Mountain Berbers manage to walk and, often, even run up and down mountains in sandals. They have had a lifetime to hone
this skill, and you are not advised to copy them if you want to carry on walking. The most common difficulty that visitors
experience on a trek is blisters from ill-fitting boots or ill-chosen footwear. If you want to do more than stroll across a valley, you
will greatly enhance your outing by buying a pair of properly fitted, waterproof (preferably Gore-Tex) boots, and giving yourself
time to break them in. Even then you may get blisters. Many trekkers carry ‘second skin’, a plastic layer that can be put over
blisters and usually stops them hurting. Happy feet make for a happy walker.Hospitality
Invitations for tea and offers of food are common in the mountains. By taking a guide, who may
have friends in many villages, you’ll open yourself to even more offers of genuine hospitality.
While these offers are unconditional, it is worth bearing in mind that the mountain economy is
one of basic subsistence farming. No one has large supplies, and in outlying villages there may
be no surplus food. Offering your hosts some Chinese gunpowder tea and some sugar
(preferably in cones) is a very welcome gesture. Dried fruits are also appreciated, as is a taste
of any imported food you may have.
For this reason, it is important to be generous when buying provisions for yourself and
guides.
Medicine
In remote areas, people along the way will often ask for medicine, from disinfectant and
bandages to painkillers or cream for dry skin (which many children have). Always make sure
the guide explains what to do with what you offer – how often to take it and so on.