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