Today makes it two weeks since I have arrived to Taghazout. Life is so chilled out here. I couldn't imagine a life without timekeeping in London. I knew the month; the year, the day of the week...There was always a clock in front of me somewhere. I had a schedule, a routine, a time for everything. Now all of this barely exists. The only thing I worry about is getting on time to my yoga class or accomplishing to stand on my surfboard.
Taghazout is a small fishing village 19km away from the city of Agadir. The inhabitants are mostly of Berber origin and the town's main source of income is tourism, fishing and and the production of Argan oil.
To my surprise, Taghazout is extremely vivid. Colours burst from every direction. Most of its walls are filled with artwork. Every doorway and windowsill is unique in colour, shape and design. It has a really bohemian and peaceful touch to it, which I love. All of my senses erect when I walk around this tiny village. Even in scent, I smell colour!
For these past two weeks I have been working for a surf school (I have to say that this feels more of a holiday than work!). I have met so many interesting people whilst here. Everyone has lived different experiences, visited different parts of the world, has different point of view and has a different story to tell. Meeting all these people has made my travel impulse grow even more. This impulse is now mental and physical curiosity to see more and more. I haven't even been here for a month but I am already thinking about what my next destination could be...
I have bought a bicycle and have started cycling to the villages nearby. Many people were surprised when I told them as I not the type of person you would see riding a bike (I am even surprised at myself at pursuing such a thing). So far I have cycled to a village called Imi Ouaddar (7,5km away from Taghazout). This village has nothing but apartments and a beach (as many villages do here). I stopped at this resort called Paradise Plage for a smoothie. It was such a relaxed and peaceful place (but typical touristy so not much to comment). I have also cycled to a village called Tamraght (6,2km away). This is also a small Berber fishing village situated on a hillside. I decided to treat myself and went for a 1h "toning" massage. Something that would have cost me 60euros in Europe only cost me 15euros. I thought this was a bargain!
Up until now I still haven't managed to get up on a surfboard. I do have to say in my defence that I have only been twice so far. One of the perks of this job is that I can go surfing with the group of tourists for free when I am not on shift and if there is space in the van. It is the perfect timing for beginners to learn how to surf. I thought there would be waves throughout the whole year here but the season only begins in September. That is when waves get pretty big and professional surfers from around the world come here to surf. My plan is to surf as much as I can on the small waves and become a pro and start surfing the big waves in September (that is in the ideal world of course!). I will keep you updated on how I progress in this department ;)
One of the other perks is free yoga! The practice is done on a rooftop terrace, which has two big windows overlooking the sea and the sunset. The setting in itself is already breathtaking! It is the most peaceful moment for me were I realise how blessed I am of being able to experience everything I am experiencing and thank God for everything he has given me so far. The yoga teacher is excellent. She transmits so much positive energy and inner peace in here speech...
My stay here has also involved a trip to Paradise Valley. This was a hippie hangout in the 60s, where people came to camp by the clear blue pools and waterfalls. The local Berber name for the valley is Tagharant Akrim, as the valley runs the course of the Akrim river and is now a nature reserve where you are still allowed to camp freely.
We stopped on the road between Aourir and Paradise Valley at an Argan oil co-operative, where the ladies gave us a quick demonstration of how the shells of the Argan nuts are broken open with a stone, then their brown outer coating peeled off to reveal the white nut. For cooking oil the brown kernels are ground into a paste and dried into a cake that is then pressed to make oil for cooking, while the white inner nut is pressed for the more refined cosmetic oil for face and hair.
As we drove on up the valley, we found the landscape becoming more arid, as we passed into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. We started hiking up the path, which tracked above the river, then snaked down to a place where we had to cross on stepping stones. There were a few small open-air cafes around where locals who live in the village of Immouzzer-Ida-Outanane up the valley have made small businesses to serve food to the groups coming to the valley.
Twenty minutes walk later and we arrived at a place where the cliffs rose into a gorge, which created a bowl around an area of deep blue water. There were places on the cliffs were you could jump off (the highest being 10metres). Those who weren’t so daring (like myself that day) could scramble down the smooth side of the rock to some ledges nearer the water and go for a swim from there. Our surf guide got an empty bottle of water and started throwing water on the rock to make it slippery. Me and another girl scrambled down the rocks a couple of times (one of them recreating a surf board were I was the surfing board and she was "surfing me" - which does sound a bit weird I know!).
Back down at the head of the valley after a couple of hours, we stopped at a small hut where a tagine had been cooked for us. We were accompanied by a family of cats trying to eat our food which was a different kind of meal experience!
I do definitely recommend this trip to anyone who comes to Morocco!
As a whole, I am really enjoying this experience so far. I do have to say that working with Moroccans can be difficult at times due to their mentality being so different to ours. This is one of the challenges of this job, being able to reach and understanding with them and creating a happy environment for both sides. This is another life lesson to me. Learning how to work with people with a totally different culture and totally different working perspective.
One of the most important things about being here is that I am realising that the journey itself is my home. I have always worried about finding my place. That place I can settle down in and call home. I haven't found anywhere in the world where I want to be all the time but I have realised that the best of my life IS THE MOVING.
This quote best describes how I feel at the moment: "I'm not single, I'm in a long-term relationship with adventure and fun!"
