Tunisia - A Special Place (trip report)
Nov 19th, 2008, 11:35 AM
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Tunisia - A Special Place (trip report)
I returned recently from a special place. Imagine golden Saharan sand dunes, warm, inviting beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, sleepy villages with brilliantly colored bougainvillea spilling over whitewashed walls, many Roman and pre-Roman ruins, a Star Wars movie set, very friendly people and so much more..
This place is Tunisia, North Africa, tucked between Algeria and Libya, a small country about the size of Florida or Wisconsin.
So where to begin? Friend Lois, who spends part of the year in Texas, met me at the airport in Cincinnati. I'd flown in from Iowa, she from Dallas.
Over two weeks time we traveled much of this interesting country with 12 other people from all areas of the US.
We saw extremely well preserved Roman and pre-Roman ruins in Carthage, Dougga, El Jem and more. In El Jem an amphitheater, better preserved than the one in Rome,and is nearly as large. One of the best things about this trip was the near lack of tourists, so we mostly could explore at our leisure. From the deepest tunnel to the uppermost areas we were free to roam at will.
The Bardo Museum in Tunis has a most extensive collection of mosaics; huge masterpieces that were carefully removed from floors of ruins and painstakingly restored on the walls. Workmanship is extremely detailed and colorful. They almost appear to be hanging tapestries on the walls.
Olive oil, lime and phosphates are their main exports so we saw miles and miles of olive trees, also saw a phosphate mine where ore from an open mine is loaded onto railroad cars and transported to a processing plant for export as fertilizer.
Dates are also an important crop so in any oasis there are hundreds of date palms. Fertilization, bagging and harvest are all done by hand, with trees climbed by barefoot workers. Tree ripened dates are a most special taste delight.
Water is a very precious commodity and there are huge concrete catch basins for storing rainwater. New wells are being dug, up to a depth of 2000 meters so that new oases can be established.
We toured the North African American Cemetery, where nearly 3000 of our military dead rest; sacrificed in the North African Campaign during World War II. Also featured is a wall with the names of 3800 missing military whose remains were never found; many entombed in sunken ships in the Mediterranean. A very sobering time as we listened to our National Anthem and observed all those white crosses in a land so far from home.
One day we climbed into four wheeled drive vehicles and went 'dune riding.' Out in the Sahara, we climbed and descended some pretty spectacular dunes. Our destination was the set of the first Star Wars movie. Now, after 30 years, it's falling into ruin, but we had some avid fans who scooped up bags of Star Wars sand to take home. Also nearby was the movie set of "The English Patient.' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' was also filmed in the area.
Another day we all donned Bedouin garb and mounted camels for a Saharan trek. Pretty funny, seeing all these old Caucasians ambling along through the desert on camels. Think we all enjoyed it, although most of us had some sore muscles for a day or two. Thankfully the sky was overcast that day so actually quite pleasant weatherwise.
We rode the "Red Lizard" Train, a holdover from a 19th century Tunisian official--The Bey of Tunis. This restored five carriage train is pulled by a steam locomotive and our carriage had plush red velvet and black leather chairs and couches. our private bathroom featured traditional porcelain fixtures, including a bidet. Other cars had more conventional seats. This train draws huge crowds on its daily run, with people sitting, standing, hanging, everywhere. The seven mile journey is through sme extremely spectacular desert scenery.
After several days in the desert we drove across Chott El Jerid, the largest salt flats in Saharan Africa, headed for the island of Djerba. We were ferried to the island, which features huge hotel complexes for 'destination' vacations, fabulous beaches, interesting villages, groves of olive and citrus trees and dozens of pottery shops.
This was Election Day back home and some stayed up nearly all night to hear the results. The next day, walking in a village market, vendors greeted us with "American?", followed by "OBAMA YES, Bush kaput." Regardless of one's political leanings, I'll never forget where I was on Election Day 2008.
We enjoyed a 'home hosted' meal where the family matriarch, an 85 year-old charmer, applied henna stencils to the women's hands, to the delight of all. This home, like so many in warm climates, is built around a central, open courtyard. Here there was a small turtle, obviously a family pet, probably keeps flies and bugs in check. Madame Turtle discovered my brightly painted toenails and decided they were obviously delicious, so attempted to take a bite. OUCH!
Food, as always, was interesting. As the country is Muslim, there was no pork. Fish is plentiful, as is chicken and lamb. Lots of stews, concoctions of many different cut up vegetables with small bits of fish or meat. Couscous was available quite often, obviously a staple. We were introduced to brik, which I'd never had before--an egg mixture wrapped in a thin, phyllo like pastry and deep fried. Introduced to a new spice, harissa, a sauce made from hot red chilis and used with great abandon. I like hot, but a little bit goes a long way.
Many of our meals were at the hotels, huge buffets of interesting concoctions. Couple things I nearly became addicted to were fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh pomegranates.
We traveled with an American tour group, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) so we were really pampered and perhaps sheltered from the 'real' country. Whenever we were on our own, we found the local people to be extremely friendly and helpful. In Tunis one evening Lois wanted ice cream. We wandered the streets, peeking in little shops and finally wandered into the depths of one. We asked "Ice Cream?" to a young man way in the back of the building and he said "Come." Through twisting corridors, he led us upstairs to a delightful ice cream shop. We never would have found this on our own. This is but one example, there were many more.
A word or two of advice--apparently hotels air conditioning is turned off from Oct. 15 to May 15, so it was extremely hot in the hotels some nights. As we were often near the sea, leaving unscreened windows or doors open was not an option as there were mosquitos.
Back at the Tunis airport, I still had 20 Tunisian Dinars, which I thought I could spend there. No such luck--cashier in a gift shop told me "We don't accept dinars". Perhaps this is a common custom in 3rd world countries, but it was new to me.
Any further questions, feel free to ask.
Geri
This place is Tunisia, North Africa, tucked between Algeria and Libya, a small country about the size of Florida or Wisconsin.
So where to begin? Friend Lois, who spends part of the year in Texas, met me at the airport in Cincinnati. I'd flown in from Iowa, she from Dallas.
Over two weeks time we traveled much of this interesting country with 12 other people from all areas of the US.
We saw extremely well preserved Roman and pre-Roman ruins in Carthage, Dougga, El Jem and more. In El Jem an amphitheater, better preserved than the one in Rome,and is nearly as large. One of the best things about this trip was the near lack of tourists, so we mostly could explore at our leisure. From the deepest tunnel to the uppermost areas we were free to roam at will.
The Bardo Museum in Tunis has a most extensive collection of mosaics; huge masterpieces that were carefully removed from floors of ruins and painstakingly restored on the walls. Workmanship is extremely detailed and colorful. They almost appear to be hanging tapestries on the walls.
Olive oil, lime and phosphates are their main exports so we saw miles and miles of olive trees, also saw a phosphate mine where ore from an open mine is loaded onto railroad cars and transported to a processing plant for export as fertilizer.
Dates are also an important crop so in any oasis there are hundreds of date palms. Fertilization, bagging and harvest are all done by hand, with trees climbed by barefoot workers. Tree ripened dates are a most special taste delight.
Water is a very precious commodity and there are huge concrete catch basins for storing rainwater. New wells are being dug, up to a depth of 2000 meters so that new oases can be established.
We toured the North African American Cemetery, where nearly 3000 of our military dead rest; sacrificed in the North African Campaign during World War II. Also featured is a wall with the names of 3800 missing military whose remains were never found; many entombed in sunken ships in the Mediterranean. A very sobering time as we listened to our National Anthem and observed all those white crosses in a land so far from home.
One day we climbed into four wheeled drive vehicles and went 'dune riding.' Out in the Sahara, we climbed and descended some pretty spectacular dunes. Our destination was the set of the first Star Wars movie. Now, after 30 years, it's falling into ruin, but we had some avid fans who scooped up bags of Star Wars sand to take home. Also nearby was the movie set of "The English Patient.' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' was also filmed in the area.
Another day we all donned Bedouin garb and mounted camels for a Saharan trek. Pretty funny, seeing all these old Caucasians ambling along through the desert on camels. Think we all enjoyed it, although most of us had some sore muscles for a day or two. Thankfully the sky was overcast that day so actually quite pleasant weatherwise.
We rode the "Red Lizard" Train, a holdover from a 19th century Tunisian official--The Bey of Tunis. This restored five carriage train is pulled by a steam locomotive and our carriage had plush red velvet and black leather chairs and couches. our private bathroom featured traditional porcelain fixtures, including a bidet. Other cars had more conventional seats. This train draws huge crowds on its daily run, with people sitting, standing, hanging, everywhere. The seven mile journey is through sme extremely spectacular desert scenery.
After several days in the desert we drove across Chott El Jerid, the largest salt flats in Saharan Africa, headed for the island of Djerba. We were ferried to the island, which features huge hotel complexes for 'destination' vacations, fabulous beaches, interesting villages, groves of olive and citrus trees and dozens of pottery shops.
This was Election Day back home and some stayed up nearly all night to hear the results. The next day, walking in a village market, vendors greeted us with "American?", followed by "OBAMA YES, Bush kaput." Regardless of one's political leanings, I'll never forget where I was on Election Day 2008.
We enjoyed a 'home hosted' meal where the family matriarch, an 85 year-old charmer, applied henna stencils to the women's hands, to the delight of all. This home, like so many in warm climates, is built around a central, open courtyard. Here there was a small turtle, obviously a family pet, probably keeps flies and bugs in check. Madame Turtle discovered my brightly painted toenails and decided they were obviously delicious, so attempted to take a bite. OUCH!
Food, as always, was interesting. As the country is Muslim, there was no pork. Fish is plentiful, as is chicken and lamb. Lots of stews, concoctions of many different cut up vegetables with small bits of fish or meat. Couscous was available quite often, obviously a staple. We were introduced to brik, which I'd never had before--an egg mixture wrapped in a thin, phyllo like pastry and deep fried. Introduced to a new spice, harissa, a sauce made from hot red chilis and used with great abandon. I like hot, but a little bit goes a long way.
Many of our meals were at the hotels, huge buffets of interesting concoctions. Couple things I nearly became addicted to were fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh pomegranates.
We traveled with an American tour group, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) so we were really pampered and perhaps sheltered from the 'real' country. Whenever we were on our own, we found the local people to be extremely friendly and helpful. In Tunis one evening Lois wanted ice cream. We wandered the streets, peeking in little shops and finally wandered into the depths of one. We asked "Ice Cream?" to a young man way in the back of the building and he said "Come." Through twisting corridors, he led us upstairs to a delightful ice cream shop. We never would have found this on our own. This is but one example, there were many more.
A word or two of advice--apparently hotels air conditioning is turned off from Oct. 15 to May 15, so it was extremely hot in the hotels some nights. As we were often near the sea, leaving unscreened windows or doors open was not an option as there were mosquitos.
Back at the Tunis airport, I still had 20 Tunisian Dinars, which I thought I could spend there. No such luck--cashier in a gift shop told me "We don't accept dinars". Perhaps this is a common custom in 3rd world countries, but it was new to me.
Any further questions, feel free to ask.
Geri
Nov 19th, 2008, 01:32 PM
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Thanks for posting that great, well crafted report -- your sense of enthusiasm shines through.
I visited Tunisia in December 2005 and had many of the same pleasant experiences as you -- it really is a wonderful place to visit, but for some reason does not seem to appear high on many lists, at least in the US (e.g., while I know a lot of people who have visited, or plan to visit, Egypt or Morocco, I know very few who have visited or plan to visit Tunisia).
Michael
I visited Tunisia in December 2005 and had many of the same pleasant experiences as you -- it really is a wonderful place to visit, but for some reason does not seem to appear high on many lists, at least in the US (e.g., while I know a lot of people who have visited, or plan to visit, Egypt or Morocco, I know very few who have visited or plan to visit Tunisia).
Michael
Nov 23rd, 2008, 03:40 PM
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hi Geri,
very exciting reading your report; 2 women friends and I plan to go next year. I would love your email address so I could ask lots of questions as we get closer. Hmm perhaps you dont want to post it here, if not, please just say so and I will send mine.
thanks a lot.
Pat
very exciting reading your report; 2 women friends and I plan to go next year. I would love your email address so I could ask lots of questions as we get closer. Hmm perhaps you dont want to post it here, if not, please just say so and I will send mine.
thanks a lot.
Pat
Nov 23rd, 2008, 04:43 PM
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Interesting report. We had considered doing OAT Tunisia and opted for the Red Sea Tour that goes into Saudi. Tunisia is still on my list so I was happy to read such a positive OAT tour report. Thanks!
Nov 23rd, 2008, 06:49 PM
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Reply to joey365 (Pat)
My email address is
[email protected]
Better ask questions soon, as at my age, I tend to forget lots, and things sort of run together. And I'm happy that some have read my report--was sure no one would be interested. I'll attempt to answer any and/or all questions anyone might have.
Geri
My email address is
[email protected]
Better ask questions soon, as at my age, I tend to forget lots, and things sort of run together. And I'm happy that some have read my report--was sure no one would be interested. I'll attempt to answer any and/or all questions anyone might have.
Geri
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Nov 27th, 2008, 08:52 AM
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To Southeastern:
No, I didn't do the post tour into the Sahara. There were 14 of us on this trip--the four 'couples' did the desert trip, the six 'singles' did not. Both Lois and I had husbands at home, so thought we'd been gone long enough. I'm sure it was great fun!
My computer is sick, in the hospital--not sure if it was a stroke or heart attack, so if I don't answer any questions right away, that's why. Will try to check this board every 2-3 days.
Geri
No, I didn't do the post tour into the Sahara. There were 14 of us on this trip--the four 'couples' did the desert trip, the six 'singles' did not. Both Lois and I had husbands at home, so thought we'd been gone long enough. I'm sure it was great fun!
My computer is sick, in the hospital--not sure if it was a stroke or heart attack, so if I don't answer any questions right away, that's why. Will try to check this board every 2-3 days.
Geri
Jan 6th, 2009, 02:38 PM
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Hi Geri,
I have thought about visiting Tunisia but it keeps going on the back burner. Just recently I have been revisiting the idea so this is extraordinary timing to find your fascinating report now.
I would like to know what type of dress is acceptable for women. I have visited several Muslim countries, some more conservative than others. Are the rules the same, in terms of bare knees and shoulders? What about beachwear?
Thanks, I'm anxious to hear more.
I have thought about visiting Tunisia but it keeps going on the back burner. Just recently I have been revisiting the idea so this is extraordinary timing to find your fascinating report now.
I would like to know what type of dress is acceptable for women. I have visited several Muslim countries, some more conservative than others. Are the rules the same, in terms of bare knees and shoulders? What about beachwear?
Thanks, I'm anxious to hear more.
Jan 6th, 2009, 06:27 PM
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Hi P_M: No visa required, as far as clothing goes--tourists dress as tourists. Actually we were there in late October. early November, so might have been a bit cool for sleeveless tops and shorts. Along the coast, in the resort areas, females were on the beaches in typical beach attire--no one was covered head to toe. Would guess unless you're going to very out of the way places, no one would give you a second glance.
Geri
Geri
Jan 7th, 2009, 11:58 AM
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Geri,
Thanks for your trip report.
I remember Thit cho's from a few years back and Tunisia remains on our list, it's always nice to read about someone else's experience and to remind yourself, or to confirm why you'd like to go there too.
Thanks for your trip report.
I remember Thit cho's from a few years back and Tunisia remains on our list, it's always nice to read about someone else's experience and to remind yourself, or to confirm why you'd like to go there too.
Jan 12th, 2009, 09:27 AM
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Geri - Thanks so much for your great report!
The timing couldn't have been more perfect - I was trying to decide whether to take another trip to Italy or go to Tunisia (which I've been wanting to do for about 10 years now)and had been looking at the OAT tour (I took their Peru trip 2 years ago and was very happy with that tour)
Did you find the sites you visited physically easy to get around? Although I've had no problems recently, I have a bad knee and a previously broken ankle that's perfectly fine now but that I'll probably have to baby on any future trips.
Did you do all the optional tours they offer and if so, did you enjoy them?
Thanks for any info.
Linda
The timing couldn't have been more perfect - I was trying to decide whether to take another trip to Italy or go to Tunisia (which I've been wanting to do for about 10 years now)and had been looking at the OAT tour (I took their Peru trip 2 years ago and was very happy with that tour)
Did you find the sites you visited physically easy to get around? Although I've had no problems recently, I have a bad knee and a previously broken ankle that's perfectly fine now but that I'll probably have to baby on any future trips.
Did you do all the optional tours they offer and if so, did you enjoy them?
Thanks for any info.
Linda
Jan 13th, 2009, 09:01 AM
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Linda: Let's see, I took four of the six optionals and see they now are offering only 5. The only one of the five now offered that I didn't take was the Tunisian dinner. I felt we'd have enough 'Tunisian' meals and as I've done similar things in Morocco and Egypt skipped this one. Some of our group did do that but they talked more about shopping in the medina than the meal.
Plus the Berber folk show was probably quite similar, which was okay; the 'tent' is actually a permanent structure and there's a huge sort of medieval courtyard outside where there are horsemen, etc. Also in another building were several Berber women plying local crafts.
The tours to Dougga and El Djem were spectacular ruins and not at all difficult for walking and we were free to wander as we chose. The excursion in the 4-wheeled drives was also interesting, climbing and descending some pretty spectacular dunes. If you're a real 'Star Wars' buff, the set of the first movie would be particularly interesting.
Looks as if they've fine tuned the itinerary a bit, so should be even more interesting this year. I haven't really read the 2009 plan--would guess there are some things we did that have been cut out--things many of us felt were sort of a waste of time.--Mock wedding, school visit for a couple. To each his own I guess.
All in all, it was a great trip and I' m sure you'll enjoy.
Geri
Plus the Berber folk show was probably quite similar, which was okay; the 'tent' is actually a permanent structure and there's a huge sort of medieval courtyard outside where there are horsemen, etc. Also in another building were several Berber women plying local crafts.
The tours to Dougga and El Djem were spectacular ruins and not at all difficult for walking and we were free to wander as we chose. The excursion in the 4-wheeled drives was also interesting, climbing and descending some pretty spectacular dunes. If you're a real 'Star Wars' buff, the set of the first movie would be particularly interesting.
Looks as if they've fine tuned the itinerary a bit, so should be even more interesting this year. I haven't really read the 2009 plan--would guess there are some things we did that have been cut out--things many of us felt were sort of a waste of time.--Mock wedding, school visit for a couple. To each his own I guess.
All in all, it was a great trip and I' m sure you'll enjoy.
Geri
Feb 18th, 2009, 04:27 AM
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Geri, just came across your trip report and was happy to read it. We are planning a trip to Tunisia in the late Fall with Vantage travel. I'm certainly going to look for the ice cream shop in Tunis.
ez
ez
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