Sunday, July 22, 2007
Day Nine; Aremd To Toubkal refuge
It’s mum’s birthday today (yes- June is always a very expensive time for me!!) so I manage to send her a text.
It was really misty last night, cold and damp. I could feel it when I went up to the terrace to use the toilet. Everybody was a bit concerned that this meant the weather had turned, which could affect our Toukbal attempt. When I woke, Sandra said that she had lain awake, listening to the pouring rain. I pulled back the shutters, to reveal another gloriously sunny day- she had been listening to the stream!
We set off up the valley, and pick up a fairly gentle mule track, much of it in shade. One of our party, Heidi, wasn’t well; she had severe stomach cramps and sickness. She alternated between striding off ahead whilst she felt better, and dropping back to walk with her husband and Assiz when the attacks came again. It must have been awful for her.
After a couple of hours of following the valley and gently climbing, we reached the shrine of Sidi Charamouch. It’s the sight of a shrine to a holy man, and locals will make pilgrimages there regularly. It’s a funny place, and very popular- we kept having to leap off the path to allow passing mules. The shrine itself is marked by a great white, hollow boulder, inside which prayer is held. There is a ‘Muslims only’ sign- us Infidels aren’t allowed in! The rest of Sidi Charamouch consists of a few ramshackle stalls selling drinks, clothes and the usual tourist goods. One stall had an ingenious system of piping cold water from the stream running through the hamlet to keep the bottles of drinks cool.
Sidi Charamouch
Mountain Scenery
Our Loo With a View!
Evening Light On Oukaimeden
It was really misty last night, cold and damp. I could feel it when I went up to the terrace to use the toilet. Everybody was a bit concerned that this meant the weather had turned, which could affect our Toukbal attempt. When I woke, Sandra said that she had lain awake, listening to the pouring rain. I pulled back the shutters, to reveal another gloriously sunny day- she had been listening to the stream!
We set off up the valley, and pick up a fairly gentle mule track, much of it in shade. One of our party, Heidi, wasn’t well; she had severe stomach cramps and sickness. She alternated between striding off ahead whilst she felt better, and dropping back to walk with her husband and Assiz when the attacks came again. It must have been awful for her.
After a couple of hours of following the valley and gently climbing, we reached the shrine of Sidi Charamouch. It’s the sight of a shrine to a holy man, and locals will make pilgrimages there regularly. It’s a funny place, and very popular- we kept having to leap off the path to allow passing mules. The shrine itself is marked by a great white, hollow boulder, inside which prayer is held. There is a ‘Muslims only’ sign- us Infidels aren’t allowed in! The rest of Sidi Charamouch consists of a few ramshackle stalls selling drinks, clothes and the usual tourist goods. One stall had an ingenious system of piping cold water from the stream running through the hamlet to keep the bottles of drinks cool.
Sidi CharamouchWe sat at a café, and had drinks- mine was a coffee made with powdered milk but still good. Then it was onwards and upwards; the path climbed up and round the mountainside, and the scenery became more rocky and wild, with splashes of gorse. We could see the refuge- there is an old, established one and a new one being built. However, they are apparently very crowded, and we stayed at a wild camp just below it.
Mountain SceneryWe sat drinking mint tea in the mess tent whilst our muleteers put up the tents. I ended up with one to myself- luxury! Our toilet consists of a small white toilet tent over a dug out pit, with flat stones around it for balance!
Our Loo With a View!We are surrounded by rocky peaks, soaring into the most intense blue sky, far brighter than any achieved in England in the summer (and certainly this summer!) After dinner, we had a short walk up the valley, where we could see the evening sun turning the distant bulk of Oukaimeden pinky- purple. Everybody’s thoughts turn to tomorrow- the ascent day!
Evening Light On OukaimedenLabels: Aremd, High Atlas, Jebel Toukbal, Morocco, trekking
Day Eight; Tizi Oussem to Aremd
We had a lie in today, and set off at 8am! It was very misty at first, but cleared to leave the usual sunshine. We left the village and climbed towards Tizi Mzik, passing a graveyard on the way. We wouldn’t have realised what it was if Ali hadn’t pointed it out, it was just an enclosed, rough piece of ground with various large stones acting as headstones here and there.
As we climbed, we entered the Toukbal National Park and saw barbed wire fencing for the first time. We reached the pass after a long gradual climb, and there was a stunning view into the valley beyond. We could see the passes we had crossed on the first two days walking. There were two lads selling fizzy drinks at the top, so I had a welcome bottle of Fanta.
View From The Pass
We had an ok descent (ok in that I could more or less keep up!) to reach the road to Aremd. We passed a group of Muslim ladies in brightly coloured attire; Ali said that they had been on a pilgrimage to the shrine on the path to Toukbal.
Ladies on a Pilgrimage
Imlil is a real frontier town; the main transport is the mule, there are mule hiring stations and kids riding mules and donkeys up and down the street. We had a coffee and cake at a café, and fed bits to a pregnant cat, who ate the wrapper too. Just then, we heard screaming; an open topped truck had pulled up nearby, and on top were a load of goats and sheep trussed up by their feet, screaming. As we watched, lads started to haul them off the truck and piling them on the floor outside the butchers. We all wished we hadn’t witnessed that!
We are all rather anxious as we settle for the night, as tomorrow we start trekking up to Toubkal base camp…
As we climbed, we entered the Toukbal National Park and saw barbed wire fencing for the first time. We reached the pass after a long gradual climb, and there was a stunning view into the valley beyond. We could see the passes we had crossed on the first two days walking. There were two lads selling fizzy drinks at the top, so I had a welcome bottle of Fanta.
View From The PassWe had an ok descent (ok in that I could more or less keep up!) to reach the road to Aremd. We passed a group of Muslim ladies in brightly coloured attire; Ali said that they had been on a pilgrimage to the shrine on the path to Toukbal.
Ladies on a PilgrimageWe reach our gite at Aremd, and as we had the afternoon free, a group of us walked to Imlil, where there were cafes and shops. The shop keepers were very pushy to say the least, you could see their eyes light up when they saw us “Ahh, you Eeenglish? Lovely Jubbly?” I did buy some silver bracelets, but suspect I paid over the odds.
Imlil is a real frontier town; the main transport is the mule, there are mule hiring stations and kids riding mules and donkeys up and down the street. We had a coffee and cake at a café, and fed bits to a pregnant cat, who ate the wrapper too. Just then, we heard screaming; an open topped truck had pulled up nearby, and on top were a load of goats and sheep trussed up by their feet, screaming. As we watched, lads started to haul them off the truck and piling them on the floor outside the butchers. We all wished we hadn’t witnessed that!
Mule in Imlil
Back at the Gite we had Berber coffee, made with powdered milk and spices, and pancakes. There had been a Berber wedding in the village that day, and we could see all the guests on one of the roofs at the top of the village.
We are all rather anxious as we settle for the night, as tomorrow we start trekking up to Toubkal base camp…
Labels: Aremd, High Atlas, Morocco, Tizi Oussem, trekking
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Day Two; Aremd To Ouanskera
We had an 8am star this morning, and realised later that we were being broken in gently! We had porridge, bread, jam and cheese for breakfast and watched the local kids gather round the school for an 8am start. Most of the villages have schools, which all lok very similar- orange buildings with shutters. They have been provided by the government, and the children attend from 8am to 12pm, then 2pm til 5pm.
Our mules arrived, and we set off through Aremd. We descended on a rather rocky mule track by the river, and started out long, gradual ascent to Tizi 'n Tamertert (Tizi means pass). It was really hot, so a lot of us took advantage of a water stop to remove the zip off bottoms on our walking trousers.
Our route took us through a village, where we saw a lady weaving a traditional rug, and a young girl was carrying three black lambs into a field- they looked so young, they still had remnants of their unbilical cords dangling.
Our route to the pass was a long climb, but at a gentle, easy pace; I felt well able to keep up. We reached the top of the pass, to find a small brick and tin hut manned by a couple of young berbers selling bottles of coke and a selection of chocolate bars. Everything seems to be 10 Dirham (about 64p) and was very welcome! Although we only had day packs, it's amazing how much a fleece, set of water proofs, assorted medical stuff and 3 litres of water weighs- I'm going to have to get used to training with a much heavier pack for the MdS!
View From The Top Of Tizi 'n Tamertert
View Walking To Ouanskera
We climbed again and had a view of our village for the night- Ouanskera. Our Gite was basic but comfortable- me and Sandra's room had a patch where a large hole in the wall had obviously been made and hastily repaired, and when I tried the shower, the shower head promptly fell off and soaked my sandals. We had a colourful salad for lunch on the roof terrace looking out over the village.
There was the usual mosque with minaret tower and haunting call to prayer. We had an optional walk later up the valley to more villages. These seemed more primitive- small, squat cubic houses with no electricity. A kid followed us for ages, keeping up with us over the rocky paths effortlessly in his sandals, he couldn't have been more than five years old. Other children were playing games in the dust or driving livestock.
We passed through a larger village, with several 'shops'- hatches with bottles of coke, fanta and water displayed. The kids here were bolder, following us, saying "Bonjour" and the now familiar "Dirham? Un stylo? Bon Bon?"
We returned to Ouanskera and our gite for dinner and a read and relax as tomorrow was to be a longer walking day...
Ouanskera Village
Our mules arrived, and we set off through Aremd. We descended on a rather rocky mule track by the river, and started out long, gradual ascent to Tizi 'n Tamertert (Tizi means pass). It was really hot, so a lot of us took advantage of a water stop to remove the zip off bottoms on our walking trousers.
Our route took us through a village, where we saw a lady weaving a traditional rug, and a young girl was carrying three black lambs into a field- they looked so young, they still had remnants of their unbilical cords dangling.
Our route to the pass was a long climb, but at a gentle, easy pace; I felt well able to keep up. We reached the top of the pass, to find a small brick and tin hut manned by a couple of young berbers selling bottles of coke and a selection of chocolate bars. Everything seems to be 10 Dirham (about 64p) and was very welcome! Although we only had day packs, it's amazing how much a fleece, set of water proofs, assorted medical stuff and 3 litres of water weighs- I'm going to have to get used to training with a much heavier pack for the MdS!
View From The Top Of Tizi 'n TamertertAli provided mixed nuts and dates, and we sat for a while admiring the amazing view. We could see right down to the valley beyond, and the terraces used to grow crops, very similar to what I had seen in Peru.
We then had a long descent by road, before turning off on a rocky path through a village where women were washing their clothes in the river and drying them on large boulders.
View Walking To OuanskeraWe climbed again and had a view of our village for the night- Ouanskera. Our Gite was basic but comfortable- me and Sandra's room had a patch where a large hole in the wall had obviously been made and hastily repaired, and when I tried the shower, the shower head promptly fell off and soaked my sandals. We had a colourful salad for lunch on the roof terrace looking out over the village.
There was the usual mosque with minaret tower and haunting call to prayer. We had an optional walk later up the valley to more villages. These seemed more primitive- small, squat cubic houses with no electricity. A kid followed us for ages, keeping up with us over the rocky paths effortlessly in his sandals, he couldn't have been more than five years old. Other children were playing games in the dust or driving livestock.
We passed through a larger village, with several 'shops'- hatches with bottles of coke, fanta and water displayed. The kids here were bolder, following us, saying "Bonjour" and the now familiar "Dirham? Un stylo? Bon Bon?"
We returned to Ouanskera and our gite for dinner and a read and relax as tomorrow was to be a longer walking day...
Ouanskera VillageLabels: High Atlas, Morocco, Ouanskera
Monday, June 25, 2007
Day One; Marrakesh to Aremd
Right... day one- Monday 11th June, Marrakesh to Aremd;
Saturday was spent travelling, after quite an uneventful flight I arrived at Marrakesh airport and met our tour leader, Ali, a local guy who spoke excellent English (as well as Berber, his first language, and French!)
There were 10 of us on the tour; me, Sandra, a very fit lady in her 60's who I met at Heathrow, four men, and two couples, one couple were from the states. All very nice people.
We had Monday morning free in Marrakesh, but couldn't go too far as we had to be ready for departure at 12.30pm. Me and Sandra had a walk around and found a park full of pretty trees and plants.
The traffic in Marrakesh is mad, and you take your life in your hands crossing the roads- eventually we were to learn that the most effective way was to spot the locals and follow them across the road! There are lots of cyclists and scooter riders, complete with helmets slung onto the handlebars.
Marrakesh; The City Walls
We were driven to a cafe overlooking the impressive Koutobia minaret for lunch, I am afraid to say I had omelette and chips! Then we faced a two hour drive, over switch back roads and hairpin bends, through the mountains to the hamlet of Imlil.
Imlil has a real 'Wild West' feel to it; tumbledown houses, mule hiring yards and locals riding mules and donkeys up and down the streets. We had around an hour's wals to our first night stop, Aremd. It wasn't hard walking, we had quite a gentle climb up to the road that led to the hamlet.
Aremd Village
Our first night was to be spent in the village 'gite'- basically a house with rooms, all with matresses on the floor for sleeping bags, a room for eating, a kitchen and showers downstairs, and a large roof terrace plus toilets upstairs. Basic and crumbling, but adequate. Once settled in, we had the first of many afternoon refreshments of mint tea; Moroccans love their mint tea, made with green tea and fresh mint, plus lots of sugar!
After this we had a mooch round the village... what an eye opener! Really does make you appreciate what we have in the West... the houses are very basic; just mud and brick walls, with crude wooden doorframes and ill fitting wood or metal doors. Often there are very small windows without glass, and flat roofs which form terraces for the houses above. Livestock is kept on the ground floor of the houses, and the women and children drive them to the fields to graze during the day. The women must also gather long grass, which they carry on their backs to be dried out on the roofs for winter feed.
There is often no electricity, running water or toilet facilities. Very few houses have tv's. There are no roads or streets, just rocky paths between houses. People use mules as we use cars. Most people are friendly, but quite often we were followed by children calling "Bonjour? Dirham? Un stylo?" (pen) we had been warned not to give them anything but some were quite persistent.
Berber Houses
View of Jebel Toukbal (right) from Aremd
Saturday was spent travelling, after quite an uneventful flight I arrived at Marrakesh airport and met our tour leader, Ali, a local guy who spoke excellent English (as well as Berber, his first language, and French!)
There were 10 of us on the tour; me, Sandra, a very fit lady in her 60's who I met at Heathrow, four men, and two couples, one couple were from the states. All very nice people.
We had Monday morning free in Marrakesh, but couldn't go too far as we had to be ready for departure at 12.30pm. Me and Sandra had a walk around and found a park full of pretty trees and plants.
The traffic in Marrakesh is mad, and you take your life in your hands crossing the roads- eventually we were to learn that the most effective way was to spot the locals and follow them across the road! There are lots of cyclists and scooter riders, complete with helmets slung onto the handlebars.
Marrakesh; The City WallsWe were driven to a cafe overlooking the impressive Koutobia minaret for lunch, I am afraid to say I had omelette and chips! Then we faced a two hour drive, over switch back roads and hairpin bends, through the mountains to the hamlet of Imlil.
Imlil has a real 'Wild West' feel to it; tumbledown houses, mule hiring yards and locals riding mules and donkeys up and down the streets. We had around an hour's wals to our first night stop, Aremd. It wasn't hard walking, we had quite a gentle climb up to the road that led to the hamlet.
Aremd VillageOur first night was to be spent in the village 'gite'- basically a house with rooms, all with matresses on the floor for sleeping bags, a room for eating, a kitchen and showers downstairs, and a large roof terrace plus toilets upstairs. Basic and crumbling, but adequate. Once settled in, we had the first of many afternoon refreshments of mint tea; Moroccans love their mint tea, made with green tea and fresh mint, plus lots of sugar!
After this we had a mooch round the village... what an eye opener! Really does make you appreciate what we have in the West... the houses are very basic; just mud and brick walls, with crude wooden doorframes and ill fitting wood or metal doors. Often there are very small windows without glass, and flat roofs which form terraces for the houses above. Livestock is kept on the ground floor of the houses, and the women and children drive them to the fields to graze during the day. The women must also gather long grass, which they carry on their backs to be dried out on the roofs for winter feed.
There is often no electricity, running water or toilet facilities. Very few houses have tv's. There are no roads or streets, just rocky paths between houses. People use mules as we use cars. Most people are friendly, but quite often we were followed by children calling "Bonjour? Dirham? Un stylo?" (pen) we had been warned not to give them anything but some were quite persistent.
Berber Houses
View of Jebel Toukbal (right) from AremdThere were wonderful views of Jebel Toukbal from the terrace; each morning was clear and sunny, and it quickly became very hot. Later on in the afternoon, the peaks would cloud over, but the cloud would clear again during the night. I didn't see a drop of rain all fortnight- then come back to Britain and gales, rain and flood warnings!!
Labels: Aremd, High Atlas, Morocco, trekking
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I'm Back!!!
I'm back from Morocco- just in the process of sorting out my (far too many) holiday snaps, then I will post a day by day account... it was, well, a bit of a culture shock- totally different way of life, and makes you realise just how much we take for granted in the West.
Good training though; several hours walking each day, with long ascents and descents, over often rough terrain, with quite a heavy pack (fleece, plus waterproofs, which weren't actually needed, plus 3 litres of water). I was pleased to note that on the climbs I could easily keep pace with the leaders, and even felt that I could go a bit quicker; I kept dropping back to take photos and catching up again quite quickly. Downhills were another matter though, as I am really sh*te at descending over rough terrain and have to pick my way down slowly and gently.
So- watch this space- I will try to post the first accounts tomorrow, right now I have loads of washing etc to do!
Good training though; several hours walking each day, with long ascents and descents, over often rough terrain, with quite a heavy pack (fleece, plus waterproofs, which weren't actually needed, plus 3 litres of water). I was pleased to note that on the climbs I could easily keep pace with the leaders, and even felt that I could go a bit quicker; I kept dropping back to take photos and catching up again quite quickly. Downhills were another matter though, as I am really sh*te at descending over rough terrain and have to pick my way down slowly and gently.
So- watch this space- I will try to post the first accounts tomorrow, right now I have loads of washing etc to do!
Labels: High Atlas, Morocco, trekking
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Off On Holiday!!!
Right... this is it... in just a few hours I will be boarding the National Express to Heathrow, to catch my flight to Casablanca and ultimately Marrakech!
I have had a major panic over packing- my four season sleeping bag is really bulky! (And I have realised what FUN it is going to be, stuffing the thing back into it's stuff sack every morning...) I have ended up with my canvas bag for the trek, plus rucksack as hand luggage (as long as it's not to big/ bulky!) which isn't too bad... not sure what I'll do if I end up buying anything though!
Our tour itinary is as follows;
Day 1; Arrive Marrakech, check in hotel
Day 2; Morning in Marrakech, drive to Imlil, walk for approx 1 hour to Aremd
Day 3; Trek to Ouanskera over Tizi n'Tamertert into the Imenane Valley, walking approx 4 hours
Day 4; Demanding day's walk, starting with steep ascent, to Iabessene, via Tachedirt and Tizi n' Tachedirt, walking approx 6-7 hours
Day 5; Walk to Oukaimeden, via Tizi Mzlee, Agounss and Tizi n' Ouatter, walking approx 7 hours
Day 6; Free day in Oukaimeden, with optional walk up Jebel Oukaimeden (4 hours round trip) for stunning panoramic views
Day 7; Demanding day walking through Amskere through juniper forests. Head up to the Tizi-Aguersioual, walking approx 7-9 hours
Day 8; Head for Tizi-Oussem after crossing the pass at Tizi-Oudite, relaxing afternoon with the possibility of a short walk up the valley or visit to the village Hamman (think this might be a Turkish Bath!)
Day 9; Trek to Aremd via Tizi Mzik, rest of afternoon free in Aremd
Day 10; Trek to Toukbal Refuge up the Mizane Valley, via Sidi Charamouch, walking approx 4-5 hours Day 11; Optional attempt of Jebel Toukbal, North Africa's highest peak, (4165m)
Day 12; Walk to Aremd and Imlil, drive to Marrakech
Day 13; Free in Marrakech
Day 14; Come home!
No idea how to pronounce the village names!! Morocco is an hour behind us, time wise... I've looked at the weather site, weather for the next week appears to be warm (24-26) and sunny! Actually I hope it is hot- be good practice for 2009!
I really hope I get to the top of Jebel Toukbal. I am now worrying that everybody is going to be much fitter than me!! Poor Lucky is not going to be happy as Katie will need to take her to the cattery Friday- they are going to Norfolk while I'm away.
I doubt whether I will be able to update this before I return- so I will give a quick outline when I get back and go into more detail for each day. With photos!
See you when I get back!
I have had a major panic over packing- my four season sleeping bag is really bulky! (And I have realised what FUN it is going to be, stuffing the thing back into it's stuff sack every morning...) I have ended up with my canvas bag for the trek, plus rucksack as hand luggage (as long as it's not to big/ bulky!) which isn't too bad... not sure what I'll do if I end up buying anything though!
Our tour itinary is as follows;
Day 1; Arrive Marrakech, check in hotel
Day 2; Morning in Marrakech, drive to Imlil, walk for approx 1 hour to Aremd
Day 3; Trek to Ouanskera over Tizi n'Tamertert into the Imenane Valley, walking approx 4 hours
Day 4; Demanding day's walk, starting with steep ascent, to Iabessene, via Tachedirt and Tizi n' Tachedirt, walking approx 6-7 hours
Day 5; Walk to Oukaimeden, via Tizi Mzlee, Agounss and Tizi n' Ouatter, walking approx 7 hours
Day 6; Free day in Oukaimeden, with optional walk up Jebel Oukaimeden (4 hours round trip) for stunning panoramic views
Day 7; Demanding day walking through Amskere through juniper forests. Head up to the Tizi-Aguersioual, walking approx 7-9 hours
Day 8; Head for Tizi-Oussem after crossing the pass at Tizi-Oudite, relaxing afternoon with the possibility of a short walk up the valley or visit to the village Hamman (think this might be a Turkish Bath!)
Day 9; Trek to Aremd via Tizi Mzik, rest of afternoon free in Aremd
Day 10; Trek to Toukbal Refuge up the Mizane Valley, via Sidi Charamouch, walking approx 4-5 hours Day 11; Optional attempt of Jebel Toukbal, North Africa's highest peak, (4165m)
Day 12; Walk to Aremd and Imlil, drive to Marrakech
Day 13; Free in Marrakech
Day 14; Come home!
No idea how to pronounce the village names!! Morocco is an hour behind us, time wise... I've looked at the weather site, weather for the next week appears to be warm (24-26) and sunny! Actually I hope it is hot- be good practice for 2009!
I really hope I get to the top of Jebel Toukbal. I am now worrying that everybody is going to be much fitter than me!! Poor Lucky is not going to be happy as Katie will need to take her to the cattery Friday- they are going to Norfolk while I'm away.
I doubt whether I will be able to update this before I return- so I will give a quick outline when I get back and go into more detail for each day. With photos!
See you when I get back!
Labels: High Atlas, holiday, Jebel Toukbal, Morocco, trekking
