If you are fortunate enough to be staying overnight in the Ounila Valley at Kasbah Ellouze during a tour with us, we would encourage you to wake up that bit earlier in the morning so you can meet the neighbours and see how they prepare their daily bread. They aren’t simply baking bread for you; they’ll be doing it anyway as part of their daily routine (3 or 4 loaves, for lunch, dinner and following morning’s breakfast).
If you’d like to meet the neighbours, they are in fact three sisters who have lived in the hamlet of Tamdaght all their lives (there are no brothers). The eldest is Lalla Kbira (literally, ‘the eldest’), then Fatima and Touda. Lalla Kbira and Touda are, tragically, widowed and Fatima is divorced. They now look after themselves.
Bread oven in the south of MoroccoLike most people in the rural south of Morocco, they live hand-to-mouth from what they grow in their vegetable plot. They also have a few almond trees and keep goats and sheep. Allowing the occasional visitors in to their home with them brings in some pocket money (ask either us or at Kasbah Ellouze about tipping), which probably goes some way to covering their electricity bill for the month and a couple of bags of flour.
Sitting with the sisters for a short time allows you a brief glimpse into a rural Moroccan home (which you might not otherwise see during your trip). It’s a privilege to be a stranger in someone’s home, even for a fleeting visit. But it seems perfectly normal here, such is the ‘open-door’ mentality in the south. This has to be one of those priceless experiences you don’t want to let everyone else in on! (Rather like the Homestay with our extended family.)
Please contact us for further details.