So there I was in Morocco, dining with Dionne and Mike, discussing our plans for the next day. I shared my excitement for going in search of Project Fog Catcher, a student project high in the Anti Atlas Mountains. Mike, being the curious one, asked what a cloud catcher was. So I explained: mesh nets that capture fog and filter it into clean drinking water. These cloud catchers provide the community where they are located with 200 liters of clean water per day on average. It was amazing to think of the impact such a simple innovation could have on people's lives.
After learning about it, I knew I just had to see this project for myself. I contacted the university that was conducting the study about my interest in visiting the site, but they never replied. So months later, with nothing to lose, I decided to take matters into my own hands and go in search of the cloud catchers. I mean, how hard could it be?
While telling them of my plans, Mike suggested Dionne go with me. I loved the idea. When I met up with Dionne and Mike the next morning, they had already arranged a driver to take us on our little adventure. The journey through the mountains to Amtil was breathtaking, and we were in high spirits.
We knew that the Project Fog Catcher site was in a remote area, and we were determined to find it. The cloud catchers were an important project, providing access to clean drinking water to the community, and we wanted to witness it firsthand.
But alas, no luck. It was getting late, and we finally accepted that we weren’t going to find them. But before heading back, we decided to explore the Berber village. Dionne and I were snapping pictures when a man brandishing a staff appeared out of nowhere. His single tooth glinting in the sun, he ran towards us, shaking his staff in the air, angry about the photos we were taking. We never could have imagined when we set out that morning that it would include a near-miss with a stick-wielding villager.
As the sun began to set behind the Atlas Mountains, casting a golden glow over the rugged terrain, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected turn our day had taken. While we didn't find the elusive cloud catchers, we did stumble upon something just as valuable: a sense of camaraderie and adventure that brought us closer together. We laughed at our failed attempts to communicate with the locals and marveled at the stunning landscapes that surrounded us.
As we drove back to Chefchaouen, I realized that sometimes the best experiences are the ones you don't plan for. The ones that push you out of your comfort zone and make you appreciate the beauty of the moment. The ones that make you realize that life is full of surprises and that there's always something new to discover. And in that moment, surrounded by the beauty of Morocco and the warmth of my new friends, I felt truly alive.