple of days in the chaos and bustle of Marrakesh before heading out to the Atlas Mountains for some walking and some peace. It was the first time I had travelled overseas for 3 years so I felt quite anxious about going, but it was wonderful to experience such a different culture and some warmth in the depths of our British winter. In fact, it might be my new favourite time to go away – April, May and June are all so very beautiful in Cornwall then the school holidays hit and it’s too expensive and too hot in lots of places for me and then autumn comes and that, too, is very beautiful at home!
Our airport taxi dropped us just inside the walls of the Medina and instructed us that that was as far as he could go and we just needed to ‘walk that way’ followed by hand gestures so we picked up our luggage and headed into the seething mass of people, scooters, cats and lost tourists!! We found our beautiful Riad in the heart of the walled city (after a wrong turn and a helpful local); it was tucked away down high sided, narrow streets and behind a heavy studded wooden door. Once inside, the little passage way opened onto a serene courtyard centred around a deep green plunge pool, a little trickle fountain and some carefully chosen flowering shrubs. An orange tree stood in one corner and a 40ft palm tree presided over everything.
Cats and kittens materialised from shady spots to inspect us and we had our first mint tea of the holiday. We headed out to walk the narrow streets to Djema El Fna, the famous market square, with souks littering the surrounding streets and people promenading and socialising everywhere. It was New Year’s Eve. The buzz was electric. There were vendors, entertainers, tourists, locals, families and couples, all blending together in this glorious riot of colour and sound. There were fresh juice stands stacked high with colourful fruits, nut sellers, furry pyjama bottom sellers, bird sellers, leather slipper sellers, snake charmers, it was like being fire hosed with stimulants after living such a small life for so long.
In the following days, we wandered the souks and explored the museums; we were saturated in patterns and colours of the inspirational local crafts, the tiles, rugs, jewellery, Berber costume and towering spice stalls. If I had to choose 2 places I’d recommend to visit, I would choose the Dar Si Said museum and the Jardin Marjorelle. Though that is a very tricky choice; the photography museum had some stunning work and a lovely roof top terrace and the Badii Palace was awe-inspiring in its scale.
To the Mountains, Imlil and Oudite.
On the drive up into the mountains we stopped at a women’s cooperative, making argan oil products, and were met with argan oil dip and bread which was delicious, I’ve never eaten it before and its nutty and rich and truly delicious. We headed to Imlil, a stunningly situated village at the foot of Toubkal Mountain surrounded by walnut and cherry groves with a soundtrack of the tumbling river and a myriad of birds. Our lodge for the next few nights was Kasbah du Toubkal, a Berber style accommodation with lovely bedrooms and a shared lounge/dining area filled with books and log burners. The terrace has the most spectacular views of the surrounding landscape including the snow topped peak of Toubkal, the highest peak in the north of the African continent.
Over the next few days, the walking guide, Omar, took us through landscapes of small pine and broom decorated with shimmering caterpillar nests like huge, dense spider webs, wide dry river beds, acid coloured lichens growing on huge boulders, rocky goat pastures, ancient natural juniper forests, narrow winding scree footpaths and the Azzaden valley, only recently opened up with a tarmac road. Walls are built from boulders and the villages are houses of pinky-red and orange, just the same colour as the dirt paths and completely perfect in the arid, rocky landscape. Once you are inside the villages, there is a serious litter problem with no way of dealing with it in place, its swept into piles and then, eventually, the wind scatters it around the valley.
When we got to the lodge at Oudite, I was very ready for the mint tea we were served. We’d climbed 800 meters and descended 1000 meters that day. Our room had a big old bath and I climbed in and let the hot water do its best! What luxury.
The noises of the village echoed across the hillsides, goat kids, mules heehawing, children singing and banging tin can drums, chickens, flocks of alpine choughs wheeling about the in bluest sky, their shadows racing across the ground. As the dark settled around the valley, the goat herds brought 100’s of goats down off the mountains, agile and at ease in this landscape I find so challenging. A girl wearing dazzling blue raced across the scree slopes after her 3 goats, herding them in. A cluster of women in brightly coloured clothes at dusk met for a chat.
On Friday, I watched as the call to prayer echoed around the magnificent valley under brilliant blue skies, bare trees, snow on the mountain tops, red soil, red houses and grey rocky river beds, the black choughs with their red and yellow beaks. I have never stood and experienced anything like it. What a privilege.
The walk back to Imlil was to be one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done. It started out fine on the way up but after going over the shoulder of the mountain at Tizi Mzik, the path unfolded as an 8km, narrow winding scree path, about a foot wide with huge drops down to the valley below. I didn’t realise how scared of heights I was until then. I managed the first short section in ignorance of how long this path was but we came to a kind of headland where the path rounded a curve and I saw the path stretching away like a scar and just cried. Out of fear, out of disbelief, I’m not sure but there was no option but to do it. The views were astonishing according to my husband, I only saw my feet and the back of Omar’s boots as he led me along using a walking pole!!
To my great relief, we got down to the riverbed after a gruelling few hours and stopped for lunch amid walnuts trees and woodpeckers. Those lunches in the mountains, breaking up our walks, have been some of the most memorable of my life, cooked onsite, Hassan and his mule do this for a living and he is an excellent cook.
At the end of the trip, I sat, aching and tired, watching the shadow of the mountain draw itself up the opposite valley as the sun set on this beautiful and challenging place. I am glad I walked, I’m proud of myself for facing my fears and I know I will never do it again – knowingly!!
Suggestions from our trip:
Riad El Mezouar – our Riad in Marrakesh.
Un dejeuner A Marrakech - roof top terrace and nice veggie lunch.
Dar Si Said museum of rugs and weaving stories with a lovely shady courtyard.
Palais Badii – beautiful palace with storks nesting on the ramparts.
Kassabine – tall, thin cafe with nice views across the square, a little quieter than others
YSL gardens and museum - Jarden Marjorelle was spectacular and by far my favourite of the 2.
Le Jarden - busy but very green cool space for lunch in the medina
Photographie museum – fascinating collection of old photographs with a roof top terrace which catches the best view of the sunset.
Kasbah du Toubkal, Imlil – trekking lodge with hammam and spectacular views across the valley.