Tunisia, Observations.

We have been in Tunisia now for just under 3 weeks and I am enjoying each day.    Ramadan began Thursday evening,  and we look forward to experiencing the change.   Stayed tuned.

Alladin?and the magic dress

  My post is titled Observations,  so will now begin in a somewhat haphazard fashion,  hopefully it will make some sense.

Monastir Marina

As we drove through the desert and salt lakes,   we noticed a different kind of farmer.    One was a sand farmer, putting up 'sand fences' made of palm fronds to capture sand, why? no idea as there is loads of it here.   The second farmers were collecting rocks, in the very hot sun,  seems the large white ones were the most valuable.   Hard work.  Still no idea why.
When I think of Tunisia I think of dates (that you eat), camels, good, inexpensive food and generous people.   Two favorite foods are the brik a l'oeuf (egg fried in a pastry envelope) and the street food (OK, huge variety of street food, bread or chapati, filled with fish/meat, vegetables and hot sauce, and fried.)  Camels and dates because they are so neat and very different to what I find familiar.  Generous people, because the country is full of them.
On the beach I marvel at the women,  who wear head scarves, neck coverings, long pants, with full long sleeved dresses on top of the pants and then go swimming,  usually with a few children holding on to them.   I say swimming, but its more like wading up to your neck and then just standing there until you cool. down.   Sandra (my friend from s/v Deep Blue) asked a woman about how she felt wearing all these clothes,  and she was surprised we asked;  no problem she replied we wear comfortable light clothes...It did not look so light and comfortable coming out of the water, soaking wet and then having sand attach itself to every part of the material..as though the cloth wasn't heavy enough.

Yes, I will be running for office

Oases, southern Tunisia

I was trying to cross the road the other day and saw a 'learn to drive' car with the requisite learner and teacher;   I thought these people will stop, at the crosswalk; I stepped from the curb in anticipation of crossing the busy street,  but had to jump back to the curb as instead of allowing me to cross they nearly ran me over..never seeing me.   Guess its enough just looking for other cars, donkeys, horses, and camels, people must look after themselves.
Locals do not wear the lovely looking leather sandals sold by the tourist shops, they wear the rubber/plastic variety - as Branko has discovered the plastic flip flops have a longer life span.

In a little alley on my way to the dentist (yes having teeth worked on in Africa), it was early and rush hour traffic (pedestrian rush hour) had begun.  There was a line up of office workers, so intrigued I went to look;   it was Tunisian 'Tim Hortons' walk-thru.   A large, deep fried, flat, sweet dough wrapped up in paper was the offering, no coffee but mint tea was available.

Wedding dress, Monastir

The market advertises 'fresh meat'  and the varieties available in each individual stall,  by hanging the dead animals head out front.   Often have we turned too quickly and came face to face with the days special.  Not making fun,  just providing observations.
Wedding dresses vary depending upon regions.  Sfax which is considered a booming, progressive city showcases glittery gowns similar to North American styles, but with long sleeves and high necklines.  Whereas in the desert towns and in particular Monistir area the 'gowns' are woven tunics of various weaves and material, silk, cotton, with pants .. lots of material but stunningly different and beautiful.

Also a wedding dress

Everyone, especially men, joke.   Whether it is serving a coffee (hand it to you and then swiftly take it away, again and again),   telling you they ran out of material for your cushion covers and now the last cushion must be made in a hideous burnt orange glittery fabric, to spraying you with water as you pass by them.   This is common and you must laugh and not take anything seriously.

I have discovered that if a Tunisian 'asks' you to have a tea with them, look at a rug, sit on a Bey's throne and wear a funny hat,  put on a 'miracle' dress and model it, or eat something they have offered,  it is not a request.  You must obey.  Thank you Sandra for saving me more then once 8-)

So saying I will leave you with this adventure I had yesterday.  Pictures will be in the photo album to the right and below, keep looking.

Branko, weaving, Mahdia

Today branko and I had our hair cut,  at a barber shop.    I was pulled in,  unwilling,   but had to go since Sandra was not with me.    Not only did I get a haircut,  I was the only woman in a sea of men and boys (busy place,  standing room only ) I also had my eyebrows sculpted,   and my entire face 'pulled'  of all its hair  (I had no idea,  call me Sasquatch ) using thread twisted between the barbers fingers and his mouth (please,   no questions. .I had my eyes closed ),  then he disappeared (seems common enough,  the dentist did the same thing , except she left me with a blinding light in my eyes,  head cocked in a most uncomfortable position and the suction depleting me of all moisture in my body ),    I digress. ..he comes back with a black brow pencil and pink lipstick, which he applied  liberally. ...have you seen Groucho Marx?    I looked like his ugly sister.
Next the lipstick (it was pink,  thankfully my color ) which he kept applying and applying,  apparently hoping for some transformation, that had not appeared with the eyebrows.
Finally (after using a flat iron, on my head hair;  what barber has a flat iron?   Mind it was a bit dusty )  he gave up  (the crowd had grown and now they were lining up outside peering through the window )  and announced he was finished. 
Someone in the audience,  I mean a waiting customer,  says in English  "a new look for you"   
how polite :-)  
I had to smile (it was easy to smile,   he , my barber , was such a nice person and meant well ) as I was leaving he gave me the lipstick. ..all for 10 euros :-)  
FYI  I had no idea,  nor any inclination  that my 'hair cut'  would include all the above ....I have a feeling the barber didn't know either.
Maggie

Our haircuts, Tunisian styles

My new look, no touch ups added.

To the Sahara and Back

Sandra and Chris (Pasha and main wife)

Monastir, Tunisia June 15, 2014

The tour group 8 )

The day after we arrived in Monastir, Tuesday, we met Chris and Sandra, who we knew from wintering in Marina di Ragusa. They invited us to join them on a road trip in a rental car to the Sahara desert, stopping at some interesting sights along the way.  We departed the next morning.

On day 1, our first stop was El Jem, the third largest Roman amphitheater that could hold 35,000 people. It was closed due to a strike but we perambulated the perimeter and took a lot of pictures.

El Jem

Gladiator and slave? reenactment

The next stop was the medina of Sfax, which was a highlight of the trip for me.  A medina is usually a walled-in labyrinth of small shops where the merchants will sell all the goods and services a bustling city needs.  Sfax's is large and the merchants don't pounce on tourists and try to drag them into their stall as is the case in other medinas.  It's wonderful to see the colorful array of shops and stalls where many products are still hand crafted and the locals conduct their shopping.

Sfax medina

Sfax walls

After that we went to Matmata, a village known for its underground, or troglodyte, dwellings.  As you are often reminded by the many would-be guides and souvenir shops, this is where some of the desert scenes for Star Wars were shot. We took some obligatory pictures in the hotel that served as a set for Luke Skywalker's childhood home.

Star Wars re-eactment 8)

The day ended with a stop in Douz - the gateway to the Sahara.  While driving from Monastir, you notice the terrain gradually growing more sparsely vegetated.  In Douz there is almost a distinct line where the dunes take over devoid of any vegetation at all.  We met Zou, a really nice fellow who took Chris and Sandra out for a sunset camel ride in the Sahara.  I didn't go because I feel too sad for any animal that would have to carry my bulk.

Riding off, on a camel!!!

Yup, that is the Sahara

We spent some very enjoyable time with Zou who made us feel very welcome.  We stayed in Hotel 20 Mars, which is friendly, inexpensive and right next to the souk, or open-air market.  The souk in Douz is certainly chaotic and the real thing.

From Douz we drove to Tamerza, which is an oasis town near the Algerian border.  Along the way one drives over a causeway that cuts through a large salt lake that floods for a few months every year and then dries out utterly.  The scenery is striking in its desolation.

Animal market, Douz

Graffiti in the salt lakes... really Chris

Douz market, spices

There is a new town in Tamerza, to which the town folk of the old town moved around 45 years ago. You see, the town was constructed from little more than sandy mud bricks, so when it rained for 30 days back in 1969, the town just basically eroded away.  It now looks like a sand castle that had been washed over by a wave.  Our guide, Besi, explained all this to us and then took us on a trek through the canyon in which The English Patient was filmed. At the end of it we were very hot and looking forward to checking into our hotel, Hotel Karim, back in Touzeur, which the ladies thought delightful.

Hotel Karim

Besi, Tamerza

Canyon, Tamerza

Another pleasant evening was passed in the company of our host, Fonzie, and we were ready for day three.  The plan was to go to the towns of Nefti and Karouin.  The former is an oasis in a deep gorge that protects the palm trees from the harsh winds.  It sounds nice, but unfortunately, the deep gorge also serves as a garbage pit for the locals who seem to have lost all sense of civic pride. So disappointed were we that we kept driving to our next destination.

Waiting in line for gas

Tunisian road side diner

Karouin is the 4th holiest place in the Muslim world. In it is the Grand Mosque that is very old and located in a large medina.  It is sounded promising, but again we were disappointed by the amount of trash lying everywhere in heaps throughout the medina.  We got there after afternoon prayers had commenced, so many of the shops in the market were closed.  The vendors that were open were somewhat ravenous in there eagerness to get you into their shops.  The atmosphere of the town dirty and desperate, or so it seemed in our disillusionment.  

Ladies only, make the rug

Carpet salesmen, oh and Chris

The only bright spot was our visit to the former Bey's house, which was now under the auspices of a company that sells Tunisian rugs.  The staff knew we weren't there to buy any carpets, but they good-naturedly gave us a tour and made the traditional pitch with the sweet mint tea and flattery.

After that it was a straight shot back towards Monastir. As we left the stark desert behind us and drove gradually into the more verdant north the depressing presence of trash never left us.  We heard that the tourism minister, a young and energetic woman, is strongly campaigning to get Tunisians to reclaim their home from the omnipresent garbage. I hope she succeeds.

With a couple of extra hours, we killed some time in Sousse with its UNESCO heritage medina.  It looked promising enough to come back for a thorough exploration.

In all, I am surprised by how much I like Tunisia since I had low expectations to begin with.  While we have much more to see, the country seems to be a study in contrasts regarding the land, its people and its culture. From bikinis to Burka's, from deserts to oases, and from trash-strewn countryside to pristine coastal beaches, Tunisia seems to have it all.

Branko

p.s.  See more pictures in the photo gallery - right

A-freakin-a!

Monastir, Tunisia
June 14, 2014

We made it to Monastir five days ago but have been having too much fun to report it until now.

We left Pantelleria with a forecast to carry us to Monastir on a gentle reach, which did happen and we made the 87 mile crossing in 18 hours.  We saw no fewer than 20 logger head turtles en route, a few dolphins and fishing boats and heard of one refugee boat being rescued off Lampedusa. We only turned on the engine to leave and enter port.  Fantastic!

Entering the port of Monastir at 0630, we pulled up to the wall by the reception office and were greeted by a marinero and some casually dressed fellows who were filling in for the police and customs until the office opened.  The paperwork was completed in about 15 minutes and a I paid a total of 3 dinars (2 TD = 1€) to enter and cruise in Tunisia.  No hassles about booze although they did want to know if we were carrying full bottles of alcohol and any portable electronic devices.  We tied into our assigned berth and went to catch up on some sleep to get over our yacht lag.

Maggie looking marvelous in front of the Ribat, Monastir

Found some yummy snacks

Afterwards, we took a stroll to the nearby town to have a look around and sample some of the local cuisine.  The town has a walled-in market and an open-air market. The former seems to be targeted at tourists and the latter less so.  We ended up having a delicious meal at a restaurant right in the marina which came to a total of 15 euros for the both of us.

The next day we met Sandra and Chris who wintered with us in Sicily.  They invited us to join them on an excursion they were planning to embark on the next day.  We agreed, and I will tell you more about that in the next blog.

So far, we are delighted to be in Tunisia (Africa!) and will plan to be here for the next month or so.

Band playing in the marina

Branko

Pantelleria

Lake of Venus, behind me....

Porto di Pantelleria
June 4, 2014

Today we made our first excursion into the island. Maggie wanted to go to the Lake of Venus.  It is a lake in the caldera of an extinct volcano and was formed about 16,000 years ago.  And we are very happy that it was.

It is noteworthy for its mud baths and mineral-rich thermal waters.  After being virtually cooped up in the boat for the past week after leaving MdiR, it felt great to put on the ole banana hammock and go for a little splash after having a spa-worthy mud bath.  And believe me that even a sulphur-smelly mud bath was bound to improve the state of my hygiene.  Beyond that the scenery was beautiful and we practically had the whole lake to ourselves.

Strolling along the beach 

Good scrub in the mud pit

And bake for half an hour

Another day or so here in the settled weather will give us a chance to explore the island a little more and get us ready to move on to Africa.  (I love saying that!)

Branko

Our Progress to Africa pt.2

With the weather instability in the area, we decided to take advantage of a window to make the short hop from Sciacca to Pantelleria, only 60 miles.  The anchorage in Sciacca is only good in settled weather since it is outside the harbor, and we didn't like the prospect of being stuck there or paying for a slip in the marina for the high winds that were being forecasted.

Pantelleria has a free town quay inside the old port, which is where we are moored and have been for the past two nights.  Northeasterly swells work there way in and have been causing us to roll somewhat, which has caused Maggie some lack of sleep, but the price is right and the town is nice.

Pantelleria town dock and Branko

Tile on side of building, Pantelleria

I expect that we will be here for another day or two before we get a chance to leg it to Africa.  In the meantime we will try to explore the island and report back.

Branko