In late July, 19 Gordon’s students travelled to Morocco to complete their Gold DofE expedition.  Arriving at Marrakech airport in the early evening the group were pitched straight into the hustle of local life.  An entertaining half hour wait for the bus into town was spent fending off the increasingly strident approaches by the local taxi drivers desperate to convey the group to their hotel.  Suggestions of a 2 hour wait for the bus to be followed by a 90 minute hike from the bus station proved unfounded as the Moroccan public transport system whisked us away to deposit us yards from Hotel Ali.

After a brief sojourn in Marrakech we departed for Arround, where we would be hosted by the Berbers for the DofE expedition.  Following an acclimatisation trek to the local shrine, our guides, Mustafa and Omar, lead the group on their 4-day exploration of the Atlas Mountains.  Traversing breath-taking scenery, scaling high peaks and enduring  40+ degree heat, all four groups successfully completed the expedition phase. It was with a degree of sadness that we departed from Arround to travel on to the Asni Project.

In the small village of Tiwiki we were greeted by Hassan, the chairman of the project and made welcome to the project.  We spent 3 days housed in the village hall, during which time the students worked hard to help the locals: building steps through the village; improving the local primary school; sharing time with the village children.  Aside from the hard work there was time for sharing on other levels as we were shown the local market and the Morocco vs England football match finished 10-9 in favour of the hosts.

After all the exertions of the previous week and a half, the team headed off to Essaouira for a well-earned rest.  Despite a small issue with some of our pre-booked accommodation, the students were soon well settled and enjoyed themselves exploring this historic town as well as engaging in some enthusiastic bartering with the local merchants. 

We arrived back in Marrakech during the festival of Eid for our final night as a team, now much wiser to the ways of haggling and far better equipped to negotiate favourable prices for our souvenirs in the markets.  Our final dinner gave us a chance to thank Dave and Chris; the two leaders who had guided us so expertly through the past two weeks, before preparing for our flight home.

"Thanks to the staff who ensured the smooth running of the trip: Charlotte Barret, Billy Keates and Kate Williams."

Simon Matthews

Trip Leader