Mountains, vallys, farms, fields, and donkeys

The past few days have been a complete whirlwind. The weekend was spent hiking in the Mid-Atlas mountains. Our hike started out at 9 am, and little did we know what we were in for. Our guide took us on a some gorgeous trails through the mountains of the national park. Unlike in the US where national parks are almost entirely for preservation of nature, this park has many little houses and villages throughout. People herd sheep and grow plants within the confines of the park. Throughout our walk there were sheep, donkeys, orchards, and agricultural fields alongside forests, mountains, and lakes.

A little afternoon we arrived at a guesthouse along the way where we had Moroccan salad for lunch and fresh fruit for dessert. Afterwards some of us went paddleboating. Oh... and the coolest part- I got to ride a donkey! I was walking along and there was a kid riding a donkey and I asked if I could take a picture, and he offered me a ride! I felt bad for the donkey though- I definitely was heavier than the kid he was used to carrying.

After lunch we hiked for another two hours until we reached another guesthouse which was absolutely adorable, and a very comfortable place to rest after a 7 hour hike. The owners were so welcoming. That night there was an Imazighan (also called Berber- they are a people who are native to Morocco and have their own unique cultures and traditions) wedding. In their culture, everyone from the village is invited to the wedding, and they let us come along too. The guests all sit under a huge tent- women on one side men on the other. In front of the tent men play drums to build up the anticipation for when the bride and groom arrive. We got to dance along with the rest of the guests. Unfortunately since the ceremony started around 11, we had to leave before it was over, but just being there for a while was really fun.

The next morning we headed out again for another hike- this time only 5 hours, but taking us to a lake and along the country side. On our way we meet a women's weaving group. They showed us how they turn sheep and goat wool into tents. The women were so welcoming; they even gave us each some mint tea. After finally returning to the guesthouse we were all exhausted, but happy to have seen such a beautiful landscape and such important elements of a culture that most visitors do not get to experience.