Quicksand

Finally a new blog. Our sincerest apologies for our lack of blogging over the past week or so. With the lack of internet in the Sahara desert in Tunisia, and traveling to Sweden, we haven't had much time to sit down and blog. We have some free time right now as we wait for lora (it has been the theme of our trip). We will recap the Desert trip in this blog.
Because it has been an issue uploading pictures to the blog we will be including a link to a site, Picasa Web Albums, where we will separate the pictures from each blog for your viewing pleasures. This site will also allow us to upload many more photos than possible if we were to do so on blogger. Ok enough chit chat, lets get down to it.


Sunday, August 15th 2010

We woke around 7am, amongst groans from marks still upset stomach, and baggy eyelids. We cleaned the house then hopped into our Renault Symbol, a small french car with a whopping 65 horsepower engine. We headed towards Kairouan. We visited the 4th holiest mosque in the Muslim world, which was said to have underground connections to mecca. The town is known for its carpet making. We read in our guide book that a specific process occurred when bargaining/buying a rug. We wandered around the narrow streets, and stumbled into the old governors house, which was turned into a tourist carpet factory. No one was interested in buying a carpet, but Lora's wandering eye focused on a carpet she liked. As carpets were rolled out, the bargaining began. Just as mentioned in the guidebook, we were given a 25% discount because we did not come to this place with a guide. Lora offered 50 Dinars for a 500 Dinar carpet. The man was instantly offended and started rolling the carpets up and told her not to "vex" him. This as described in the guide book was also part of the show. As we slowly tried to drag Lora out of the store, the price continued to drop as we walked towards the door. We finally left and as we walked down the alley, Lora complained how she wanted the rug, as the words barely left her mouth, the manager of the store came out and offered his "final price" of 210 Dinars. Lora countered with 180 but they could not come to a price. It was an interesting and fun experience for all involved.

Next stop for the day was the city of El Jem. Here we toured the Roman empires 3rd largest and best preserved Amphitheater. It held an estimated 30,000 people at capacity. For shows, gladiator fights, and whatever else the funky romans did. The site was incredible. We took many photos, and really enjoyed the architecture.

The next stop was in Mahdia, about an hour and a half drive to the east on the coast. After Lora's failed navigation in finding our hotel, we eventually stumbled upon it, and checked in to the Hotel La Mahdia. It was a nice place tucked into a quaint alley. We ended up having the only 2 rooms on the rooftop. As we decided our plans for the next day, we headed out to find a bite to eat. Ramadan creates an environment where its hard to find any open restaurants. We found a little restaruant where we had the joy of sitting next to a large italian tourist group. It was the highlight of our night....NOT (in Borat voice). On the way back from dinner Lora and Bjorn were verbally abused in Arabic, because they were walking hand in hand and wouldnt buy an anything from a a little street vendor. Long ass day=in bed by 10pm. Goodnight.

Monday, August 16th 2010

James woke up with swollen glands, and then a swollen blood pressure when breakfast was bread and Jam. We packed our bags, and walked around the Medina quickly. Lora, the scarf connoisseur that she is, found a scarf store, naturally. We waited for her to pick and choose what she wanted only for her to be ripped off by the scarf lady. She told us the scarves were 25 Dinar a piece, yet after a friendly smile she ended up charging 35 a piece. Scarves show no mercy, nor do the Tunisians. She bought them none the less and we left a little angry.

We then went to the beach to relax before a 5 hour drive to our next destination, Metlaoui. The beach consisted of many germans, men in speedos (some with half their ass hanging out), big beer guts flowing proudly, and some topless women. We had a nice lunch at a beach stand, then went to go shower off the salt. We couldnt find a shower, but we were lead to a bathroom. The bathroom was out of order and infested with cock roaches, and there were no showers. In Tunisia they use butt washers (like bidets). So we decided to use those to wash off. 3 Americans and a Swede spraying each other with a butt washer. It was an interesting sight.

We left Mahdia and started our 5 hour drive to Metlaoui. Along the way, Mark had to use the head. We pulled over and he peed near a field of cacti. Lora was intruiged by the fruit the cactus produced. We had eaten the fruit earlier in the week, its called a barbary pear. She decided that picking a few of them to enjoy on the ride would be a good idea. When we got back in the car she noticed she had hundreds of little prickers in her fingers. Bjorn came to the rescue and tried to pull them out, but in doing so he ended up transferring some of them into his own hands. Soon the prickers had caught onto us all. Everyone held a grudge with Lora for the next few days as the prickers lingered. Especially Mark.
We arrived in Metlaoui, a phosphate mining town, there was not much to see or do. Our hotel was the only one in this very poor town. It stunk of cigarettes, at least the rooms were somewhat decent, we couldn't complain for 25 dinars a piece, yet... Soon after settling in, James started to feel sick. Tunisia has not been kind to either of us, as one gets better the other gets sick.
For dinner we were sent across the street to an outdoor cafe/amusment park. They only served 4 saison(meat) pizza. We were the first ones there. Soon after, the Tunisian men flocked to their coffee and shisha posts for the remainder of the evening. We were the only foreigners in the town, as it is not a tourist location. Some kids took a quiet interest in us, soon after they began to badger us for dinars while we ate. Once back in the room we tried to brush our teeth, but our bathroom was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Cockroach and their kids. We were forced to brush our teeth in Lora and Bjorns bathroom. It did not have cockroaches but it smelled like rotten doodie. It was almost unbearable. Goodnight.

Tuesday August 17th 2010

After James woke up feeling slightly better, we headed to the Lezard Rouge. A scenic train, which brought you through valleys and canyons, ending at a phosphate mine. When leaving town, the local kids ran along side the train as the tourists on board tossed them coins. The ride was very scenic. On the way back, James felt feverish again and almost passed out. We headed to the pharmacy and picked up a few drugs to help James get better. We then drove to Tozeur, a town known for its brick architecture. We arrived mid afternoon, checked into a very nice hotel, where James went right to bed. The rest of the gang decided to take a tour to a town called Nafta, Palmaires, salt lakes and a fully intact Star Wars set from the first filming in the 1970's. Then they took a 4X4 Toyota off-roading, over rough terrain which lead to a mountain in the shape of a camel neck. Lora, Bjorn and Mark were accompanied by a Japanese tourist whose name no one could pronounce, so he told them to call him Fanta. For the first time in the tour guides life, he had witnessed a person fall asleep through the roller coaster of a ride, none other than our new asian friend Fanta. After returning, James felt up to getting a bite to eat. We found a very nice restaurant where we sampled typical tunisian cuisine, Cous Cous and Camel. Goodnight.

Wednesday, August 18th 2010

James needed more rest. While he slept, Lora Mark and Bjorn woke up at 6am to tour 3 old towns; Chebika, Tamerza and Mides. In Chebika they saw an oasis (an isolated area of vegetation in the desert, fed by a water source) and a river. It was a very cool river but the ambience was ruined by the amount of tourists and vendors at the location. In Tamerza they visited 2 waterfalls. The first one Mark and Bjorn stood under for a brief moment. On the way to Mides we passed Algerian border guards and the Grand Canyon of Mides. After Mides we went searching for the second waterfall back in Tozeur. Upon arrival Mark spotted a dressed up camel with a sombrero on. He knew he needed a picture. During mid shot, the camels owner ran screaming for him to pay 1 Dinar for a photo. Lora and Bjorn told Mark to hop on the camel for a photo op. When Mark hopped on, the owner made the camel get up, walked the camel in a circle then tried to charge 5 Dinars. Lora put up a fight, and slapped 1 dinar in his hand. He slapped the Dinar back in Marks hand who then threw it back at the owner. At the second waterfall, we all swam. Some of the people were taken out by the force of the water when they stood under it. When we got back to the hotel James was feeling better, the Tunisian drugs worked. We ate lunch at the same place we had dinner, again it was delicious.

After lunch we started our drive into the desert. Lora was behind the wheel so tensions were high. We drove through a massive salt flat on the way. Mirages were abundant. On our approach we noticed no cars were going the same way as us, all were leaving...interesting. When we entered Ksar Ghilane the paved road ended. We looked for signs to lead us to the camps, but none were of any help. We spotted a 4x4 tour group coming down the road and asked to follow them to the camps. The entrance to the road was a deep sand pit. The Italians we talked to, told us we could make it through. Bjorn gave it the old college try. He got about 1/4 of the way, then came to an abrupt stop. The Italians jumped into action, while the Tunisian national guard tried to help as well, but soon were bored and left. The Italians grabbed a tow rope and shackle and attached it to the chasis of our car. They pulled us through the sand for the next 2 Kilometers until we reached packed ground and one of the camp sites. Dinner was included in our stay. We ate dinner and booked an ATV trip for the following morning at 6am. We went to bed early as we needed to get up at 445am to watch the sunrise the next morning. During the night, James awoke the gang to admire the millions of stars visible on a clear night in the Sahara Desert. Many constellations were visible, it was the most stars we have ever seen. Goodmorning.


Thursday August 19th 2010

We awoke at 445am. Got dressed and took a walk to a dune where we could watch the sunrise over the Sahara. It was supposed to be spectacular but the morning was cloudy so we did not get to see it at its best. In no time the flies were at our exposed body parts so we headed back to the tent to get ready for the ATV trip. The 4 wheeled ATV's look so simple at first glance, but we or should we say James found out the hard way, that they were much more dangerous than they appeared. We started off climbing up and down the dunes, it was very fun. A little while after, James thought it would be wise to do a donut. (A word to the wise, do not attempt to do a donut with an ATV on a hard surface) As he mashed the control to the left the ATV went up on 2 wheels and James flew off horizontally through the air. He landed hard on his knee and wrist, snapping his watch band and cutting his knee up. He was lucky to come away from the accident with the injuries he sustained.

After surveying the damage, we hopped back on the atv's and continued to what was thought to be an old roman prison, about a 25 minute ride into the Sahara. From the prison you looked back on the Oasis, it was the only sign of vegetation as far as the eye could see. We walked around for a bit, James hobbled. We got back on the Atv's and headed back to camp. James received some first aid then we ate breakfast. After eating we packed our things and contemplated how the hell we were going to get back out, because we did not have anyone to tow us. The man at the front desk offered to drive our car out (he said he knew how) and hed have a friend come get him on an atv. He told us to drive as far as we could then he'd take over. Bjorn, having driven in the alps when living in Switzerland was prepared for the battle. He shifted the car in to gear and blasted through the sand, one deep spot at a time. Before we knew it the symbol (our car) made it through. The only problem on the way out was that the fine Sahara sand now covered us, the inside of the car and the engine, but at least we were not trapped. On our drive out (in paved road) mark spotted a beat up old car sitting on the side of the road and decided to take a few pictures. Look out for them in the album.

From Ksar Ghilanee we headed out to Matmata, a town with houses built into the hills as a means to self air condition and keep cool, and a previous site where Luke Sykwalker ate dinner with his aunt and uncle, in one of the early star wars movies. It was not as exciting as it sounds. We all bottle fed a baby camel, and lora got molested by the berber owner. We then drove to a town on the coast call gabes, which was supposed to be a nice place. When we arrived the town was disgusting. The people were gross, and nothing was open for lunch. We found an open bakery and we picked up a bunch of croissants and ate those and junk food for our lunch.
On the way to Le Kef, a 7 hour drive from gabes, ( We went from the far south to the northernmost part of the country) we played the guess who I am game for about 4 of those hours. We also played I am going on a picnic and we brought many things that will not be named on this blog. For those of you who do not know these games, the first is simple. A person picks someone and the others have to ask yes or no questions to eventually figure out who it may be. The second is simple as well. One person starts, they say I am going on a picnic and I'm bringing blah, and the next person says what the first one said and adds to it.. and so on.

We arrived in Le Kef at the hotel residence venus, it looked like a dump outside, but once we entered, we were greeted by 2 canaries and jasmine plants, and satalite tv. We checked in, and since no restaurants were open the owner offered to cook us up dinner. Typical tunisian fare but it was good none the less. We had his wife's own lemonade and fresh baked bread. We went back upstairs and went to sleep at around 9pm amongst smells of doodie from the sewage pipe running by our window. Goodnight.

Friday, August 20th 2010

Bjorn Mark and Lora woke up around 7am and went for a walk around the town, James decided to rest his swollen knee some more. They visited a fort which overlooked the entire city. It was closed but a guard opened each room for us to freely walk around in. In the main square, concerts are held almost every night.

We ate breakfast and headed to the city of Dougga. One of the largest roman ruin sites in Tunisia. It was starting to get hot, probably around 38 Celsius, about 100 degrees. We walked around the ruins, saw temples, a brothel(the ruins of it, mark and james were upset) and the capital. We got back in the car and headed to Bulla Regia, another town with roman ruins. On the way we stopped at a hotel and had lunch. We were only charged for 3 meals, so after we paid the bill we left quickly. When we got to Bulla Regia it was about 50 degrees Celsius, somewhere around 120 degrees. We decided to tough out the heat and walk around. We saw underground roman houses, also built to stay cool. We also saw a treasure house, mosaics (one of venus and one of Aphrodite and cupid which were almost in perfect condition). On the way back to the car mark decided to take a bit of the ancient marble. It was so hot that the sun tan lotion we had on would not even soak into the skin, it was bleeding out of it. Lora and Mark got some ice cream at the gift shop and we hopped back into the car and drove to our next destination, a hillside village named Ain Drahem.

The town is about 3000 feet about sea level. We arrived at the hotel Rihanna and checked out the rooms, they were ok but apparently there swimming pool was closed and it was expensive. We decided to check out a different hotel. When we arrived inside, we knew this was the place to stay. We were treated like royalty (it was only us and another family staying there). We were served a refreshing fruit drink then headed to our rooms to change into bathing suits to go swimming in their pool. After the pool we showered off and headed downstairs to the restaurant for dinner. We were served a 5 course meal. We had a spotless mountain view room with cold A/C, dinner and breakfast included for 60 dinars per night per person ($40). After dinner we lounged out and went to bed. Goodnight

Saturday August 21st 2010

Woke up and had some breakfast. We then headed to Tabarka a coastal town about 30 kilometers to the north. On the drive there, James was pulled over by the police. The police mistook James for a Tunisian and when approaching the car started to speak arabic to him. He was baffled that they could mistake his beautiful American face for that of a Tunisian. The rest of the stop went without incident. We drove around looking for a good spot to lay on the beach. The first one we chose was filled with tourists and a beached whale. Not literally, but an extremely large women who was walking around topless. Just Imagine a deflated hot air balloon draped over a person. Not a pretty picture. We drove down the beach a little ways and found a nice spot to camp out. We sunbathed for the afternoon then went to find a place to eat. After a lunch of fresh fish and a wannabe ray charles on the piano, we headed back to the hotel in Ain Drahem. Where we enjoyed another 5 course meal and a good nights sleep.

Sunday, August 22nd 2010

We woke up around 7am and went for a hike through the cork forest to a fort. Ain Drahem is known for there cork forests, and they produce alot of the worlds wine corks and other cork products. We learned that the cork may one day be in danger if the wine makers keep buying synthetic corks. They are cheaper and easier to make. Lets hope real cork is not phased out. At the beginning of our walk were were joined by 2 others. 2 dogs, brother and sister most likely. They followed us diligently for our entire walk. It took about 35 minutes to reach the fort, it wasn't quite hot out yet, but it was very foggy. After checking it out, we walked back to the hotel and had breakfast. Then while Bjorn and Lora got ready James took mark to the car to teach him how to drive manual. We putted around the parking lot for about 20 minutes. After a few stalls mark had the hang of it. James let him practice on a steeper hill and then let him drive about a half mile back to the hotel. We then headed off to the last stop on our journey, Cap Serrat.

Cap Serrat is a very small secluded beach town 30 kilometers off the main road. Some of the road was not paved so the driving was a bit hairy at times. The bumps were worth it. We were welcomed by clear blue waters and a fairly empty beach. We enjoyed the day in the sun, had some lunch at the only restaurant on the beach and headed back on the scenic route, to Lora's apartment in Tunis. The family who rented the apartment to lora brought us a Tunisian pasta dish and we had dinner, then relaxed before hitting the sack. Goodnight

Monday, August 23rd 2010

James woke up at 7am (he thought it was 8am) and walked to the bakery and market to try and pick up breakfast for everyone. After one unsuccessful attempt he tried again around 930. This time the bakery was open and he picked up some croissants for everyone. Once back Mark and James went to the market to pick up some veggies to make a pasta and zucchini lunch. James took a nap while the other 3 went to a glass museum and to return the rental car. Around 730pm we went out for our last supper. We met a few of Lora's friends and had a nice dinner. Before we were to leave for the airport Lora got roped into talking to the family before we left. Mark was then approached by the cousin and asked to exchange numbers and facebook information. Lora was still talking with the family as it approached 11:30. So we sent Mark down to get her out of there. Bad Idea, now 2 du Moulins were caught chit chatting. After about 15 minutes, Bjorn sent James in to do the dirty work. He went downstairs and told them we needed to go, he almost got roped in to the conversation as well but knew we had to leave. We said our goodbyes and hopped in 2 taxis to go to the airport around 12:30. We played cards while we waited for our 240am flight to germany, where we would take a connecting flight to copenhagen, Denmark then a train to Malmo, Sweden. We had a sigh of relief once we were on the plane and on the way out of the country.



Tunisia overall was a good cultural experience. The language barrier was difficult and it was hard to get used to as were the customs. The food was below expectations, and the breakfasts will not be missed. Sunny skies every day were nice, but at times it was too hot. We made the best of the situation though. Will we be back? James- "Absolutely not" Mark - "No". That about sums it up. As you already know we are in Sweden. Its almost midnight here so we will be getting some shut eye before posting pictures with this blog. Tomorrow we will post pictures and blog about our adventures in Sweden to this point.


We hope all is well in the states, and that Category 4 Hurricane Earl steers safely away from the Northeast.



Love,



James and Mark