Moroccan Magic

  We set off early from Gite Panorama heading on our trek. Just the 20 metre tall hill next to Momo's house caused sweat and breathlessness... 4100m yet to go. We embraced the sweat and ploughed on. It was uphill nonstop the entire day headed for the first refuge. Before we got there though it was hours upon hours of the same paths in a zig zag going up the hill. We stopped off under a tree in some shade for a while. My favourite scran ever. Pasta, Star hot sauce (mam and dad better both get it on their shopping list like), tomatoes, onion, bit of green stuff and a Moroccan tea to wash it down. These blokes have literally brought a couple stoves up a hill and cooked better than I've ever made in a full kitchen. Then piles of watermelon. I don't even like watermelon but shoveled it down my gullet like it's my favourite food. Time to move on... We ploughed ahead in the sun again. At least 40°C on our way up again. Legs aching, my stomach rammed with m...

Today the habit was truly cemented what another early morning even though we had could have a late start. We scoffed a very varied breakfast (olives, bread and jams, hard boiled eggs) in preparation for our acclimatization walk up and around imlil. We headed out following our local guide (and legend) Mohammed who must be part road runner because no sooner was he there than he was gone. Imlil is a hidden beauty with waterfalls and views of the valley. We played in the streams and tried to keep up Mohammed. We all walked strong and boshed it out before lunch getting back in time for yet another large and delicious meal.  A small chill and the team were back at it, organising their bags for the mules and provisions for our trek to Toubcal before we could settle for the evening. After a Tea of Lamb and dates and vegetable tajin, Mohammed invited a few of us down to the town to see all what the noise over the past couple of nights had been. The locals where preforming with d...

Two days doesn't make a habit but yet again the team were up and doing their daily tasks. Hollie was leader and I was deputy. Went and checked out the hotel for the last night to book it early and pwarrrrr it's lush. The pool was bigger than the lobby from the first night's hotel. Made progress straight away and got Dirhams from some place for personal money. Gonna buy a rug I reckon... Mam would love it.  Got in a blokes taxi and drove for a while. Sharp turns made bags fall on me head but the air con kept spirits high. Sat for the whole hour and a half playing homescapes but from the long day prior I fell a kip during one of my levels. We made a stop for the toilets half way - if you can call them that - it was some hole in the wall with no bog roll or seat... still better than the mountain floor for the next few days too. We carried on and met Mohammad. What a bloke. Walked us up through towns and through the trees to his house. With high fives an...

It was a day like any other day, except it is not. It's the day we go to Morocco! It was a bright and early meet at Simonside for the group who were all on time. Sarah was the last to arrive as usual. You can't get the staff these days can you. The group were briefed by the leadership team and team jobs were dished out (as well a lot of 💰). The bags were packed on the bus and all that was left to do was take the team photo. A fairly uneventful bus journey up to sunny Scotland and we were at the airport. It was quite busy but only a few of our reprobates got searched. The flight was much of the same apart from the 'smooth' landing.  Our first impressions of Marrakech are of a clean and colourful city with a lots of sounds, lights and people. We've ate comfort food tonight in the form of the golden arches and have head back to the hotel for a well deserved sleep and dreams of tomorrow's adventures. Signing off Zak