Ultimate Morocco Summer

Read all about what a group of Senior Section members got up to on their Ultimate Adventure to Morocco in summer 2010.

Day 1- 18 August

I was excited yesterday because I haven’t been on a plane in a long time and I’ve only been abroad once. We had fish and chips for tea from a chip shop near Blackland Farm. I had the list with everyone’s name on so I could tick off when they arrived. It made me feel important.
Emily

I was nervous and excited, as I get nervous over everything, and excited as I have only ever been as far as Switzerland. I was upset as I said goodbye to my family, but excited to see all the people I would be going to Morocco with.
Tamsin

When I turned up at Blackland Farm I was sad while I said goodbye to my parents, but as soon as I had joined the circle I felt completely at home. It was nice to meet the new people and the fish and chips went down pretty fast! Then we tried to sleep in the dormitory and Tamsin fell out of bed which was quite amusing.
Matilda

Day 2 - 19 August

It was a slow start to the day as none of us felt like getting up at 2am, but as we flew into Africa we all got pretty excited. It was strange when we went to the tannery as the contrast between us and them was so huge!
Natasha

When we got here I think it was the first time everyone was silent for more than five seconds. Helen was very impressed. When we got here I was so excited. It’s such a different culture to any I have ever been to before and the walk around made us realise how lucky we are. Oh, and the henna is good.
Isabelle

The early start for me was very hard as I’m not used to early wake-up calls, but the reality started to hit everyone as soon as we landed in Marrakech. The heat just flooded over me and it was great! This first day has been brill. I loved the horse and carriage rides and seeing people making leather. The contrast is so different.
Becca S

OK, Marrakech is officially really cool. I loved the horse-and-cart ride on those bonkers roads. The smelly stuff at the herb shop was lovely and so was the henna! I loved hearing about what we were going to do on this trip. It was such a good day - thank you.
Lucy

Day 3 - 20 August

Really enjoyed today (even more than yesterday, which was amazing.) La Bahia Palace was breathtakingly beautiful - the stucco was so detailed; it was amazing to think it had all been done by hand. I wonder how many years it took to complete. The palace was a sort of hidden treasure in the middle of the city. Museum was very interesting too, with all the Moroccan, Islamic, Jewish and Berber artwork and crafts.
It was surreal to see the difference when we went to the modern quarter, which was a real contrast with parts of the city we’d already seen as its quite Westernised. Ice cream (I got mandarin sorbet) was yummy scrummy. Food in the hotel is delish and I really like these big spicy vegetable tagines - it’s right up my street. Loving every minute of it.
Nicol

Marrakech is amazing! Today we saw the two sides of the city, from the old beautiful palace and bustling alleyways to the modern(ish) French quarter with wide streets and shops like Zara. I love the old city. The museum we went to today was almost as if we had just stumbled upon it, as it was so tucked away in the narrow streets. It was worth a trip to the modern bit, just for the amazing ice cream (melon, nougat and mandarin).
The atmosphere of Marrakech is so hard to describe, especially at night as all of these people seem to appear from nowhere. I really don’t want to go home and can’t wait for the rest of the trip.
Rachel

This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! So much culture, it’s all so much to take in. The people here are so friendly. We have done so much it feels like we have been here for days. This morning we visited the palace and the museum - both of which have such stunning architecture that I was in awe! To be honest, it was the history I was most interested in and that was so vibrant I would have really liked to have been around to see what it would have looked like all done up for the different wives.
This afternoon we went for a walk into the new town and I was surprised at the differences between it and the old town. It is so Westernised. Although I have to be thankful for the ice cream, which was fabulous. I have noticed that Marrakech gets busier at night - no idea why. Really looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Zoe

Day 4 - 21 August

Today has been another amazing day! It seems to get more and more fantastic as the days go by. This morning we all got up and had breakfast, then we all piled on to the minibus to start our journey to the Atlas Mountains. En-route we saw more parts of Marrakech and stopped at a hypermarket. We also met a very friendly camel!
When we arrived in Imlil we had a gruelling trek up a gigantic hill, but when we saw the hotel it was breath-taking and then it just kept getting better and better, especially when we were told we could sleep on the terrace for a night. After our surprise three-course lunch we had another trek, but this time up the mountain. It wasn’t too hard and the view at the top was stunning. I really cannot wait for tomorrow as it will be so rewarding!
Megan

We had such a fab day today! Drove through Marrakech in the morning and then stopped to look at the new water recycling factory, which was very interesting. Walked through Imlil and up a big hill to our hotel, which is AMAZING! We were all so excited to see proper toilets and nice showers! Went for a walk in the Atlas Mountains after lunch; gorgeous views of the mountains and the village. We were surprised but really excited to get chicken and chips for tea! Still absolutely loving all the food here! We’ve all painted our nails in Centenary colours tonight, which look fab, and are now ready for another fantastic day tomorrow.
Becky S

Day 5 - 22 August

We had a fantastic time this morning making a mule trek to help the animals walk up to the Kasbah. It was hard work but we all had a laugh. Then we went into the Hammam. The sauna was amazing; it was so nice and warm then we had to dive into the cold water and it was absolutely freezing. We had a fantastic day!
Kelly

Spent the day digging the mule path which was hard work. A few of us made a specialist group removing bigger rocks to make the paths even clearer. Visited the Hammam after we had finished, and jumping in the cold water was a shock - though the facemasks were amazing! Having a really fab trip.
Beccy B

Day 6 - 23 August

Today was litter picking, which was not my favourite but every little helps. As we were going along picking up litter, some children came to help us. They picked up litter and we also played a few games with them. We were told that it was good for the villagers to see foreigners pick up the litter as they will then decide not to litter drop. In the afternoon we cut litter picking short as it began to rain! So we went back to the Kasbah to send e-cards home! Food-wise it was an amazing day-Turkey skewers and chips for lunch and an amazing chocolate mousse after dinner. Yum!
Amy

Day 7 - 24 August

We were very sorry to leave the Kasbah for Aremdt as it was beautiful. However, our day started with a mule trek, which was fun apart from getting a rather numb bum! We arrived at the hotel, which was a few minutes walk from the school we were painting. We got straight to work sanding down the school. After lunch we began to draw our mural and even the locals came to comment on it! At 5pm we began playing with the children, who were very eager to see what goodies we had for them. We played games and made sock puppets with them. The big mountain chief came out to see the start of our work and he loved it!
Amy

Day 8 - 25 August

Today was my favourite day so far. We got to paint the school! I spent a good few hours painting the top of the Kasbah and the guiding trefoil, maybe because I had a tiny brush for a large area. After I finished I helped with the toilets. As after painting the doors a mucky green colour they asked to paint it a much nicer sky blue. Everyone did a great job as the toilets and the murals looked fabulous. Rachel even cleaned the toilet floors so they would sparkle when the children came back to the school. As we finished before planned we had chill out time until 4pm when the children arrived to play. There was double the amount of children than yesterday which was great. We made Centenary-coloured friendship bracelets with the kids and then sung a few campfire songs with them. There were quite a few more girls today and they really wanted to teach us hand-clapping games, which was lovely!
Amy

Day 9 - 26 August

I can’t believe our community work is finished. We have done so well and the work the group has done in Imlil and Aremdt has been appreciated so much by the locals. At the Kasbah we were the group most praised for our work on the mule path and in Aremdt the children felt that we had turned their sad school into a happy one - an amazing tribute. The drive towards the desert was a stunning one as we drove through the Atlas and Anti Atlas Mountains towards Ouarzazate. We stopped for a small lunch and had a quick trip to Ait Ben Haddou, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site that has been used for loads of films like 'Kingdom of Heaven', 'Gladiator' and the 'Mummy' movies. The hotel is lovely and I had a great time relaxing by the pool watching everyone else swimming or jumping in the water. After swimming we had a lovely dinner with drummers playing throughout our meal. Some people even got up to join them! The drummers got us in a singing mood so we sang Edelweiss with actions around the dinner table. Fantastic!

Helen

Day 10 - 27 August

After a quick stop off at the supermarket for sweets and sugar we left Ouarzazate for a three-hour bus journey to Zagora. We dumped our bags at tomorrow night’s hotel and after a lunch of spaghetti followed by melon, spent the afternoon in the pool. We had to wait until 6.30am for the temperature to drop enough so we could travel safely on the camels. The journey involved a lot of singing and sore bums and legs, but finally we arrived two hours later at the desert in the dark.
We were given chicken tagines but we had to find the chicken under a load of potatoes and carrots. The dinner was followed by orange and melon. We finished off the evening watching the nomads making bread under the campfire. We sang campfire songs beautifully and the bread maker was thrilled when we sang Kumbaya, and even joined in! Still yet to try out the squats but all sleeping under the stars (covered by clouds) to the sweet sound of Sidi’s snoring!
Becca Si

Day 11 - 28 August

It was an early morning for everyone with the majority of us climbing the sand dune to watch the sunrise over the mountains. Finally able to actually see the desert in the light and it looks beautiful. A speedy breakfast so that we could be gone before it got too hot and off on the camels we went, this time actually able to see where we were going. We had a rest back at the hotel before lunch and then spent the afternoon in the swimming pool again before going to a pottery co-operative in Timfou and then to a silversmiths in Zagora. Back to Marrakech in the morning but I’m not sure about the 5am start!
Becca Si

Day 12 - 29 August

It was an early start this morning and I wasn’t looking forward to the long drive back to Marrakech. Most of our bus slept on the road back but the scenery on the way back was stunning and we even saw goats being herded across the road. When we stopped for lunch Sidi told us that it was going to be hotter in Marrakech than it had been in the desert which was unusual. Sidi, Helen and I got off the mini-bus to go the supermarket for the party items and managed to get the cake and drinks to take with us to the hotel. We hit the souks in the afternoon and picked up last-minute souvenirs and bought Sidi a thank-you present. After some chill-out time, Helen and I wrote “The Twelve days of Morocco” to sing at the party and went to set up the room with balloons for the party. It was amazing to see the whole group arrive in their Centenary-coloured kaftans when it came to handing out thank-you gifts I was shocked that the group had arranged to give me the teapot cover that I had loved from the Kasbah. The trip has been truly amazing!
Amelia

Day 13 - 30 August

I can’t believe its all over. The group has got along so well with each other and with Amelia and I. They have worked hard and played hard and there was nothing so touching as the happiness with which the group greeted their families and the sadness they felt when it was time to say goodbye to each other. The trip has been truly inspirational and I’m sure we will all remember it for many years to come.
Helen