Story and Photos:  Chris Mather

5 months in and I find myself sat on a plane departing for London and home. Is this the end?

Well the answer to that is no. Just a temporary break, a holiday of sorts. A chance to catch up with family and friends, enjoy a few crisp ciders, tuck into a Sunday roast and reflect.

There have been many things to reflect on. Great surf, new friends, new adventures, experiences, sites and smells.
The highs have far outweighed the lows and in my book, that means things are going OK.

When I last wrote, I was reeling off of one of the best surfs I can remember. Since then, the winter has provided many more. Christmas was experienced in yet another country and culture and the New Year welcomed with yet another group of friends.

I’ve talked of the warm culture and the hospitality that I’ve been shown and this still remains a large part of my life here.
The surf goes without saying. Great break after great break, providing many stories and discussions for all the frequent them.

But what is it that makes a trip, no matter how long or short; memorable?

The destination, the people, maybe the weather, I’m sure it differs from person to person but I guess overall it is probably a combination of them all.

That for me; is Morocco.

This country offers so much and asks for little in return.
Sat now, with time to reflect, I can see something, that, at times I forget.
Maybe it’s due to being a bit of a grumpy old git (self proclaimed) or maybe it’s human nature to take things for granted.
But as I sit here, pressing pen to paper, I realize how incredibly lucky I have been and still am.

This is what Morocco gives. It strips you back from a material life, shows you how to appreciate the things that really matter. It teaches you things that have been forgotten.

Now this isn’t meant to be a pro Moroccan tourism piece and yes there are many things that do need to change. This is about a realization, that once you break down prejudice, stereotypes, or any of the pre conceived ideas we have, be it on a place, a people, culture or religion, then maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to experience them, gain an insight and even learn from them.

Nowadays, people are becoming quicker to judge, more reliant on a string of so called facts and Googled information. We read more but seem to understand less.

The opportunities available to us grow and grow, but our wants and desires still out way them.
We find ourselves chasing, always chasing.
Yes we must have dreams. I myself am a dreamer, (life without these would become very boring). But let’s not forget the little things.

A simple smile, a good turn, a nice gesture, things that no matter where you’re from, help the world turn.

It’s not that we can’t all be great leaders, revolutionaries or change the world for the better, it’s that we don’t.
Yes we won’t all have our pictures printed or have people write our names into the history books but does that make the little things any less important.

Grand gestures are wonderful, but it’s
the little things done by a lot, that really change things.

I digress, but this has been more than a self-indulgent surf trip with great waves, sun, sea and sex. This is what Morocco has given to me and I thank it.

At 12 years of age, a teacher spoke to me, and possibly for the first time I really listened.
He said “as you go through life, things happen but when you look back on everything; which are the moments, the times when you can say, that you’ve actually LIVED.