Thank you Tizi-Noucheg
Starting off our last day at Tizi-Noucheg, the day began as the last few had. We gathered, a little more tired than usual this morning, and ate another round of delicious breakfast before heading out to finish the project we started two days ago. It’s amazing to see what we’ve accomplished over our short time here.
Over these two days, we managed to pave a sizeable portion of the road leading into the village, and it was great to see a part of the dried road already being used. We figured out that, in conjunction with the community members leading us in the project, we mixed, moved and spread approximately 1600 buckets of concrete, resulting in about 2000 square feet of additional road and paths to be created, helping the community better navigate the village.
After we had finished our portion of the project we broke out into a bit of song and dance, excitedly shaking hands and congratulating one another on a job well done over the last few days. Once we had taken a break to clean up and pack, we gathered in our guesthouse for one last meal and a meeting with a number of community members. The president and vice president of the association, as well as several members who we had worked with the last few days during the project, joined us for a meeting. We exchanged a huge congrats for what we had accomplished together, and received a heartfelt thank you message from the local president on behalf of the community. This moment was powerful, knowing the impact we had made on each other in just a few days.
After more hugs and congratulations, we enjoyed our last lunch in Tizi-Noucheg. We then packed up and headed out with Imlilset as our destination. Imlil is another mountain town in the High Atlas Mountains and a typical starting point for groups looking to climb Mount Toubkal. On our roughly 2-hour journey to Imlil, many of us spent time reflecting on our last few days, as well as taking some time to nap.
Once we arrived, we settled into our very nice accommodations, complete with a garden where we met for a welcome tea. We spent the next few hours having some well-deserved rest from the three days in Tizi-Noucheg. We gathered for dinner and had our choice of pizza or pasta for dinner, excellent fuel for the trek to Mount Toubkal tomorrow. On top of the already amazing dinner, we were treated to complimentary tiramisu for dessert, which was a highlight of the meal.
The rest of the evening, we spent prepping for the next portion of our trip. Tomorrow, we begin our trek to Mount Toubkal. The first day, we will get to the refuge basecamp and then shoot for the summit the following morning. There won’t be much service that far up in the mountains, so you’ll hear from us once we return. I’m sure we’ll have lots to share as we’re all quite excited to begin the journey!
Although we’re all looking forward to what is to come in the next few days, Tizi-Noucheg is sitting fondly in our minds. We’re so grateful for the experience, the people, the connection and all we’ve learned from this amazing community. Thank you for welcoming us and making us feel like this was our home away from home.
P.S. I will be missing the honey bread from second breakfast in Tizi-Noucheg!
