Tunisia – T for the Top

It’s official. We’ve run out of continent! On the 9th November we stood north of Bizerte at pretty much the most northerly point of Africa. How do we feel? Well, pretty damn good actually!!
The last couple of countries have been quite a stretch for us and it was difficult to pinpoint why this should be. My latest theory is that this is not Africa. I think that the last real African country we passed through was Kenya, with Ethiopia being on the cusp. The Nubians of Sudan and Egypt were an anomaly and not really liked by the Egyptians. There was one area in Libya with really dark people; some say they are descendents of the indigenous inhabitants in Libya, others say they are the descendents of freed slaves. Libyans by the way are really arrogant and feel they are a cut above their neighbours in Egypt and Tunisia. The Egyptians because they provide a lot of casual labour in Libya and Tunisians, well… just ‘cause (maybe because the Tunisians actually pick up litter along their main highways). So really what we’ve been travelling through has been more “Arabia” than “Africa”.

Anyway, back to Tunisia. It is very cosmopolitan and more French/Mediterranean than African or Arabian for that matter. There is neither the plethora of headscarves nor the undercurrent of control. We have not been stopped once by the many traffic police we’ve seen all over the place. Tunisia is a long and skinny country and we’ve tried to hug the coast as far as possible to get some beach time in before winter hits us. Our first stop was the Isle of Jerba where we camped in Aghir. Unfortunately we drove over the 2km long causeway built by the Romans at night so didn’t get a good sense of moving onto an island. We camped right on the beach and didn’t move for a day, making up for the relentless pace we’d set through Libya. The sea was a bit chilly but that didn’t stop Becca Weasel. Out came the bucket and spade and she was on cloud nine!
We caught a ferry off the island and, after an hour’s wait and a short ferry ride, we drove up the coast and camped the night in a hotel car park in Mahares. Not the best place right on the busy main road but we were one step closer to Tunis where we needed to book our ferry for Sicily. We took a toll road into Tunis and got diddled by the toll cashier when he short changed us. We drove straight to port to check out ferry tickets and sort out our vehicle customs document which expires before we are expecting to leave the country. Both were closed so we set off to look for somewhere to sleep the night. There is no camping to be had in the capital but we drove through a really nice looking upmarket suburb called Sidi bou Said (the presidential palace is nearby). The houses are nicely kept, there are good looking pavement cafes and an abundance of colourful bougainvillea. We could live here.

Coffee is good but pricy. French bread is available everywhere but also not as cheap as Libya. Diesel is trending towards SA prices, preparing us for Europe no doubt. We parked just outside a hotel that was closed for renovations and paid the security guys to let us sleep there. It seemed peaceful enough except for the cars that whizzed down the cul-de-sac and out again and a drunken brawl/shouting match that took place at 3 o’clock in the morning. It seems the hotel was closed but not the bar. Luckily Rebecca slept through all of the goings-on.

The ruins of Carthage were dotted around the suburb but we only found one part and it was enough for us, having already seen the best the region has to offer ruins-wise. We took a toll road again and made sure we checked our change this time! In Bizerte, which is a really nice clean looking town, we had lunch overlooking the sea and then drove up the coast to Cap Blanc where we walked with our GPS to the most northerly point we could find. We saw loads of little pink jellyfish washed up into the rock pools and hoped that they would be swept out to sea when the tide came in. We then read that the Aussies had found a more northerly point so we set off to find that but without a detailed map we got horribly lost and ended up in a pine forest where we spent a quiet afternoon and a peaceful night. Luckily we are happy with our northerly point and are not going to lose any sleep over a difference of 42 seconds of latitude. The next morning we woke to rain on the tent which got progressively harder and harder. We packed up a wet tent and headed back to Bizerte via the lake which makes up most of the Ichkeul National Park. We chased a bread van and decided not to buy his bread as it was a bit pricy but luckily found another one on the outskirts of the town which had loaves that were more attractively priced. We stopped on the rocks again for breakfast, went to check on the jellyfish and unfortunately they were still in the rock pools. I don’t think they’re going to make it!

We then started our short trip back to Tunis and the toll chappy tried to short change us again! Once bitten twice shy so we stayed put while we counted the change and waited until he came up with the right money. Dipstick!
We ventured back to the port and got the customs docs sorted out (well, I suppose we’ll find out when we try to leave anyway). The ferry tickets were a bit trickier over the counter so I tried to book on line and, unable to use my Mastercard, went delving into the car safe for my Diner’s Card. I pulled out the wallet where my cards were kept and it was bare! The only time we’d taken it out was when we left Tom in the Sudan so they must have been nicked from our hotel room in Egypt…or I’ve hidden them in a really good place never to be found again! Grrr.
Not to be deterred and, as there was nothing more to be done until we got access to the Internet, we left Tunis headed for Nabeul, south of the capital and on the sea. We’d had many people recommend Hotel les Jasmins and that’s where we headed for. We are camped in an olive and orange orchard. We love it. The beach is a short walk away as is the centre ville, where we eventually tracked down an Internet Café to deal with the lost cards. Thanks Andor!!
We are not moving until we head back to Tunis to buy the ferry tickets and set sail for Sicily.
We left Nabeul after our lazy days there and headed back to Tunis via Hammamet, to check out the next door town that caters more for package tourists and were glad we hadn’t stayed there- a bit too glitzy for our liking.

Tunis – revisited
We found our way to the ferry tickets and after a detour to the bank we managed to buy the tickets for our ferry, the Eurostar Salerno. We are hoping like mad that this ferry is an improvement on the Sina that carried us into Egypt. We had the rest of the day to kill as the ferry was only due to leave at 9pm and embarkation only at 6:30. We drove into the city centre and liked what we saw. The main avenue was lined with pavement cafes and crowded as it was lunch time. Oh yes; the working hours here seem to be from 8am till 12 and then 3pm to 6pm. Not too bad really! Eventually found some parking for Tom on the outskirts and walked back to get a new book to read from the 2nd hand bookstore and to spend our last Dinars at the Monoprix supermarket. This accomplished, we drove to the beach at La Goulette and had a French bread and roast chicken lunch overlooking the sea and from there watched our ferry arrive!
We joined the queue of cars at Porte 13 and resigned ourselves to the customs and immigration onslaught. Luckily, although slow and disorganised, we got through OK and drove Tom off African soil and onto the top deck of the ferry.
We picked up our bags and checked in. Well…it is impossible to compare this to our Sudan to Egypt ferry, it’s like comparing 5-star to disaster! The cabin is clean, has an en-suite bathroom and 4 large bunks. What a pleasure. We are still moored in the harbour as I write this, nearly 4 hours after our scheduled departure time and we had so wanted to watch Africa slip away behind us as we sail to Europe, but at this rate we may not – we need to sleep!!