I left Midelt and climbed up higher into the Middle Atlas Mountains towards Azrou
I stopped at several points along the way to take photos of the beautiful snowy scenes
At one of these stops a lady came to talk to me, she invited me to her house for mint tea. I followed her down a little path that led off the road and saw a little village of tent houses
She lived here with her 19 year old son Aziz, in a house made of plastic sheets and cardboard
They were such a lovely family and although we couldn’t communicate well they made me feel very welcome, sharing their tea and some bread and honey
I was extremely touched to be invited in and welcomed in this way.
As I left, a young girl from the house next door asked me if I had any warm clothes or shoes to give. I didn’t have anything spare in the van but I made a mental note to come back with some another day.
I continued down the other side of the mountain into a valley where I parked for the night and the campsite manager Mohammed made a fire to heat some water so I could have a hot shower
The next day I went on a hike up the mountain and through a cedar forest
I felt joyous to be surrounded by trees again after so long in the dry and dusty south
All the snow got me feeling very christmassy
I was followed by a cheeky monkey who was after the fresh bread hanging from my bag
I wrapped the bread up well and put it inside my bag just incase. Then I spent the rest of the walk spotting them in the trees
Just as I was beginning to think it’d be nice to have a break I came across a little forest cafe
These ladies were cooking tagines and pots of mint tea on little log burning stoves.
I was joined at my table by a curious monkey
And watched this little baby playing in a tree nearby
These Barbary Macaque monkeys are native to the Atlas Mountains and are currently listed as an endangered species
I heard the weekly souk (market) in Azrou was the biggest in the region and happened to be the next day. I spoke to Mohammed about my plan to go there and buy things for the family I met in the mountains. He offered to come with me to help with the navigating and haggling. I was glad of his company and help because the big weekly souks are quite overwhelming. People from all over come to trade and sell. There are live animals, dead animals, clothes and shoes, fruit and vegetables, spices, grains, second hand vehicles, pop up mechanics and pretty much everything you can think of. We managed to buy good quality second hand walking boots, coats, blankets, gloves, hats and scarves
I drove back up the mountain to drop the things off with Aziz and his mum. The whole community came out to greet me and I was welcomed in again for tea and food.
This time I had Saïd (who I met back when I was in the High Atlas, and who helped organise our desert trip) on the phone to be a translator. He speaks the same Berber language as Aziz and his mum. It was nice to be able to chat with them a little.
They shared out the things I’d bought them equally between the other families in the community.
When I left, they gave me a beautiful gift of a handwoven cushion cover
Saïd is going to keep in touch with Aziz and help with anything he needs. They have already arranged to meet up.