Beyond the Map: Our World Challenge Expedition in Morocco – Nicole (Senior School Waconian)
Blog written by Year 11 Waconi, Nicole
At 4 AM, bleary-eyed, we arrived at Manchester Airport, bags packed and ready. After teary goodbyes (mainly from the mums), our trip began, starting with Mrs. Bennett’s bag getting stuck in the lift and an instant selfie by our Insta-star Mrs. Abbot.
RyanAir check-in was slow and confusing, randomising our bag tags and creating duplicates, but soon we were on the plane, leaving Manchester for Moroccan skies. Most of us took this opportunity to catch up on sleep unlike Anna, who handmade a stuffed bunny we lovingly named Milo!
Upon arriving in Marrakesh airport, the heat hit us hard. Baggage reclaim was a breeze and soon we’d gotten out of the airport and met with Khalid, our guide. We drove to Hotel Ali, our accommodation for the night, and got settled, explored the markets and very quickly learned the market cultures. All in all, a brilliant start to a brilliant trip.
The next morning, we drove to Imlil, walking an hour up to Hotel Armed. We got settled, enjoying the mountainous views and local community. Our 600m acclimatisation walk taught us walking at altitude was tough, but the views were worth it. We returned back to Hotel Armed and got settled for the night, with bags packed ready for the first leg of the hike the next day.
We set off around 6am the next morning, with the dawn as our guide for the whopping 1000m elevation that we would undergo. In total, the trek which was estimated to take between 6-8 hours took our team 5 hours and 45 minutes. we arrived at High Camp (3000m elevation from ground level) and after having a very welcome lunch, got to work setting up our tents.
However, before we could get settled in for the night, a storm began to collect in the lower valley, and it was deemed a better idea for us to spend the night in the nearest refuge centre instead. Early the next morning, guided only by the beam of our head torches, we began the trek to the summit. Sadly some members of our group were suffering from altitude sickness and needed to rest, but the remainder of our group managed to summit successfully, returning to the refuge just after 2pm for a hearty lunch shared with an intense hailstorm.
The storm soon passed, and paired with the views, the animals, and the other hikers passing by, it was truly an unforgettable experience, only topped off by finishing the day with some stargazing. The following morning we packed our bags and headed back down from High Camp and to Hotel Armed, to close off the trek phase of the trip.
We trekked back down from Hotel Armed to the small village of Imlil, where we drove to our next place. From there it was a two hour walk up to the village where we were staying and helping out, located in Ti’zi n’Oucheg. We stayed in a lovely place known as a gite, which might have been the best place of residence for our entire trip.
On the first evening we joined the locals and played a football match against them, despite the evident language barrier, we all spoke the fluent language of joy and it was certainly abundant. To end the first day here, a few of us sat atop the terrace and stargazed, with the late call to prayer our soundtrack, it was truly magical.
The next morning we went down to the village and began work to build the road. The work flew by quickly and the shared sense of community was something beautiful. The locals made us tea and bread for what they called a ‘second breakfast’, and after our work was over we headed out again to experience traditional carpet weaving inside their houses.
The following morning we headed back down to the village, and today we were laying down the cement for the road. First we split into two groups, one to finish laying the foundation of rocks, and the other to dry mix cement and sand. Once both of these were complete, the water was added to the dry mix to make cement, which we mixed yet again, before shovelling into buckets to be passed down and poured. This process was definitely harder than the previous day’s.
After lunch, we returned to the village and got taught how to make traditional Moroccan flatbread, naturally paired with the ever abundant mint tea. The smiles from the locals was truly something that I doubt any of us will ever forget.
The final day in the community arrived, and we split into two groups yet again – one to return to finish off the roadworks, and the other to finish off its construction and complete the building of the classrooms in the mosque. It was hard work, but seeing how much we’d done, and hearing how much of an impact we’d made, made it truly worth it.
We bid the gite goodbye, and walked back down to the main roads where we drove into Essaouira; our rest and relaxation part of the trip. We stepped out into the salty sea air and started exploring the Windy City. Beachside walks, discovering souls and markets amidst the labyrinth of paths and routes, seeing the fish markets, and haggling with local vendors – it all totalled up to make a very suitable break from such an intense expedition.
Both sunrise and sunset walks by the beach were ethereal in their beauty, and we even explored the walls where a scene in Game of Thrones was filmed. It was incredibly eye opening seeing all the different parts of the same country.
Soon enough, we were bidding the trip goodbye and driving back to the airport where we quickly got through all the security checks and ended up back on the plane jetting back home. Upon landing, most of us were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as cold as we’d been anticipating and immigration wasn’t as slow as expected, so soon enough, it was back into our parents arms and driving home.
The perfect end to a perfect trip. One that I doubt any of us will ever forget.
