Back to the Bustling Streets
As we crawled out of bed, we took inventory of our sore muscles and fond memories from the summit hike of Mount Toubkal the day before. We were grateful to have an easy morning in Imlil, with breakfast at 9:00, consisting of all our favourites like oatmeal, bread, crepes, spreads, and freshly squeezed orange juice. The highlight of breakfast was the cold orange juice, which was refreshing and sweet.
After breakfast, we had time in our rooms to pack and rest, which was then followed by a reflective discussion about both our experience hiking in the mountains and our time in Morocco as a whole. It focused on our senses, reflecting on our memories and experiences in a variety of ways. It was amazing to break down what we have felt throughout the trip in this way: sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and touch, both physical and emotional. It was incredible to see the diversity of answers to all the things we had such potent memories of so far. After our discussion, our trip guides, Abdel and Charaf, gave us our third Darija lesson, this time the focus being on phrases to use when bargaining in the markets, setting us up for our time in Marrakech. Following this, we ate a lunch of chicken and couscous with fresh fruit as a dessert.
Just after 1:30 PM, we left Imlil for Marrakech. The ride was smooth and enjoyable, transitioning from the winding roads of the mountains to the bustling streets of Marrakech. Around 1.5 hours later, we found ourselves back in Marrakech, where we had started the trip over a week ago. Here we walked to our hotel through the busy square and bustling roads. Arriving at our hotel, we had time to relax and transition. At 5:40 PM, we had the opportunity to meet a brother and sister, Safaa and Ayoub, who gave us a snapshot of their lives in Morocco. We sat and had a tea, chatting for over an hour, exploring questions and exchanging information about each other’s lives, hobbies, interests, etc. Though we’re from different countries, continents, speak different languages, etc. we found that our lives share many more similarities than most of us initially thought. It was such a change in our collective perspective to understand how similar we all are.
Right after, we headed back out into the busy city, walking through the bustling streets and the busy square to eat dinner at Tagine Darna. After a full day of travel and activity, we made our way back to the hotel. Once back, we closed off the day, reflecting on our meeting with Safaa and Ayoub, and our time back in Marrakech. We were then off to bed to rest up for a full day in Marrakech tomorrow, excited to explore all the hidden gems this historic place has to share.
