The greatest part of spending PPST in Azrou is getting out of the desert and seeing trees and water and the color green. There was obviously no better place to go spend a Sunday afternoon then soaking in the cold river in the lush green site of the Zaouia d’ Ifrane.

After yesterdays hike, and a week of getting up to sit in sessions, I was happy to get a chance to sleep in past 8:00. Dave woke up not feeling very well either so it was a good opportunity for him to rest. When we finally made it downstairs, as usual, most people were congregated in the main room lounging in various positions on computers, reading, chatting or already napping. We joined the masses on Facebook and discussing plans for the day. There was talk of another hike in Ifrane, the possibility of the Roman ruins near Meknes or even just chilling in Azrou. Martin and I had previously discussed going to another PCV, Steven’s, site which we were told had a nice waterfall and a great swimming hole.

When we finally found Steven to ask about going to his site it was already around noon. We discussed all the logistics such as timeframes and transportation which turned out to be the most complicated part. Getting there required 2 taxis but the return trip, much like going to the lake yesterday, was the more involved endeavor.  Steven informed us that there is no regular transportation out of his site and that he usually bikes about 15km to the nearest taxi stand. Worst case scenario was, once we got lunch and got to Zaouia it would be around 3 or 3:30-ish which would give us an hour or so to steep in the cold, clean, refreshing water if we had to hike the 15km to get a taxi ride back to Azrou. Best case scenario, which turned out to be our luck, we got lunch and made it to Zaouia around 3:00 and made arrangements with the driver to come back for us at 7:00, which he did promptly. Unfortunately Dave barely made it through lunch and decided it wouldn’t be wise for him to join us.

In my mind when people talked about the waterfall at Zaouia I had envisioned a small waterfall maybe 20 feet in length or so. You can imagine my surprise when I got out of the taxi to hundred foot travertine cliffs blanketed in bright green moss and

stream of water cascading over the lush emerald carpet. The site envy began almost immediately.  Not wanting to let the jealousy fade for even a moment Steven first brought us to his house. We joke often in Peace Corps Morocco about how cushy we tend to have it with most volunteers having electricity and many having running water. As soon as we stepped into Steven’s house the words Posh Corps immediately came to mind with electricity, water, a western toilet, tiled floors and roof, a fireplace and real windows that of course looked out on the towering waterfall, envious words were all that followed.

Winding our way through the Duar on our way out to the river and swimming hole we passed the lower reaches of the river flowing through town, a large pear tree and numerous fig trees. As we left town centre for towards the river the trail was bordered by many blackberry bushes and 1 beautiful mulberry tree, ripe and ready for picking. So, we foraged and walked and foraged some more.

When we arrived at the river we remembered it was a holiday weekend, Throne Day, due to the throngs of people, tents and picnic areas set up. We made our way up river to the main swimming hole, which apparently is around 8 feet deep, but was too crowded to be enjoyable so we found a smaller but empty area a little further upstream. Finally, we got to immerse ourselves and for the first time in nearly 6 months I got goosebumps.

 

We hung out for a few hours getting in and out of the water at leisure, talking and enjoying the surroundings. On our way back into town we got a special appearance from some macaques, monkeys of the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas mountains. They blend really well into the rocks and were on the other side of the river from us but it was really fun to see them in action digging in the ground and hunting for food. After our sighting we headed back to Steven’s house for a quick snack and then back out to wait for our taxi.

We spent a lot of time deciding whether or not to go and figuring out logistics but once again it all worked out and made for a relaxing, delicious and exciting day. The main goal for the weekend, and the decision not to go to Fez was to get to explore the area around Azrou and get to know the Middle Atlas region, a place completely different from our everyday life in the Souss, a little better. Although, there is still a lot of Ifrane National Park and the Middle Atlas including Fez, to see, I am really happy we made that choice and I think we were indeed successful. Hopefully this revitalizing break from PPST sessions will help sustain us through this second week.

**Thanks to Martin Frederickson and Charlie Kolb for the pictures as I remembered my camera during this trip but left the memory card in Azrou.