WORDS & PICTURES: Lily Plume

Connect with Lily on Instagram | MuseByPlume

After catching her first wave one cold autumn day in Cornwall during her first year of university, writer and photographer Lily of MuseByPlume was hooked on surfing. She spent the next few years pursuing her childhood dream of riding waves in Cornwall, France and Portugal (in between lectures and dissertations), until she left Europe in search of warmer waves. Running out of money in Australia, she ended up in Morocco, where she now lives with her boyfriend by the sea.

The Places That Made Me is an interview series exploring the destinations around the world that people have most fallen in love with. Every week, we speak to a keen traveller or writer about the travel experiences that have made them the person they are today. This week, we speak to keen surfer and freelance writer and photographer Lily (@musebyplume) about her home in Imsouane, Morocco.

Where is the ‘place that made you’?

Imsouane, a little fishing village on the coast of Morocco, where I’ve spent the past year living and surfing the dreamy long waves.

What is your favourite memory from that place?

Most of my favourite memories from Imsouane, Morocco, are from being in the water and sharing waves with friends, but the moments that stay with me the most are from sunset surfs in the Bay when the sky lights up with the most enchanting colours as the sun sinks below the horizon to the west, and the full moon rises above the mountains to the east. It’s really a moment of pure magic. 

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How did it change or impact you?

Living in a tiny remote village with regular power cuts, water shortages and network failures is not for everyone, but it’s taught me so much and forced me to question the way I lived my life before; I am definitely not the same person as I was when I arrived here. The wave and the amazing people it draws here have opened me up to new possibilities, new experiences and new ways of living and loving. It has taught me the importance of feeling connected and of being part of a community, in a place where you can’t walk five minutes without seeing a familiar face!

It has also given me a whole new perspective of my inherent privilege coming from the UK, namely, my freedom to travel pretty much wherever I want, which is something I took for granted before seeing how big of a challenge it is for my friends with Moroccan passports. I still get some unwanted attention as a foreign white woman in a mostly male environment, and although it’s harmless, every day my mind grapples between respecting local customs and staying true to my feminist beliefs. It’s a balancing act, just like surfing!

I’ve learned to appreciate the power of women coming together, whether that’s paddling out in feminine force into the waves or quietly sitting together under a full moon. Finally, living in such close proximity to the elements, it’s been amazing feeling my body and mood impacted by the changes in the environment around me – the phases of the moon, the tides, the winds (Atlantic cold or Sahara hot!), the swells and the seasons…

“The sky lights up with the most enchanting colours as the sun sinks below the horizon to the west, and the full moon rises above the mountains to the east. It’s really a moment of pure magic.”

If you had only 24 hours there, what would you see/do?

Spend as much of it as possible in the water! You could start the day with a morning beach walk and dip in the ocean to wake up, then have a Berber omelette and freshly-squeezed orange juice at one of the cafés for breakfast. Stay for a while to watch the waves, then jump in for a surf and meet some friends in the water. Eat some lunch, say hi to the lovely street dogs, have a nap and share a Moroccan mint tea, and then surf again at sunset!

In the evening, there’s always music happening somewhere, either traditional Gnawa bands from the desert or casual jam sessions between locals and travellers, so you can share a tagine with the friends you made in the surf and spend the night dancing under the stars!

What is a little-known fact or hidden secret about this place that tourists wouldn’t know?

Just fifteen years ago, the whole village of Imsouane, Morocco, didn’t have running water or electricity. All you could find there then was the fishing harbour, none of the surf camps, cafés or shops you see today. Even now, some of the fisherman’s houses still don’t have electricity or running water. 

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