Days 4-5: Loving Imlil, Morocco (and trying to be a nature girl...)

Imlil, Morocco - at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains...this was my favorite part of the trip. It felt like home and the mountains were gorgeous. People were friendly and it was nice to meet a Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Morocco.

Monday, March 23: Molly, Grace, and I were picked up from our Riad in Marrakech to start the 1-hour drive to Imlil. We stopped along the way to get some pictures of a Berbere village - you can see, in the picture below, the snow-capped mountains...our destination.


When we reached Imlil, we met up with our guide, Mohamed, to begin our day hike. He owns the company with his father, Brahim. Here is the website: http://www.trekkinginmorocco.com/. I would highly recommend this company for trekking tours in Morocco.

We passed some baby goats along the way...

Just breath-taking views of the mountains from these villages...

Here's a picture of Grace and Mohamed (while I stopped to catch my breath and take a pic).

This is one of my favorite pictures along the way.

Grace and Molly at Mohamed's house. We stopped here for lunch.

Oh, now me and Molly...

Grace and Molly relaxing and getting ready for lunch.

Yum...the bowl in the middle was a chicken tagine (traditional Moroccan dish)...very tender chicken and delicious veggies. We also had a fresh vegetable salad (to the left), noodles (to the right), and fresh baked bread. For dessert, we had sweet oranges with cinnamon sprinkled on top...

After lunch, we walked back to the center of town and caught a pick-up soccer game. I wanted to join...

Molly, Grace, and I walked around town a little more and then decided to have some water at this little cafe. What a view from our table! and such gorgeous weather!

After lunch, we walked to find Mohamed and ran into Alex, a current Peace Corps volunteer serving in Morocco. We had briefly spoken with him when the town "sheriff" approached and asked Alex to bring us to his office. Of course, we obliged and he just wanted to ask some questions. As soon as he found out that we were Peace Corps volunteers from Ukraine, he welcomed us to Imlil. It was great to see Alex speak Berbere (the local language) and Molly, Grace, and I just kept smiling to convince the "sheriff" that he didn't need to worry about us!

Shortly after, Grace and Molly headed back to Marrakech. I stayed in Imlil (as was planned) to go mountain biking the following day. Alex and I went to a cafe and talked about our Peace Corps experiences. It sounds like he is accomplishing some amazing things in his community - which is always great to hear from other volunteers!

Then, on the way to the cabin I would be staying at, what should have been a 10 minute walk turned into a 1-hour walk! Alex was stopped by the community members along the way, some speaking English and some speaking Berbere. People also wanted to shake my hand and some introduced themselves. This is much different from Ukraine. As a result of Ukraine's history, people are much more reserved with people they don't know. In my community in Ukraine, for example, I usually only speak with people I know. If I was to try to smile at someone I didn't know, they would most likely ignore me and wonder what I wanted. This is definitely a cultural difference that I struggle with every day. However, I understand the reasoning behind it, and, once I'm formally introduced to a person, I am usually welcomed with open arms and generous hospitality (again and again!). Just one difference I have noticed along the way...

I had a wonderful dinner with Mohamed and Brahim, filled with interesting conversation. I went to my room about 9:30pm, read, and then quickly fell asleep. (Here's a picture of my room)

Alex came over for breakfast and, shortly after, we began our descent in the High Atlas Mountains with our guide, Jamal. (I don't think Alex and I had any idea what was in store for us...)

The ride started out sunny...

We continued uphill for at least two hours. At times, the headwind would be so strong that we couldn't ride...but, the scenery certainly made it worth it.

Here's Alex and I: obviously, I don't know how to wave for a picture. When Mal saw this picture, she said I was answering the question, "Natalie, how old are you?" Smartass...

You can see the valley with the villages in this picture...that's where we started this mountain biking adventure. Way down there at the foot of the mountain...

Just another view of the same spot.

Oh, I guess I needed one more close-up of the village...

Here's a picture of the rocky road we were riding up. You can see the switchbacks to the left.

There's our destination: the village in the middle of this picture. The mountains were gorgeous! I think this is also where we stopped for lunch. We had pita sandwiches with tuna, cheese, and tomatoes, another sweet orange, and a chocolate bar. For our picnic, we were sitting on a rock along the mountain water run-off...I dangled my feet in the water (yes, it was freezing).

When I asked our guide, Jamal, what that flat part of ground was, he was surprised I didn't know. I was shocked when he told me it was a soccer field! You can't tell from the picture, but on the other side is a steep, rocky cliff. Jamal said there are children designated as "ball runners" who wait for the ball to go down the cliff, then they run after it. I don't think I would want that job...

So, we started the mountain biking at 9am and I think we finally finished at 4pm! It was a great ride, but both Alex and I were definitely tuckered out! Thankfully, it wasn't just me and Jamal because I would have felt bad if he had to continually wait for only me. But, Alex was there to share that burden! Thanks, Alex, I owe you one!

Once we reached the town where we would be picked up, Mohamed joined us and we sat down for some tea (and to catch our breath). Then, I left my new friends and headed back to the chaos of Marrakech (it's really a wonderful city, just a completely different feel compared to Imlil).

Grace and Molly told me about their day...they actually met someone from Portland, OR. Not only that, but she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco from 2003-2005. We met up with her at dinner and reflected on our experiences so far. She was visiting Morocco as a tourist and to see some old friends from her service in Morocco. What a great way to wrap up the evening!

Then, back to the Riad to pack (once again) and head to Essaouira, Morocco the following morning! Atlantic Ocean, here we come!