Blogs from Douz, Tunisia, Africa

After exploring the coast of Tunisia I headed into the central part of the country which is where Tunisia connects to the Sahara Desert. The southern part of the county is very sparsely occupied as it is a primarily desert. My first stop was to stay in a cave in a mountain community of Chenini. The mountain village dates back to the 12th century when the Berbers took refuge to escape the invasion of the Caliph Fatmide al-Mistansir. The striking white mosque called the Seveln Sleepers was constructed at the same time. The occupants built their homes in caves in the side of the mountain to have protection from the harsh temperatures. In the summer it can get to 60C (140F) but the temperature inside of the cave stays significantly cooler. I had a tour from ... read more

Or: A provincial town revolts, again I went to see the Sahara with my mobile home. Then an incident. Because of this I really get to know the country. If you find the story odd, then it is because the facts are odd and the times are odd. Sorry for the length. A German version with photos is at umdiewelt.de. Since long I dream of driving around the Mediterranean sea. It would be a really beautiful trip: From Morocco to Egypt, Israel, Jordan and so on. But with the troubles of the Arab Spring it is just impossible. Cross Libya, even Syria? A little adventure is ok, but I do not need risk to have fun. So I developped a plan to drive to Timbuktu, also a mythical destination. The legendary library, the legendary gold-rich king ... read more

(aus Viktors Sicht) Nach insgesamt nur knapp zwei Stunden Autofahrt erreichten wir schließlich Douz, die alte Karavanenstadt, in der heute die Touristen in Karavanen einfallen. Bei meinem letzten Besuch war ich zwar aufgrund einer knackigen Magen-Darm-Infektion nicht ganz zurechnungsfähig. Doch ich erinnerte mich noch genau an die Busladungen, die direkt an den Ortsrand, den Rand der Sandwüste, gefahren wurden. Alle bekamen eine Art gestreiften Bademantel übergeworfen (lokale Tracht...) und wurden auf Kamele gesetzt. Für die weniger Kameltauglichen stand eine Kutsche bereit. Dann ging es in der großen Gruppe ein paar Meter in den Sand, und dann kamen auch schon die Verkäufer angerast, die hinter der nächsten Düne warteten. Seit vielen Jahren berühmt ist auch ein großes weißes Dromedar mit würdevollem Reiter (Photo=1 Dinar) und ein exotischer Wüstenheld auf einem wilden Araberheng... read more

Those of you who work with or live with my dad may not want to read this blog entry...his head is swelling as I type! In Algeria, we all got a great chuckle out of the 40 year old business man approaching dad because he believed, with sincerity, that dad was the star of "The Hunt for Red October." He was sure he was a submarine captain and so embarrassed when we informed him he was inaccurate. At lunch yesterday we were laughing even louder. We are in Douz, a tiny little oasis town on the edge of the Sahara Desert where tourists gather only for expeditions into the sand dunes. In the afternoon, the town becomes quiet and void of activity. Dad and I wandered into a little restaurant that seemed to be manned by ... read more