Azib Amguedoul

30 September 2022

Day 1 of the trek begins and I am introduced to my companions for the next days; Rashid (guide), Omar (cook and mule handler) and mule.

We set off up the winding track out of the Imlil valley, over the Tizi n'Tamatert pass and into the valley below. Rashid and I spend most of the day talking about trekking, how to make sure groups have a brilliant experience in the mountains and his hopes and dreams for developing business. He shares some useful social media tips which I think might come in useful in the future.

I pitched my tent in the public campsite next to a simple guest house where we'll cook, eat and the men will sleep.

Wandering around the villages in the afternoon, I met a very enterprising lady who has turned her family house into a Gite for guests. She proudly showed me around, including a visit to the sauna in the back garden and the walnut shelling taking place on the roof. Her mother showed me how wearing their only pair of plastic gloves was protecting her hennaed hands.

After one of Omar's amazing vegetarian dinners cooked over the portable gas ring, I retired to my tent. All was well until about midnight when a group of campers arrived and began a party until day break. Ummm. so much for the peaceful pleasures of the mountains.