Tunisia

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Tunisia

Arrived at Gabes, Tunisia on Saturday and had an all day free tour sponsored by American Express. Saw lots of sand and quite a few oasis with their date palm trees. Our first stop was the city of Matmata where almost all the inhabitants live in cave like dwellings that have been carved out of the hillside. We got a chance to tour one of the homes and were very impressed with the cleanliness and overall layout. We next toured the site where they filmed the first Star Wars Movie and got a chance to buy some real desert souvenirs. The highlight of the trip was a stop at Douz, the Gateway to the Sahara and got back on a camel and road it into the desert. We were quite impressed with Tunisia especially compared to all the other Arab Countries we had visited. Education is mandatory and free all the way through College and you have to learn Arabic, French and English in Grade School and then one other foreign language in High School. There is a definite separation between Religion and the Government which is a good thing since the Country is 90% Moslem. Women are not required to cover their faces and wearing religious garb is actually forbidden in the classroom. It really seems to be a Country that has it's act together.

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