Marj and I picked them up at the airport in Marrakech where we spent the night and part of the next day. We enjoyed snails and a nice tajine dinner, wandered around Jamm Elfna, admired the Ktoubia and of course shopped the souks.
The next day we headed to Imlil where we would start our journey up the tallest mountain in North Africa, Mount Toubkal. They didn’t have a whole lot of time to rest but the kept it together. The hike itself was long and grueling. The first day we hiked about 7 hours. We spent the night in a dirty and crowded hostel, passing up the nicer one, without realizing our mistake. We were just too tired. The next day we continued hiking for about 5 hours to the summit. It was slow and I think everyone questioned their ability to make it to the top at least once…but shwiya b shwiya we scaled that mountain and showed it who was boss. After that we made our way back down to Imlil. I want to say that part of the hike was about 9 hours or so(from peak to Imlil.) We were all very grateful to be back down, sore but not broken and we were maybe less grateful to see another Tajine meal (our 4th in about 4 days.)
The next morning we headed back to Marrakech and all the way back to Rosevalley. That was another 8.5 hours of traveling most of which was on a bus going down a miserable, twisting, mountain road. We finally made it back to RoseValley around 10pm and a nice gentleman helped us carry (in his cart) all of our baggage back to my house.
Once in RoseValley we rested for a full 24hours. It was definitely needed after the long, nonstop travel we had been doing for the first few days. After recovering, we had a nice lunch with other PCVs in the area and from there I dragged them from one neighbors house to another. We visited four families in just an afternoon. If you know anything about visiting Moroccan families this is quite a feat! People were so welcoming, providing us with tea, cookies, fried bread, coffee, soda and other treats. I was thankful to be able to introduce them to my host family, the people I work with, my host uncle and aunt and the neighbors that took such good care of me throughout Ramadan. It was also nice for all of my neighbors to have faces to go with the American family I’m always talking about.
After a couple days in RoseValley we headed to Ouarzazate from where they would fly out the next morning at 5am. We had a nice evening, enjoying some “grape juice” and sitting out by the pool to enjoy the evening. While sitting there a somewhat obnoxious guide (more than likely a faux guide –fake guide,) began to talk at us, ask where we were from, if we wanted his services, if I’d take his card for future visitors etc. This left a bit of a sour taste in my dad’s mouth but for me I didn’t even think twice. It is such common place for strangers to talk at me, harass me, and enquire about whom I am or the organization I work for. Some days it rubs me the wrong way to the same extent it bothered my father but for the most part you just get used to it and learn how to deal with. It is also a very real part of my experience in Morocco as a female PCV and I think it was good for them to see that side of the experience too, even if it was an abrasive part of it all.
All in all it was a wonderful time and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to show them my life here. I think they would say it was an enriching experience for them as well. Alhamdulilah!
Enjoying snails in Marrakech
Getting ready to take off on our hike up Jebel Toubkal
A view of some of the trail on the way up
Us at the peak! We Made It! Alhamdulilah!
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