Tunisia

Where the Mediterranean, the desert and millennia of history come together

Tunesien ist ein Land der Gegensätze: Meer und Wüste, antike Ruinen und moderne Städte, touristische Küstenorte und nahezu menschenleere Landschaften. Gerade diese Nähe der verschiedenen Welten macht das Land spannend. Kaum ein anderes Reiseziel verbindet mediterranes Lebensgefühl, arabische und berberische Kultur, römische Geschichte und die Weite der Sahara auf so kleinem Raum.

Tag 1 - Monastir

Yep, it’s us again. How could it be any other way... We’re checking in from Africa. Tunisia this time.

We’ll be honest. This country was never even in the top 50 on our bucket list, let alone high enough on it that we’d book a flight, but here we are. So why? We saw most of you reading this just recently, and at that point, we didn’t even know about it yet. But Mele did really well in the DERTOUR group’s World Cup prediction game and won the flight to Monastir—one of the prizes from over 300 entries—for both of us. Yeah, Monastir—I didn’t even know that place existed either. Growing up in a soccer family has finally paid off.

I suppose the plan was to spend a beach vacation here, but well, not with us.

We’re already dropping off our suitcases with our coworkers at DERTOUR today—they don’t usually do that, but they’re our coworkers, after all—and right after landing, we’re hopping in a taxi to Monastir, into the city. The taxi drivers are just unbelievably brazen when it comes to haggling over the price; here, they only charge fixed rates—never use the meter... That’s great if you know the prices, of course, but not so much when you’re stepping out of the airport for the first time... Unfortunately for the taxi drivers, though, we’re not going to let them rip us off... They actually wanted 80 dinars for a 6-kilometer ride... Or 22.80 CHF... No way, even after the taxi driver started yelling at us.

Or 22.80 CHF... No way we’re going along with that, even after the taxi driver berated us for causing unnecessary trouble... We offer 12 dinars... 3.4 CHF. Not because we’re incredibly stingy, but because we have an app that suggests fair prices... The taxi driver almost had a meltdown, so we just headed to the train and were about to take it—which, by the way, would have cost 2 dinars, or 0.55 CHF. Then another taxi driver ran after us and offered us the ride for 25, or 7.15 CHF. We could accept that price. On the way, the taxi driver enthusiastically shows us all his favorite spots and places we absolutely have to see.

Once we arrive in the medina (old town), we’re immediately approached by some vendors who tell us we should check out their shops. Since Mele wanted to buy shoes anyway and I needed my flag, we decide to go along. And here we go again… The vendor wants 80 euros for a pair of super-definitely-genuine brand-name shoes, a flag, and a definitely-authentic brand-name polo shirt… He eventually accepts half the price out of goodwill—since tourists aren’t really coming anymore, which we can clearly see for ourselves—and we throw in the processing fee and so on… More expensive than expected, but not that bad. The vendor isn’t exactly thrilled with the deal, but it’s closed anyway. Der Verkäufer ist nicht unbedingt erfreut über den Deal aber abgeschlossen wird er trotzdem.

Then we take a short walk through the old town, and in fact, neither Mele nor I feel uncomfortable for even a second.

We also visit the mausoleum of the Republic’s first president, since it happened to be on our way. On the way there, a guy approaches us… We’re actually just taking a breather in the shade, but he’s determined to talk to us.

He tells us how everything here is free and that there are people who do things that aren’t part of the official program—like taking photos, offering camel rides, street vendors, and so on... You can accept their offers, but if you don’t want to, they’re not allowed to force them on you; if we ever feel uncomfortable, we should call the police... We thank him and go on our way; on the way back, we run into him again, and he asks us what we thought of it, etc., etc.

That’s when we find out that he’s the police chief of Monastir. He explains all sorts of things to us about Monastir and what there is to do here. He also takes us straight to a carpet factory that’s only open around Tunisia’s National Day. There, we’re shown the craft of carpet-making—this time without any pushy salespeople. We’re also offered Berber silver.

Afterward, we book a taxi through the app mentioned earlier; suddenly, 10 dinars is enough to get to the airport...

Then we tell the taxi driver to wait a moment so we can go get our suitcases and then head straight to the hotel. Which is exactly what we do. The driver even pulls over to the side of the road to buy us some water, without being asked and without accepting any payment for it.

Once we arrive at the hotel, we head straight to the pool, because it’s sweltering here... This is Africa... Someone should tell South Africa that...

In the late afternoon, we walk along the beach to the harbor and are promptly invited again to watch a boat and a woman’s cats...

Then we eat and finally head back to the hotel to get some sleep...

Day 2 - Tunis & Carthage

Today we’re heading to Tunis, the capital. The city isn’t touristy at all, but it has a HUGE bazaar that’s really interesting to wander through... You also come across churches left and right in Tunis, which surprised us a bit...

After about an hour in Tunis, we continue on to Carthage. The former rival of Rome, the city where Hannibal Barca was born—the guy who crossed the Alps with his elephants.

As expected, there isn’t really much left of it, but it was still a must-see—especially since the city became the second-largest in the Roman Empire and was renowned for its incredible engineering feats.

After that, we headed to Sidi Bou Said, the “Santorini of Tunisia,” and then back to the hotel.

Day 3 - Mediterranean

We went on a boat ride, hoping to see some dolphins. Unfortunately, we only saw them from a distance. But that’s just how nature is. You can never control it.

Afterward, we were able to jump into the water from the boat to take a dip in the sea. The Mediterranean also has a significantly high evaporation rate, and there’s a shortage of water here, too. As a result, the salinity is higher, and I can literally float cross-legged in the water without any trouble... Anyone who knows me knows that I normally can’t float...

Then back to the hotel to “chill” a bit and head to the spa—something we’ve wanted to do since South Africa; it just took crossing the entire continent to get there.

Back to the harbor in the evening.

Who would’ve guessed? According to a guide, pollution from trash is a problem of industrialization—the more factories, the more trash on the ground. It sounds intellectual, but it’s absolutely ridiculous when you look deeper into it... Europe—specifically Germany, Switzerland, etc.—is, as we all know, made up of countries without any factories at all; otherwise, I couldn’t explain why it’s mostly clean where we live... Apparently, Atlantis has an ABSURD number of factories...

Well, all that aside... South Africa is dirtier... There’s more trash on the ground, etc., etc. BUT—and this is exactly the point—not a single South African downplays it. Everyone says, “Yes, that’s a problem.” And if even the guides here in Tunisia—who’d certainly be allowed to say that it’s a problem—don’t say it, well, then that’s a cultural phenomenon and it will NEVER get better... Unfortunately.

Day 4 - El Jem - Matmata - Douz

What a day.

Got up early this morning, hopped on the bus, and headed to El Jem.

El Jem is home to the world’s third-largest Roman-era amphitheater. Right behind Capua (65,000) in second place and Rome with the Colosseum (80,000 seats) in first. El Jem (33,000) is more or less in the middle of nowhere, which makes the whole thing seem a bit strange until you realize which road El Jem is located on. Namely, where the main Roman road from Carthage to Alexandria (Egypt) meets the Berber trade route from the Sahara to Sfax (Tunisia’s largest ancient trading port).

But why would merchants and travelers need such a grand spectacle?

Good question—thanks for asking.

The answer is both simple and complicated, because it’s not the travelers who need the amphitheater, but the merchants. They come here to buy the most promising gladiators to take them to Italy. Not only because many gladiators come from sub-Saharan kingdoms like Mali via the Sahara, but also because ALL gladiators—even those from, say, Germania—will eventually end up here to fight wild animals. After all, where do you think those animals come from?

So this is actually less of a competition for honor or the entertainment of the masses, and more like an ancient form of athlete sponsorship, because you have to succeed here to make it to the big stages of Italy.

It’s truly impressive and nowhere near as crowded as the Colosseum.

Afterward, we continue south into the barren landscape leading up to the Sahara. Here, we visit a Berber house and a Berber settlement. The Amazigh (Berbers) are an indigenous people of North Africa, distinct from the Arabs, and some of them still live in their traditional homes to this day. What’s truly impressive is that it’s now 38 degrees outside, yet inside the house it’s a comfortable 25—all without air conditioning, thanks solely to clever design...

We also enjoy a Berber lunch before heading back toward Douz, the gateway to the Sahara.

Southern Tunisia—specifically Douz, though actually a small town nearby—was the main recruitment center for ISIS in Tunisia from 2011 to 2016, until the Tunisian government had had enough and cracked down, particularly following the top five terrorist attacks in the country in 2015, two of which took place at the port of Port El Kantanoui, where we’ve been eating all this time. ..

Today, the Sahara and southern Tunisia are being used by Al-Qaeda for arms smuggling from Libya to Tunisia, as well as a training ground for Boko Haram from Nigeria. That’s why tourists here are monitored by police and military drones. You don’t really notice them, but they’re there. Every single bus, car, or even cyclist is assigned one...

We could have optionally booked a camel ride in Douz, but we didn’t want to commit without seeing whether the camels were treated well. So we decided against booking it. Once we arrived, we headed straight into the Sahara itself to check out the situation. We found a tour operator who clearly loves his animals very much, so we booked with him and ended up riding the camels Abdul and Sultan (yes, exactly). He even called out various other operators for their practices, which we found very commendable, since they were animal abusers—for example, those who keep desert foxes on leashes or riders who make their horses gallop under the sun at 45 degrees.

After that, we’ll take a short hike through the Douz Oasis—just under 12 km...

With my sun allergy, I’m really struggling in the desert, but I’m holding up well thanks to my sweater. I have to say, though, that now that I’m writing all this down, I’m really feeling it.

Day 5 Trozeur - Chebika - Ong Jmal

Today we’re heading back to Sousse, but first we’re setting off at 4:20 a.m. so we can make it to the salt lake in time for sunrise. It’s definitely spectacular, but it’s just really nothing compared to Etosha in Namibia. A phenomenon that, by the way, Chatty also confirms—that many people who see the Sahara after visiting the Namib and Etosha don’t find it as impressive as everyone else does.

After the salt lake, we arrive in Tozeur, where we park the bus because we’re continuing deep into the desert in 4x4s. First to Chebika, an oasis situated at a natural spring at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and right on the Algerian border. Movies like *Jesus of Nazareth* and *Indiana Jones* were filmed here. Anyone familiar with the films will surely recognize some of the locations.

After that, we turn off the road and go off-roading at speeds of up to 120 km/h across the dunes of the Sahara.

Another interesting thing: we see VARIOUS mirages. You don’t have to be dehydrated—it’s actually just caused by the heat. The heat makes the air shimmer, and our eyes can no longer tell exactly what’s there, only that something is there. The brain then fills in the uncertainty with what seems most likely—so, for example, instead of seeing two dunes, we suddenly see three, then two again, then three once more. Or the mountains suddenly appear three times as big in the background. But even the mirages caused by dehydration are real—it’s just that the brain isn’t fit enough anymore to “generate” what’s likely, so it conjures up wishful thoughts, such as an oasis, water, and so on.

Until, 40 km later, we arrive at the Star Wars filming location. The original Star Wars was filmed in Tatouine (anyone familiar with Star Wars will notice that Luke Skywalker’s home planet was named after this Tunisian village). It’s located another 200 km or so east of here. This filming location is known primarily for two things: THE MANDALORIAN—it’s where Mando meets Baby Yoda, etc.—and something even more famous: the Cantina.

Who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo?

Then back to Tozeur—a round trip totaling 220 km, all completed by mid-morning.

Back on the bus, we head to Kairouan, the fourth holiest city in Islam after 1) Mecca, 2) Medina, and 3) Jerusalem. Founded in 670 primarily as an Arab military camp, it became the capital of the Maghreb and also the hub for the spread of Islam throughout North Africa and Al-Andalus (Spain).

Day 6 Sousse

We’re taking it easy today as we head to the medina in Sousse. This old town is also a World Heritage Site. We’re trying something new today: instead of being Swiss, we’re pretending to be South Africans—and, of course, we’re speaking Afrikaans to each other. We’re just going to assume they wouldn’t know the difference. And it really paid off. Even Chatty said we’d negotiated incredibly low prices by Tunisian standards. The killer line: “Solidarité africaine, mon frère.” It worked amazingly well, and I highly recommend it.

Day 7 - Port El Kantaoui

Reality has caught up with us again, and we have to get some things done once more. First, school, then making some adjustments to the website for our side businesses, and planning for the semester that starts next week. It’s actually pretty laid-back. Now, in the evening, we’ll say goodbye to the cats from the first day, and then we’ll be glad it’s all over tomorrow.