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Published: March 11th 2011
Ampitheatre
Roman-style ampitheatre at the town of El Jem - a true 'jem' of a place!Following on from the previous year's week-long stay in Marrakech, the man-made resort town of Port El Kantaoui in Tunisia seemed like a suitable enough destination to 'compare and contrast', and although this place lacked the distinctly unique feel of Marrakech, it did seem as if the tourist infrastructure was firmly in place. Oddly enough, this was the second visit to Tunisia, and a 30-year gap had separated the two trips, so it is fair to say that recollections of the first visit were but a faded, distant memory, therefore it was enough to consider this trip a fresh experience. Port El Kantaoui is a largely artificial resort, the centrepiece of which is a pristine marina, where the town gets most of its Mediterranean allure from. Nightlife is relatively muted, and you might gain the overall impression that unless you are seeking souvenirs, shopping is very much a low-key affair too. The town has a sizeable golf course within its environs, and I revelled in the chance to go quad biking on a route which I honestly thought offered some of the prettiest views of the surrounding area. Nearby Sousse provided a much more authentic shopping experience in the shape of
Cathedral
Cathedral in the main street of Tunis, the nation's capital a bustling medina, despite having less of an overall 'polished' allure than PEK. A day trip to the Tunisian capital city, Tunis, proved to be an all-round winner, since the city's main boulevard revealed it to be very much a contender for North Africa's most pristine-looking street, and the bazaar and market-style shopping which covered a sizeable area provided the right kind of atmosphere for an otherworldly travel experience. Many points of interest can be found along Tunisia's rail network, and one such town which most definitely warranted a visit was the compact, but significant town of El Jem, most famous for its highly attractive ancient ampitheatre, which allows a visitor to explore the premises of the great structure from seemingly any angle or level. A half-day sideline trip to the pleasant resort town of Monastir rounded off the whole proceedings nicely, and the conclusion was that a cross-section of yet another country had been satisfactorily condensed into a week-long stay, thus validating the whole idea of using a basic, cheap package deal as a means of seeing the sights on a more universal scale.
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