Directly to Tozeur
Trip Start
Feb 07, 2008
1
2
17
Trip End
Feb 23, 2008
Tozeur,
Tunisia
Friday, February 8, 2008
In just 15 minutes, we were ready at the door for the taxi ordered by the reception the previous evening. A minibus drew up, and we were ready to get in. For some reason, the driver thought he was only supposed to take the older couple to the airport and not us. So he drove off with them, and I expected a new taxi to arrive for us. A little unsure, I returned to reception to check it out. No, that was our taxi! He rang the driver, and Georges came right back for us. Sharing the taxi brought the price down, so it didn't matter!
We had plenty of time at the airport, and it was interesting to see all the flight destinations - Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and other French-speaking ex-colonies. Half an hour's delay and we were off, although the seats were a bit hard and uncomfortable. Still, the kissing French couple in front of us didn't seem to notice! What was amazing to think of as we sailed above the beautiful desert approaching Tozeur, was the diversity of nature and conditions we had experienced just within 24 hours, from snowy Oslo (since we had to make a transit stop there), to flood-lit Paris with its Eiffel tower, and now the vast, yellow expanse beneath us.
After a slow-process security check with long queues, which we were assured was the norm in Tunisia, we found a taxi and managed to negotiate the price, 7 dinars. Not bad, considering they asked for 10. But bad, considering the normal rate was 5! Anyway, I decided the equivalent of 10 kroner wasn't worth arguing about, especially as a taxi was our only choice. There would be plenty of opportunities to haggle efficiently later!
We arrived at a large, rather austere building which seemed very quiet - Residence El Arich. There can't have been many guests at this time of year. What pleased me was the sight of a big, sunny teracce outside, and a couple of people drinking coffee and smoking shisha in the sunshine, which we had come all this way to find (the sunshine, not the shisa!) Armed with our remote control for the TV, and the remote control for the air-condition, we ascended to the first floor. This was the joke of the second day, for there was no TV, and no need for air-condition. We later returned these controls, and the price came down!
We unpacked in our small room, with ensuite bathroom. Paul Eric learned the expression, "No room to swing a cat" in connection with the bathroom, but we were happy to find the bed very comfortable, and the view from the window over the terrace and palmary beautiful. We started to get the flavour of being in an Arab country, as the Arab pop music blared out from a sound system on the terrace, and it hightened our feeling of anticipation - a different culture, new people, new experiences! Even this could not keep Paul Eric awake, as by the middle of the day he was very tired and had a sleep on the bed. I also was tired, but far too excited to sleep. Instead, I went out for a short walk to explore the area.
I found a useful little supermarket just nearby, where I bought water and biscuits. The friendly shopkeeper gave me a lesson in Tunisian currency, as I had to study the coins very hard before I was able to pay. I had forgotten the appearance of a one dinar coin, and a half dinar coin since my last trip of two years ago. With my reinforcements of water, biscuits and coin value knowledge, I returned to try to wake Paul Eric.
By this time, we were hungry and ready to find somewhere for lunch. The Lonely Planet guide book led us down the road to a lovely little restaurant with a fountain, called Tozeurous. There were many customers, both Tunisian and French, and we ordered local dishes; salad mechouia ( a delicious blend of mushed peppers, onions and tomatoes) and briq to start with, then couscous and spaghetti. We laughed about how it would sound in English to say, " For my lunch I ate a brick!" But the briq was a delicious, deep-fried pastry containing an egg and other things. Guess who else was there - the kissing French couple from the plane! We ended with the customary mint tea and low-price bill (by our standards), and continued down the road to the town-centre. We were in search of the old medina, but somehow missed the entrance and instead found a cluster of charming tourist shops.
It was here we met Salim, an out-going, English-speaking shopkeeper who had a marvellous array of products on sale - a feast for the eyes! I was planning on being reserved, as I knew how easy it was to suddenly find oneself involved in shopping discussions, and I wasn't ready to make any purchases on day 1. But Salim didn't put any pressure on us - a very wise move. We looked at the leather products, the ceramics, jewellery, clothing and so many wonderful things, and chatted with him about Tunisia, England, Norway and tourism. He didn't seem to mind at all that we promised to come back another time.
We continued to explore the town centre, before taking a taxi to the zone touristique and finding the excellent Dar Charaït complex, an impressive big house, with museum, café, small souvenir shops and exhibition. The coffee and pastries were wonderful, and tired as we were, we resolved to return to enjoy the other amenities. Making our way from the complex, and the hoard of tourist shops where the shopkeepers, unlike Salim put a considerable amount of pressure on us to enter, we sought refuge on a calêche, which had two young men as drivers. They took us on our first tour of the palmary, which we were really too tired to enjoy fully, giving us an explanation in French of which I only understood about 40%. But the palmary did look beautiful, with its 200,000 palms and many other fruit trees and plants, running water for irrigation, and bird song.
Tozeur palmary
We chatted happily before falling into a deep sleep.
