Blogs from Tunis, Tunisia, Africa - page 7

Today we had a decent lecture at the hotel, however it is difficult to really focus on a lecture knowing there is a whole county to see outside. We went to a soccer game where there were less spectators than I expected. We had nice seats, but, as we're 20 American tourists siting in one row, surrounded by police, I felt like I was on display. The men smoked way too much and it was difficult to sit there through the first half. During halftime we were ushered into a wood paneled room where men in suits milled around and we stood there and felt awkward. Still not really sure what we were doing there, but I suppose it was some sort of reception. It was disappointing that Tunisia lost the game to Zambia, but it ... read more

Last day in Tunis today before heading off down to El Jem, Gabes and then to Djerba! Taking our time to just wander around and shop in the Medina and take in the sights, sounds and smells of Tunis. Have really enjoyed the people and this place is such a mix of European and Arabic cultures and we are having fun making the Tunisians in the Medina guess our Nationality, mostly think we are Spanish, much to Iain's amusement, so we must go and shop!... read more

Today we arrived in Tunis early morning, after a long flight from Doha, Qatar. Our first funny experience was getting our Tourist Visa in Tunis Airport. As you can't get Tunisian Dinar anywhere but Tunisia, and we had to pay for the Visa with Dinar, Iain had to wangle his way through customs and imigration without his passport, in order to get to an ATM to get Tunisian Dinar to pay for the Visa. Then we had to wait for 1 hour to get the Visa, not that anyone tells you this at the time, but it was quite funny. Once we got our Visa, we headed outside the airport for a taxi. And the adventures of travelling began, with a driver offering us a taxi while we were walking outside to look for the taxi's ... read more

*Sidi Bou Said is a very attractive little coastal town, this is somewhat aided by what seems to be a strictly-enforced colour scheme: everything was blue and white. The steep path down to the harbour is just behind me in this picture. *This rather attractive tiling can be found at the Bardo Museum on the outskirts of Tunis, along with a large collection of mosaics that have been ripped out of Carthage. Charlie was ill that day from some dodgy food, so she says please don't look at the photo too hard. *Carthage itself was rather dilapidated, since most of its stones had been recycled by the Romans, and in turn the Roman buildings were taken into pieces and used to build more modern cities. These are the remains of the Antonine Baths. ... read more

OK so I really like Tunisia. I cant help it. The people are awesome, the weather is outstanding (I went swimming yesterday Jodi!) and the food is fantastic! I have been in Tunisia for exactly one week today. I flew from Amman where I nearly missed my flight. Note to self: one hour is NOT enough time to clear security and passport control and check-in. On the up side however, I did not have to hang around the airport looking for something to do. I also got a security escort (3 guys) all the way to the plane! I was slightly nervous at passport control - I was using my clean passport with no exit stamps from Jordan and I was afraid he would ask to see my other passport. He took half a look and ... read more