I’ve just got back from another holiday in Tunisia where I had a simply wonderful time. This time I travelled with my friend June, who is adventurous like me, and we were able to see a bit more of the country than just Sousse, resulting in me falling even more in love with Tunisia and June was entirely captivated too.
Our flight on 10 December departed early which meant travelling to Gatwick airport the evening before. We were able to travel direct to Gatwick by train from Bath with just one change at Reading and we arrived at the airport just after midnight. By this time, many fellow travellers with early flights were sleeping on the available benches and seating areas, but we found space to sit away from the main checking in areas. It was impossible to sleep and we passed the time reading our books until a nearby coffee shop opened about 3.30 am. We headed for the desks at 4 am, thinking we did not need to check in until 4.25, only to realise by the long queues that we should have got there by 3.25. However this wasn’t a problem and we were happy to be allocated aisle seats across from each other and the flight took off on time. With less than 3 hours flying time we soon arrived in Monastir, Tunisia and 45 minutes after that arrived at our hotel, the Marhaba Royal Salem.
The main reason for taking up this latest holiday offer was because of this hotel, which Mum and I visited from the Salem hotel when we were in Tunisia in June. It really is a beautiful hotel, all pink marble, fountains and trailing plants, a huge atrium in the centre and glass lifts ascending to the five floors. The two hotels are in one complex with beautiful gardens extending about 100 meters to the beach which is fringed with palm trees, has soft white sand and safe bathing. The grounds also have several outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, snack bars etc.
Once in our room we decided to unpack our cases and then go to the beach. We had just finished putting everything away when someone appeared asking if we wanted to move to a better room with a bigger balcony. Both rooms were lovely and both had sea views but we decided to take the second room offered because the balcony was big enough for table and chairs, a nice place to relax after dinner in the evenings. With the help of the maid we transferred all our things and were pleased to note that the second room also had a small fridge.
Soon we were on the beach to enjoy the rest of that day’s sunshine. We relaxed on sun beds for a while as we were both tired from the journey, having had no sleep the night before. I was keen to see the life guard who looked after Mum so beautifully because I had a small gift for him but unfortunately it was his day off. Other Tunisians selling trips and souvenirs on the beach said he would be at work the following day. We ordered a couple of beers and chicken sandwiches to enjoy in the sunshine but didn’t stay more than a couple of hours as the sea breeze became quite cool and the sun was getting pretty low in the sky so I suggested to June that we get changed and go out for a few hours before dinner, knowing exactly where to go in the time we had at our disposal.
Soon we were in a taxi and making our way to the marina - Port El Kantouai about 4 km away. We had to run the gauntlet of gift shops on arrival, where sellers tried to persuade us to enter and look round before arriving at the marina which June was really enchanted with. I showed her the gift shops where there were fixed prices and I ended up buying a couple of casual embroidered woollen jackets, a couple of cushion covers with palm trees on them for my lounge and June bought a nice outfit to relax in at home. There were people selling trips on catamarans and we fully intended going out on one, the price that day only £18 for an hour with just the two of us on board. We declined sailing then, knowing it would soon be dark and we weren’t wearing warm enough clothes for it. Later we sat in an outdoor cafe and enjoyed drinks whilst enjoying the ambience of the marina and later still went onto the nearby beach. Although we fully intended going back there later in the week we didn’t for two reasons. We were told by our courier next day not to go out on any boat excursions because violent storms could blow up suddenly any time at that time of year. Also, only being in Tunisia one week and with so much we wanted to see and do, we ran out of time.
Back at the hotel we got changed and went down to dinner about 8 pm which we enjoyed leisurely and shared a bottle of Tunisian rose wine. The choice of food was excellent, although not as varied as that on offer at Hotel Salem last summer - probably because there were a lot fewer guests. At the beginning of our holiday there were very few guests staying in the hotel but that changed dramatically a few days later. Each evening the buffet reflected a different international theme - Spanish, Tunisian, Italian, Chinese, Indian etc. After dinner we decided to go to bed early as we were both quite tired after so long without sleep but we finished off our wine out on the balcony before doing so.
Next morning the sun was shining so our first stop was to the beach. Breakfast was another buffet affair with lots to choose from, and to my delight, a man cooking crepes to order as well. I especially enjoyed the fruit flavored yogurt made in nearby Hergla, the Danish pastries or croissants, followed by one or two lemon and sugar flavored crepes each morning. At 10 o clock we went to a short meeting presented by the Airtours courier who gave everyone a lot of local useful information and we booked one of the tours on offer for later that week. Down at the beach I asked the other guys where Zouzou was and they said he’s just coming and he arrived at that moment and came straight over to give me a hug. I then whisked off his old cap and put on the new one - a baseball cap with an embroidered UK flag and London, England embroidered on the front, and he was thrilled to bits with it. His smile reached from one ear to the other and I got another big hug. The next minute he was running up the beach, the label on the hat flapping in the breeze, and disappeared! I asked the other guys where he was going and they said to show it to every other person working in both hotels!!!! They were as amused as June and I were to see how delighted he was with such a simple present. For the remainder of that week we never saw him wear anything else!
Like the day before, although sunny there was a cool breeze blowing so rather than remain in one place we decided to walk along the beach to Sousse, removing our shoes and walking along the water’s edge. This was very pleasant apart from a couple of times when stray dogs were running alongside of us. I am always nervous of stray dogs in foreign countries because of the risk of rabies. A man approached offering cold ring donuts and we had one each but he insisted on us eating it first before we paid him! The price was astronomical! I paid him half what he was asking and that was still twice as much as the usual asking price. It took us about an hour to reach Sousse. When we came off the beach we spotted an open air cafe and ordered a couple of apricot fruit shakes which were like smoothies and very nice. We were glad we’d decided to sit outside because when we went inside afterwards to pay for them there were dozens of men smoking honey flavored tobacco through those special long water pipes, but none of them gave us any trouble. From there we went to the railway station to find out times of trains to Tunis the following morning.
Afterwards we made our way to the medina within the old walled city. I had two places I wanted to visit there - the carpet shop where Mum and I had bought rugs last summer which hadn’t arrived and also to see Ahmed, the shop boy who looked after Mum and me so well with mint teas whenever we visited the medina last summer. In the carpet shop we were given a lovely welcome and when I explained that the four rugs had not arrived they were very perturbed. It proved to be our fault as we had bought them in June and negotiated to make the second payment 3 months later with delivery in November which is unusual. After an almighty search through the storeroom they finally found two of the rugs rolled up and buried under hundreds of others which had my signature on (as each rug has a label with all its size and design details and is numbered and signed by the client). The search for Mum’s two rugs proved more elusive because after choosing two blue ones and as we were leaving the shop seeing a lady weaving one in green, she changed her mind and asked if two green ones could be sent instead. So her two rugs hadn’t even been made when we were there in June. But eventually they were located and we were asked to return a couple of days later when everything necessary for exporting and sending them had been taken care of.
We then went to look for Ahmed’s shop and were having a bit of difficulty as all the little streets in the medina look the same, but June suddenly said ‘Is that him?’ and it was. She said she guessed by the big grin on his face as his whole face lit up when he saw us. He was standing outside the shop and had been looking out for our arrival. He soon whisked us into the shop and went off to get mint teas and when he came back we stayed chatting for a while. A bit later his boss Tadhuir arrived and he was very welcoming too. During the course of conversation when we told them we were planning to go to Tunis and Carthage next day, Tadhuir offered to drive us for a set fee plus petrol and said we would visit four or five places and make a whole day out of it. We decided to take him up on the offer because we were not entirely sure how to get to the ruins of Carthage after arriving by train in Tunis. Also, having told them I wanted to see some live Tunisian music during this visit, Ahmed offered to come to the hotel and fetch us and take us to listen to some music that evening. Not wanting to go out at night on our own we decided to take him up on the offer.
SOUSSE - a bit of background information (Source: the AA pocket guide Tunisia 2004)
Sousse is a delight with its ancient city walls and vibrant souqs, fascinating museums and thriving fishing port and is situated on the central east coast. With Carthage and Utica, Sousse was one of the Phoenicians’ great three cities, with the earliest archeological finds dating from the 6th century BC. In the 7th century AD the city fell to the Arab invaders who left it in ruins, but in 790 the foundations for a new city were laid and many remnants of this time still survive today. The medina is the old heart of Sousse and the area of the city with the greatest appeal. Its 9th century walls are still largely intact apart from the area around the former sea gate at Place des Martyrs, which was destroyed by the allies during the second world war - a testament to the continuing strategic importance of the city. Within the medina are the Grande Mosque, the Ribat (castle) and the Kasbah museum. Equally evocative and rewarding however is its overall ambience. Despite the increasing impact of tourism, the medina has retained a considerable amount of charm and character and there is a small warren of covered souqs selling everything from food and clothes to perfume and jewelry. The Ribat was built early in the 9th century as one of a chain of fortresses stretching along the Mediterranean coast to defend North Africa from European invaders. A room above the main gate has four slits in the floor through which boiling olive oil was poured on unwelcome visitors.
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Tadhuir closed up the shop and they both came with us and gave us a lift back to our hotel where we arrived in good time for dinner which was equally as enjoyable as the evening before. Knowing we were going out afterwards we just had a Celtia bottled beer each and then went to meet Ahmed out at the gate at 8.30 pm. We went by taxi to a nearby restaurant run by friends of his and had a couple of beers each as no live entertainment would start before 10 pm. We then walked to a bar and went upstairs where the music would take place. As we walked in the band were on stage tuning up their instruments and it sounded really promising but unfortunately when we came to order a drink there were no soft drinks or beer available. It was only possible to order spirits which none of us wanted so we left to look for somewhere else. I was really disappointed because there were stringed instruments being tuned up which sounded wonderful. We found another place where beer was available, but the music wasn’t as good - we didn’t much like the voice of the singer, but we stayed there until about midnight and had a couple of beers each before Ahmed accompanied us back to the gate of the hotels in a taxi and we said goodnight. It had earlier been agreed with Tadhuir that they would pick us up at 10 the following morning.
On Tuesday we woke up to a grey day with black clouds which later turned to heavy rain over Sousse. After breakfast we made our way to the gate about ten to ten and sure enough, Tadhuir and Ahmed awaited us in their car. We were surprised to see the rain all over the car and hoped things would improve. We were soon on our way and almost immediately as we left Sousse behind and got out into the countryside the skies cleared and became bluer and the sun showed its face. As we travelled Tadhuir told us a little bit about the places we went through - the huge complex in the Bay of Angels which the present President is constructing for his wife - Hergla which is famous for the yoghurt which supplies the whole of Tunisia - the endless olive groves - every possible bit of land was cultivated and looked very green and neat under skies turning bluer by the minute, flocks of sheep or goats grazing. Throughout the day I was very impressed with how prosperous looking and clean the villages and countryside were, the lovely roads, the cars and lorries travelling on them (Renault and Peugeot mostly due to the French influence).
Our first stop was at Hammamet which is on the peninsula which ends at Cap Bon. With a year round mild climate it is known as the Garden of Tunisia with its citrus and olive groves and vineyards. First of all we drove through New Hammamet, also known as Yasmine Hammamet - a real show place - which over the past 10 years has been constructed as an enormous complex of hotels and restaurants, shopping centres and we even passed an ice rink called Blue Ice, the last thing I would have expected to find in North Africa! Afterwards we drove to the old Hammamet which was clearly different but equally as beautiful, complete with its own medina and ancient city walls. We made a brief stop here, mainly to visit Tadhuir’s cousin’s carpet shop, which we had not known was on the agenda. We made sure it was a brief stop as our main wish of the day was to visit the ruins of Carthage and we didn’t want to waste time looking at carpets, or even contemplate buying any! We still had a fair distance to travel.
An hour or so later we arrived at Tunis, the capital, and here it took us a while to find our way around the outskirts, following the signs to the airport, in order to avoid getting lost in the busy traffic or one way streets. Finally we found the right route and eventually arrived at Carthage. Tadhuir showed us the beautiful gardens being constructed in close proximity to the President’s home, in honour of his wife, and some of the beautiful villas surrounding this lovely area.
Carthage - some background information (Source: the AA pocket guide Tunisia 2004)
Carthage is one of the best known of Tunisia’s archaeological sites, with its surviving treasures scattered over a large area in a suburb of the capital. Founded in 814 BC by the Phoenicians, by the 4th century BC Carthage had become the centre of their vast maritime empire. In 146 BC it was destroyed by the Romans who only 25 years later began building on the same site. It became the third largest city of the Roman Empire before it was destroyed by the Arabs in 692 AD, ending its heyday.
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Our first stop was at the Cathedrale St Louis which was built in 1890 and is dedicated to the French King who died in 1279 while trying to lay siege to Tunis. The cathedral has been restored as a cultural centre for Arab music and is now known as the Acropolium. Afterwards we continued to the National Museum on Byrsa Hill from where we could see the whole of the site from the summit. This was the heart of the city under Punic rule and the best place to start a tour. We wandered among various ruins and saw some unusual birds flying. By this time the sun was out in force and against the backdrop of a very blue sky we thoroughly enjoyed exploring and taking photographs. Afterwards we went into the museum which houses collections of sculpture, statues, masks and mosaics. On the ground floor are the Carthagian, Roman and Christian remains (including a Phoenician skeleton in its sarcophagus) while the first floor has incense burners and plates found inside Punic graves as well as glass, ceramics and amphorae. Unfortunately there was no time to visit more than these two places but we did at least find out how to see all six sites on a future tour. After exiting the main rail station in Tunis, a taxi is necessary to get to the metro station from where it is possible to buy a ticket enabling a stop at all six stations to view the other sites. If one set out really early from Sousse it would be possible to spend the day seeing the whole of Carthage using public transport, returning late in the evening. There is even a metro link to Sidi Bou Said.
After leaving Carthage we had one more stop at Sidi Bou Said which is said to be the prettiest village in the whole of Tunisia. This hilltop village is known for its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses with blue window grills and studded doors, profusions of plants and flowers and glorious views down to the sea below. Unfortunately my camera which had been playing up all holiday chose this moment to cease functioning so we were unable to take any photographs. Instead we explored the gift shops and I ended up buying a mosaic after haggling the price down to 12 dinars from 60!!! Ahmed said it was a great price that would not have been possible during the summer months. By this time we were hungry but decided not to stop and eat there but instead go to a Berber barbeque place on the way homeward.
After leaving Sidi Bou Said we retraced our way back to Tunis and thence homeward on the route to Sousse. By the time we reached Bouficha and the berber restaurant where we would have our barbequed lamb it was getting dark. There had been a power cut so it was too dark to sit in the restaurant and their oil lamp back-ups hardly made any difference. We decided to sit outside where it was lighter even though colder and had a beer each whilst our lamb cooked on the barbeque in front of us. By this time we were starving and dived in with gusto to the pre-dinner dishes and bread and later three plates of lamb were put in front of us which was okay but not as good as we had hoped for. The lamb was a bit tough and included a lot of scraggly bits. At the end they tried to charge the tourist price as well and Tadhuir had to argue extensively to get the bill at Tunisian rate, which was about £26 for the four of us, cheap by European standards. We then continued back to Sousse and we were dropped at the gate of our hotel about 8 pm. We said we would pop in the shop to see them briefly the following morning following our visit to the carpet shop.
June and I still went down to dinner in the hotel, ostensibly just to have dessert (a few scoops of my favorite pistachio icecream) but when we went in we saw that it was Tunisian night and chicken cous cous and other delicious dishes were available. Knowing from last holiday this would only be available once that week I ended up enjoying another dinner of barbequed fish kebabs, chicken cous cous and accompanying vegetable dishes! By the time we had had pudding as well we were pretty full as you can imagine!
We then got changed as by this time we had discovered there was entertainment in the Salem hotel each evening as well as in our hotel - the latter being mostly a singer. I was keen to go next door and show June the Salem Hotel and also curious to see if I would see any of the waiters who looked after Mum and me so beautifully last holiday. We were lucky to get a table with a good view and had drinks but didn’t see anyone I knew. June liked the hotel very much, saying it was more relaxed there, the Royal Salem being quite formal. Each evening the entertainment kicked off with one round of bingo at 9.45 which was fun although we didn’t win anything either then or subsequently. This was followed by a magnificent show of berber dancers in various costumes, a Tunisian band playing lovely instruments, later belly dancing. The show lasted about an hour and we enjoyed it immensely.
On Wednesday after breakfast we got a taxi into Sousse with enough time to have a quick look at the other shops in the medina before going to the carpet shop at 10, and to see Ahmed and Tadhuir afterwards. We explored one of the streets and bought souvenirs to take home, including a couple of CDs of Tunisian music, some orange blossom scented oil, cous cous spice. At the carpet shop they were able to confirm that everything for export had been completed satisfactorily and the four rugs were already on their way. I should receive them in about a month. We had mint tea with them and I promised I would be back again in March and buy the short leather jacket I nearly bought last time. In Tunisia the jackets or coats are made to measure and are ready in just two or three days. It’s even possible to visit the factory and see an even more extensive variety of styles before deciding what to order. I paid £238 for a beautiful burgundy leather coat last holiday and will pay around £80 for a short leather jacket in March, probably in the same colour!!! We then paid a short visit to Ahmed and Tadhuir and had another mint tea with them (a drink I got quite partial to, despite normally being a non tea drinker). When we left them we said we would be back again on Friday as we had things on until then.
We went back to the hotel, had a quick change, including picking up our rain jackets because despite a nice bright start to the day, by this time it was raining quite hard and looked set to continue. Our coach pick up time for the tour we’d booked was 1.35 and before that we had lunch in the hotel, which was okay as we would not be dining there that evening. This was from a menu and served in the snack bar so I chose two Tunisian dishes which were very enjoyable. We boarded the coach which then proceeded to drive to other hotels to collect other holiday makers. This proved rather boring as we had to call at the same hotel three times for people who were not waiting in reception, until eventually we gave up on them. (The tour operators would bring them by taxi to join us later).
By the time we started our journey to Frugaia Wild Life Park it was raining heavily and the roads were awash with water and we had to drive slowly. We arrived at the park about an hour later and were very lucky that the rain eased off at this point. We had a couple of hours to look around the park and this proved very enjoyable. None of the animals were in cages and had extensive ground to roam in. When we got to the predator section there were wooden walkways above the huge enclosures and one couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy in case any of them tried to jump up! There were cheetahs, lions, tigers, including some cubs, African wild dogs, Desert foxes etc. I managed to get the camera working briefly and got some nice photos. When we came to the giraffes they were inside because of the weather and one could climb to a vantage point and see them face to face through a window. Their trainer offered to go in and take a picture but the camera refused to function at that moment. We enjoyed seeing the sea lions frolicking in the water, but missed the feeding session which occurred during our tour of the park.
At 5.30 we all trooped inside the huge restaurant near the entrance of the park. This was like a huge big top with a round stage in the centre and tables all around on two tiers. The highlight of this tour was the dinner and whilst dining we enjoyed a 2 hour zulu warrior show. This was amazing. The music was fantastic - marimba and drums - and a fantastic display of
energetic dancing that took your breath away. At times one of the zulus wandered among the spectators so that photos could be taken with him - see mine below. The meal was excellent, with plates of hors d’oevres and briks (a Tunisian speciality snack like a large samosa filled with lightly spiced chicken and vegetables and an egg), then the main course of chicken cooked in a sauce with vegetables and flavoured rice, and finally pistachio and vanilla icecream. With the food were bottles of coca cola, water and red wine on the table which were replaced with new bottles whenever one became empty. Interspersed with the zulu warrior performances were berber dance and music performances which were equally as enjoyable, including three belly dancers at the end.
When the show ended people were invited to join all the performers on the stage and I befriended a lovely young girl and had pictures taken with her plus one of the other warriors. When we all left to get on our coach we had a lovely surprise just before leaving - as the zulus came on our coach for a lift back to their lodgings in the nearby village. We persuaded them to sing for us which was lovely. The girl I had befriended on stage sat next to me and we exchanged details - she gave me her mobile number and I gave her my email address. I haven’t made contact yet but must do so soon as they are shortly returning to South Africa and won’t be back in Tunisia until March. I will definitely go to that show again with Mum when I go back to Tunisia in March. When they got off we continued back to Sousse. By this time everyone was enjoying themselves and the sing song started by the zulus was continued by everyone else on the bus. There were lots of people from our hotel and we really enjoyed chatting to them and singing etc. It made June quite homesick because many of them were from Bradford area where she was born!
The journey home was quite dramatic weather-wise. During the meal and show we could see the wind and wildly dancing trees through the windows and outside the rain was lashing down furiously. On the journey home there was both sheet and fork lightning and violent thunder and we had to drive even more slowly because of the flooded roads. Back at the hotel we watched the storm from our balcony and it was amazing, seeing the fork lightning going down into the sea, and the whole bay lit up as bright as daylight every 30 seconds or so with each lightning flash. With the sea thundering on the shore, the palm trees swaying back and forth etc it was a brilliant sight.
That evening we wanted to go to the Salem for bingo and that night’s show which was snake charming. We had to wait for a break in the rain before leaving our hotel but that proved very short lived. The lightning started flashing again and we had to run as fast as we could and got soaked through as the ground was awash with water and running through it made us wetter than ever! It was quite scary being outside in such violent weather but we made it to the door of the other hotel without mishap. Inside we managed to sit in the same seating area and spent an enjoyable evening with some Indian people who were also from Bradford. The snake show was a bit nerve wracking for everyone not just us. When we arrived everyone was sitting around in groups relaxing with their drinks. When the show started everyone was on their feet giving the snakes a wide berth and poised to run for it whenever he brought any of them close! The charmer quite enjoyed scaring people, bringing a snake round to show people individually and then pushing it towards them when they tentatively reached out to touch it. The main part of the show was three cobras which he placed on the marble floor in front of us and then proceed to torment them with a red fez so that they would rise and shoot forward at the hat. By the time the show finished there was a really wide space between the snakes and the people, who would take a run for it whenever he pushed a snake closer. He enjoyed scaring the DJ who dived over a trellis at one point and then he put a snake on each speaker so that he was trapped between them! One of the other comperes pretended to be a snake charmer later and felt quite safe behind a very long stick ... until the snake charmer threw a soft wide belt around his neck and he leapt into the air like a scalded cat thinking it was a snake round his neck. Like the rest, after being scared a couple of times, I was on my feet poised to run for the majority of the show.
On Thursday we decided to visit El Djem, about 160 km away, the main attraction here being the Roman Amphitheatre which is in even better condition than the one in Rome. This was to be our first excursion by train but when we got to the station at 9 we found we had missed one leaving about 8 and the next one wasn’t until 12.25. It was a nice day and we didn’t fancy waiting around all that time so decided to go back to the hotel and go on the beach for a bit.
As we arrived back at the hotel, one of the other holiday makers in reception asked where we had been to be already back so bright and early and when we told him he said ‘why not travel by louage the way the locals do’ and explained what to do. So hopping into yet a third taxi at the gate we directed him to take us to the Louage Centre (a £2 taxi fare instead of the usual £1.20) and on arrival we found ourselves in a huge mini bus station with several rows of mini buses each seating 9 plus the driver. The fare by louage is very cheap because one waits until the bus is full before it sets out and another in the queue takes its place. The service is continuous from morning to night and one never has to wait long. The fare for the 160 km journey was just £1.50 each way which took about an hour. When we arrived we were the last two so the bus left more or less straightaway. The bus wasn’t easy to board as the step into it was high and a man at the back had to haul us aboard, much to the locals’ amusement. The journey was pleasant and it was interesting to watch the passing scenery and see the villages we passed through - this being the opposite direction than our trip North to Tunis earlier that week.
El Djem - some background information (Source: the AA pocket guide Tunisia 2004)
The scenic drive includes the tourist town of Monastir. Heading west out of Sousse we drove through the suberbs of Zaouiet Sousse and Messadine. Soon after leaving M’Saken we took the A1 and headed South on the long straight road flanked by row upon row of olive trees. The amphitheatre at El Djem is one of the Roman Empire’s greatest legacies to Tunisia and is only slightly smaller than the colosseum in Rome but is better preserved and much more imposing. Pleasingly there are no signs or notices inside the amphitheatre, making it easier to imagine the colourful festivals or the bloody dawn to dusk gladiatorial contests that were held there. The gladiators - often simply petty thieves, debtors or prisoners - would be pitted against each other or against wild animals to fight to the death. Built between 230 and 238 AD in the busy market town of Thysdrus, the amphitheatre could seat crowds of more than 30,000. Measuring 149m long by 124 wide, even today it would be considered an impressive building achievement but without modern equipment it is an awesome feat of engineering. Blocks of sandstone were transported from quarries 30 km away, while water was carried 15 km through an underground aqueduct.
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When we arrived at El Djem it was impossible to miss the huge amphitheatre which dominates this small town. We walked to the square in front of it, lined with shops and cafes, and had a fresh squeezed orange juice whilst admiring the view and soaking up the atmosphere. It was a brilliant sunny day with bright blue skies and we were entertained by the flirtatious waiters which was fun. By this time we had learned that to have a laugh and joke with flirtatious shop keepers, waiters etc, instead of running away from them, was a bit of fun enjoyed by all. Tunisians really love English people and absolutely adore communicating with us.
We then proceeded into the amphitheatre and the next couple of hours were truly amazing. For a while we sat on the tiered seats under the blazing sun and just soaked up the atmosphere whilst chatting to another couple of holiday makers who were doing the same. Afterwards we parted company and explored the whole amphitheatre, including going underground to see the chambers where slaves were imprisoned and where the lions were kept. We could see the marks the lions’ claws had made and the holes in the walls from which the prisoners were chained. It was dark down there too so you can imagine the spooky atmosphere. Back at ground level later, in a little covered alcove we also watched a bit of a DVD and CD-Rom and ended up buying it between us to watch back home. The film ‘The Gladiator’ was actually filmed at that amphitheatre in El Djem.
Our ticket entry included free admittance to the museum so afterwards we set off to find it and explored some of the town whilst looking for it. We eventually found the museum which was quite far away and this proved to be equally as amazing as the amphitheatre itself because in addition to the ruins and reconstructed gardens there were a number of roman villa excavations resulting in many buildings housing dozens of enormous mosaics, some of truly massive proportions, the mosaics themselves telling the story of Roman life 2000 years ago. We were even walking on excavated mosaics which felt like sacrilege! We wandered here for over an hour admiring everything. Many of these mosaics date back to the 3rd century and incredible to know they survived all that time.
Walking back to the louage centre later children approached us and enjoyed practising a bit of English with us. June and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to El Djem and definitely plan to go back there again in the future. Other people we spoke to that day had travelled in by train and we might try that next time because the return second class fare was less than £4. Arriving back in the louage centre we got a taxi to our hotel but after a while it was evident that the young driver did not know the way. It seemed like a big detour until we eventually got there, but he was pleased when we paid him a bit extra over the sum we’d negotiated. Again we spent a very pleasant evening in the hotel - first dinner which was following a Chinese theme that night (the hotel now being really full with Chinese tourists) and then later we went next door to the Salem for bingo and show - this time supposedly live music but it was only the same singer who had performed sometimes in the Royal Salem that week. The best was hearing the Arab song Aisha as we walked in. At times one of the comperes took his place and sang and this happened when we were leaving. The singer collared me for a dance whilst the compere sang, all the while flirting outrageously. It was really funny! After the song ended I beat a hasty retreat though!
On Friday we spent a good part of the day on the beach as the weather was quite sunny, albeit with the odd shower of rain. We went for a walk in the opposite direction to Sousse and had beers and a snack there as well until returning to the hotel later. I then left June who was planning to swim in the indoor pool and made my way into Sousse on my own as I still had souvenirs and presents to buy, plus I had promised to call in and see Ahmed and Tadhuir. By the time I got to Ahmed’s shop it was 4.30 pm so he decided to close the shop so we could have a quick drink in a cafe across the road from the medina before I went back. We had a beer each and I met a couple of his cousins, one of whom runs the cafe, before taking a taxi back to the hotel an hour later before it got dark. After dinner that evening June and I stayed in our own hotel and had a couple of drinks in the bar in the centre atrium and listened to the same singer as last night at the Salem. Neither of us fancied the karaoke evening taking place that night at the Salem.
Earlier that week one of the taxi drivers had offered to take us to Monastir on Saturday and show us several places of interest there for the very reasonable price of £20. He was there waiting for us at the gate at 9 am Saturday morning and soon we were on our way, the journey being about 45 km in a north direction. As we drove through the industrial part of Sousse to the outskirts he gave us a running commentary. He spoke excellent English having been to university and was a part time taxi driver to supplement his normal income since the arrival of his first child when his wife had to give up work.
Monastir - a bit of background information (Source: the AA pocket guide Tunisia 2004)
Until the 1960s Monastir was a fairly typical Tunisian town, but it has been transformed into a showpiece tourist resort of pristine streets, elegant turn of the century lamp posts and an abundance of greenery. It has an attractive 400-berth marina and an old fishing port, and the airport and hotels are about 6 km west of the centre. (Guidebook info continues as we visited some of the places of interest).
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On arrival at Monastir our first stop was to the large street market. The taxi parked and said we could take as long as we wished to walk around and he would be there waiting for us when we finished. We enjoyed exploring the market, were the only tourists evident, but were charged the same price as Tunisians which was good. I bought some burgundy embroidered slippers to match a beautiful gold embroidered burgundy full length tunic dress and a few other smaller souvenirs. After an hour or so we retraced our steps to our taxi driver who then drove us to the centre and drove around first to show us the various places of interest and then dropped us at the massive Ribat of Harthema which stands above the harbour.
The Ribat - founded in 796 the ribat has been reworked and restored so many times that there is little left of the original structure. One surviving section is the prayer hall which is now the Museum of Islamic Arts. ,Exhibits include fragments of 12th century weaving, Egyptian fabrics, samples of Islamic writings and a gold jewelry collection from Persia. The Nador tower offers spectacular views over the town centre, the beaches and corniche. The ribat has provided the backdrop for several major films including Jesus of Nazareth and The Life of Brian. Connected to the Southern Gate is the Grande Mosque built at the same time as the Ribat and Medina walls but this is closed to non-muslims.
Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were visiting the ribat and we got quite soaked. By the time I found my way to the Nador tower it was raining really heavily so June decided to wait for me. The winding stairway up the tower was quite narrow and really dark in places in between niches where one could look out. I had to stop for breath several times whilst climbing up but the effort was well worth it by the fantastic views when I reached the top.
Back on the ground once more we visited the nearby museum which houses an impressive collection of outfits worn by couples on their wedding day and for many days following the ceremony. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was traditional for the bride’s dress to be made by her mother and sisters which sometimes took several years because of the huge amount of intricate embroidery involved. Each outfit was displayed in glass fronted cabinets, with a display of costume jewelry.
We tried to visit the Grande Mosque but unfortunately it was closed to non muslims. The smaller mosque was closed at that time also. It is possible to go inside this one except for the actual prayer room. In a nearby shop I bought more souvenirs but we decided not to go in the medina as time was marching on and we still had places to visit. We bought some snacks to eat in the taxi, and had just started on them when the driver realised that we hadn’t visited the mausoleum and dropped us off there saying he would wait however long it took.
In the early days of his presidency, the Republic of Tunisia’s first leader Habib Bourguiba, built himself an elaborate mausoleum in the centre of the town of his birth. Instantly recognisable by its twin minarets and golden dome it has an impressive tree lined drive leading to the gates; at its foot is a kiosk commemorating those who died fighting for Tunisia’s independence. A golden statue of the school boy Bourguiba stands in the nearby Place du Gouvernorat. As we approached the mausoleum and old man appeared and told us about the history and indicated the difference between English and Tunisian graves in the cemetery alongside the driveway leading to the mausoleum where all the dead lie on their side facing East, as does the mausoleum. The guards inside the circular room where the president lies buried were very friendly and even posed for photos later on. One of them indicated the gold leaf in the decor and pointed to the massive chandelier that hangs above the tomb of the former president. We were able to go upstairs to the next level and walk all around, looking down at the tomb and at all the sumptuous decor.
Back in the taxi once more, our driver headed out of town as our last stop was to a berber village community which is entirely self sufficient, all of them living by their own endeavours. As we approached we crossed a causeway in the middle of a huge sailing lake, and drove through many olive groves where women were harvesting the olives until we reached the entrance to the berber community. Inside we were met by a berber who took us all around the village and explaining some of their traditions. He showed us the various animals and we were able to take a few photos. Finally we were shown into a large room where the berber carpets are stored - made by various families within the village. Mint tea was brought and we were shown some of their traditional designs and when the fifth carpet was rolled out I fell in love with it. I had no intention of buying a carpet but because it was the end of year and inventory time coming up, the price offered was too good to miss. I was offered this rug which is 2 or 3 times the size of ones I already bought previously for only £150 which I recognised instantly was an amazing low price so I didn’t attempt to haggle. I simply could not resist it and soon it was being packed up ready for me to take with me! Even I could not believe that I had ended up buying yet another Tunisian carpet! It was made of kashmir wool so was surprisingly light even though the rug was so thick my toes disappeared into it!
When we left the village the berber came with us back to Sousse as the rest of my money was in a deposit box back at the hotel. Fortunately I still had enough in English money because being Saturday the banks were closed and I tend to mistrust cashpoint machines, especially in foreign countries. Back at the hotel they waited outside while I went in to get the money and then I told the taxi driver I was going back into Sousse 20 minutes later so he offered to wait for me. When I came out after a quick change of clothes, the berber had been unable to change up my English money so he came with us in the taxi to Sousse and I went with the taxi driver to a Change/Cambio kiosk in the medina to change it into dinars. I also made a note of the taxi drivers mobile phone number for future reference as I would definitely like him to drive us to other places on future visits to Tunisia. I intend to go back to that berber village in the future too.
After saying goodbye to him I went to see Ahmed and Tadhuir to say goodbye. By this time I had got to know quite a few of the other shop keepers in nearby shops, many of whom had said what a nice boy Ahmed is. He actually reminds me of my son Adam as he has that same earnest manner about him and being the same age, if they ever met one day I am sure they would become friends. After a mint tea he closed up the shop and we went to the same bar across the road and met up with his cousins including Nadia, a young girl, for whom it was a novelty to enjoy a beer in a bar! I stayed with them a couple of hours until it got dark and then said my goodbyes.
Back at the hotel I had dinner with June and we went to the Salem later on for a last game of bingo and to enjoy the strongman and fakir show which was very impressive - walking on beds of nails etc, lying on sharp swords with people standing on his back, etc. All this to the atmospheric music of the group Era which we really enjoyed. Then back to the hotel to pack up our things as we had an early departure next morning. Throughout the week, despite my camera being problematical, I managed to take about 70 or 80 photos and these will be available to see sometime soon after Christmas.
Next day I was up at 5, and we went down to breakfast about 6.30. We said our goodbyes to friends made in the hotel and by 8.20 were on our way to Monastir airport and our departure homeward. As before the flight was on time and a pleasant experience and we landed at Gatwick at 2 pm to sunny weather reminiscent of what we had left behind. From Gatwick we went to the coach station by train, then bus back to Bath where we arrived at 7.30.
My next trip will be for two weeks with my Mum at the end of March when the weather will be much warmer. June and I are also planning to go back in October and do a 3 day adventure to the Sahara desert. I will need to lose some weight by then because that will also include riding into the desert on a camel! And visiting the vast salt lake at El Jerid. I really love Tunisia and will go back many times in the future. In our hotel, there were people staying for 5 weeks at a time for just £400 for flights and half board accommodation, who were going home for a week and then back for another 5 weeks. One guess for who will be joining them one day when I retire!!!
The 47 photos can be viewed at www.flickr.com - search for photos with tag 'Tunisia December'
