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Published: September 7th 2008
So by this point in our two months of traveling, David and I have started to consider ourselves travel experts. We can efficiently and confidently navigate many a foreign subway systems, order meals in the local language, and even find our way using only our newly developed keen sense of direction… we may have even started to get a little arrogant about all of this, if it hadn’t been for Tunisia!
Tunisia is truly another world. Even the great and hectic city of Naples cannot compare to the intensity of this North African country. David and I knew it would be different when we naively boarded our “cruise ship” from Naples to Tunis. The “cruise ship” (as it was advertised) was more comparable to a very large Northwest Ferry.
Our first lesson in Tunisian living started at the ferry gates. We had internet reservations, but not tickets. So we were told that we had to wait at the ticket office. We went to wait and even formed a line… it only took us about 15 minutes to realize that waiting patiently was not going to get us anywhere. As soon as the office opened, people came out of
Our lovey 'cruise'
Notice the sleeping man on the ground in the restaurant behind David. Classy.nowhere to swarm the office like bees to honey, pushing anything moving out of their way. Although we were technically, first… we found ourselves physically shoved out of place bringing up the rear of a very long line… this was our first lesson in being “Tunisian” street smart. We quickly learned that there are no personal boundaries and NO rules when it comes to who is next.
The ferry ride was about as interesting as getting a ticket had been. We were put on a deck full of men and a few women, a movie playing loudly in French, and all the florescent lights on… (At this point it was 2am in the morning!). Since the ship ride was to take about 25 hours and involve 2 nights… David and I quickly decided that an upgrade to a private cabin would be well worth extra Euros. We finally got into our cabin at 4am and never have I been SO appreciative of the simple comforts of darkness and quiet and privacy. We both slept soundly and awoke the next day for more cultural lessons.
The ferry was jam packed with people (mostly men, but a few women and children).
One of the famous blue doors
In Sidi Bou Said all the homes are bright white and the doors are all blue and decorated in unique designs. They slept everywhere; on the deck outside, on the restaurant booths, and in the hallways on the ground. It appeared that anything goes as long as you have a ticket and are the first person there… which explained why getting a ticket and onboard the ship had been so competitive. As bizarre of an experience as it was, the ride was more or less pleasant and I think it prepared us a little better for the culture shock of Tunisia.
Tunisia is an Arab country in North Africa between Libya and Algeria. It is a former French colony, but now is a Muslim country after gaining independence in 1956. As far as Muslim countries go, Tunisia is very liberal. The law allows women to both work and vote, tourism is a major and important industry, and Western culture is pretty mainstream with the country’s youth. Unlike every other country we had visited though, there are no McDonalds… which is surprisingly refreshing!
After arriving shell-shocked to Tunis, we made our way to our fantastic resort, where we were once again extraordinarily lucky as to get an upgrade to the Junior Suite. Later, an employee asked David if he
was “an important man” because of the nice room we graciously received as a free upgrade! The resort is fantastic, it feels like its prime was probably in the 80’s, but it has a great pool, easy beach access, and interesting buffets.
Since arriving in Tunisia we have done three major excursions. Our first trip was our bravest and carried with it our delusions of grandeur. We solely took public transportation to get from our resort in the city of Yasmine Hammamet to get to Tunis (about 60km). The two official languages of Tunisia are French and Arabic and unfortunately David and I are not proficient in either, so traveling via trains, taxis and group taxis was more difficult and time consuming that we planned for. However, we finally made it to Tunis and our desired locations after about three hours.
Had we known what to expect, I think we would have had a larger breakfast! After arriving in Tunis (the capital) our journey was not over. We wanted to visit the North African American Cemetery and Memorial to return a flag that had been given to our friend when he visited Tunis four years ago. At that
Hubbly Bubbly
That is what Tunisians call a hookah. We coughed a lot. time, the ex-military manager of the Memorial asked our friend to bring the flag back to the United States and give it to someone else to return to Tunisia. The goal was to have the flag reach American soil and then be returned to Tunisia to be flown on the gravestone of a serviceman on Memorial Day. David was very excited about this honor.
Unfortunately, the Memorial was VERY obscure and difficult to find. Literally the directions on the Memorial website said that, “it was a five minute walk from the train station”. Well, we found the train station, but had no idea which direction to walk… so we spent the next two+ hours circling the train station and asking anyone we saw if they knew where it was. After several false leads and time running out, David and I had started to lose hope. However, right as we were about to give up, we saw a sign for the Memorial! We made it to the site only one hour before closing, but it was worth it. The officer was grateful that we had come and told us that David was the first person to bring a flag back
Lost!
"Where is the stinkin Memorial?" in the entire year that he had worked there! He gave us a private tour of the Memorial and even invited us over to watch a football game and eat hamburgers. After our visit to the Memorial, we visited a neighboring city called Sidi Bou Said which is a picturesque Andalusian style town on the sea. It was gorgeous and the place where we tried traditional Tunisian mint and pine nut tea for the first time, which was surprisingly good.
Our second excursion was even more elaborate, but much more supervised and touristy. We went to the Sahara! It was a two day excursion that consisted of over 1200km of driving. We saw many interesting Tunisian cities including the amphitheater in El Jem (from Roman times), several gorgeous oasis’s on the border of Tunisia and Algeria that are only accessible with four-wheel drive jeeps, Kaioranthe forth holiest Islamic site, a troglodyte Berber cave dwelling, and of course the hot and sandy Sahara dunes.
Our tour group consisted of mostly English people, like everywhere in Tunisia, we are the only Americans we have yet to meet. Our guide was very interesting and spent the majority of our long drives telling
We found it!
The North African American Cemetery and Memorial. us about everything Tunisian: from the healthcare system, to the Sharia laws, to the average wages in Tunisia, to the typical Tunisian wedding celebration. Both David and I feel like we learned a lot and have grown in our appreciation for this small country.
The highlight of course was the Sahara, it was everything I hoped. Hot (41 degrees Celsius with cloud cover), vast and intimidating. The guides dressed us up like Arab merchants (I said it was touristy) and then we got to pick out our camels. I got a sweet and obedient camel, but David choose one that spent more time eating other camels excrement, than actually navigating the Saharan terrain. He affectionately referred to his camel as, “poop eater”. Sad, but it was true. The trek into the Sahara was very fun and memorable. It was amazing to see rolling hills of perfectly wind-groomed fine sand. It made me wonder how people could ever survive such harsh conditions, but by the grace of God.
Our last excursion we took today. We went to the Medina of Hammamet (which is the town center from Medieval times that is enclosed by walls on all four sides) and
Mike and David.
The passing of the flag. tried our best at haggling for a few Tunisian souvenirs. It was intense. Immediately upon walking into the Medina, we were targeted and yelled at by many different merchants (all assuming we were German!?!?). Each merchant would go to great lengths to get you inside of his shop. Some merchants got downright nasty in their attempts. We choose not to visit those shops… Once inside the merchant tried to sell you what felt like everything, even his wife if you wanted her! All for a “good price” or a “great deal”, which usually meant you were being taken for a ride. David and I are by now very poor (that’s what happens after two months in Europe and the failing US dollar!) so we were motivated to be excellent hagglers! In the end, I think we got screaming deals and made the Tunisian merchants mildly annoyed (they still got their money). It was both a lesson in patience and calling someone’s bluff… I thought it was pretty fun.
Overall, Tunisia has treated us very well. The food is spicy, flavored with chilies and peppers. The resort is comfortable. And the sun is great (David might say differently because of
his massive sunburn). We have enjoyed relaxing, reading, and watching the only English TV channel, BBC news. It has been a great conclusion to our fantastic European Vacation and I think it has also taught us a lot more about the world that we live in.
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edmonds mom
non-member comment
time to come home
Tunisia sound exotic and wonderful....but I am missing you like crazy! Time to come home! I love you, and I am counting the minutes.