Friday Free Walk

Hey there!

I woke up this morning at around 8 and I thought I'd give myself that much needed walk in the park. Did some Mafia robbing at FB, checked my dead phone, gmail and yahoo. Fixed my bed, checked on Alice' condition, ate breaky and yes set foot outside on a sunny-chilly streets of Ifrane.

As soon as I stepped out I knew where I wanted to go. I've been there before with my ward on one Sunday afternoon. It was different before, there were snow everywhere but now, the sun is out but the chill still there. To Ifrane National Park where horses are and streams provide you that enchanting music to your ears, heart and mind.

I clicked on some scenes I saw along the way:

One thing I noticed when your somewhere your not really familiar with is that roads and streets seems endless. They never seem to stop and they give you the feeling that your on your own.

This is Ifrane and they say, this is Little France. Ifrane is a small town but hosts, I've been told, one of the best University in the Arab world. Anything claimed to be the best or one of the best is of course subjected to doubts and discussions on the podium.

Once I saw the concrete fence-ins of the park, I knew I'd have a nice, light walk on my own without the distractions of digital era living. Yes I did bring my mobile phone and my "digital" camera but as I've said before, my dead phone is dead.

Here are the scenes I shot mindlessly while enjoying the chirping of the birds coming from everywhere, water sound coming from the stream that brings the cold wind, shades and shadows around me, giving me that tranquil and calm feeling.







There was one jogger I saw in my entire walk about, a family of four and a father and son bonding along the stream. I knew I needed this walk and I'm doing this in awe and wonder at how laid back life can be here in Morocco, and yet so lonely. Something must have bitten me in my spring break trips that until now I just can't seem to shake it off of me.

Maybe it was my train trips, my A Lot Like Love addiction or just maybe I'm homesick. More of the scenes:







On a friday morning, you'd love what the day gives, few people in this park, serene life and entrepreneuring horsemen who thought they could get a penny or two from. No way man! I'm not riding that horse and be pestered for 30 Dirhams endlessly. I went out to clear my mind and give my body the needed jolt, not to give away Dirhams.

I found a lot of benches and tables in between the clearings and footpaths here and there so I took the moment to sit down and do a monologue that goes something like

"Kiko, you've always wanted to be in the countryside, in a small town...here it is now, this life is for you...what the hell is wrong with you?..."

I spent a little less than 5 minutes talking to myself and then sprang into singing on my own. It pays to suck at singing that you don't really know if your out of tune or your going thru all the major, minor and exotic vocal scales.

Because of this, I missed a turn and a left and I ended up on the street that leads to the Morocco famous Ifrane Pond. Which was good actually!







Hard as I tried, I couldn't take a photo of those birds in flight. It looked fantastic seeing those birds perched on top of the trees giving onlookers the impression that they were tree fruits waiting to be picked.

And here are the last few photos I took before I decided to go back to home base. I left around 9 in the morning and it was almost 1045 when I took these shots.




I'm not sure yet if I'd be in Rabat tomorrow for my ward's swimming competition. Rabat, Meknes, Casablanca and Ifrane, these are the places I would always remember.

Ciao for now!

Magandang araw sa lahat!