This weekend we took our third and final trip here in Tunisia. I know that I never wrote about the last trip but there wasn’t really that much to tell. We saw the coliseum at Djem, which is the second biggest in the world, smaller than only the one in Rome. We hung out on the coast for a bit, spent a night in a great hotel, and went parasailing the next day.
On this trip, there are a couple of things that I want to mention. There isn’t much reason for me to recount everything minute by minute, but I just want to talk about those things that I thought were really amazing. We left early (like usual) and drove for a couple hours until we made it to our first stop. Dougga is a collection of Roman ruins that I have to say are the most amazing ones I’ve ever seen. Most times, ruins are surrounded by a city and everything that comes with that. Cars, pollution, crowds, you name it. But Dougga wasn’t like that. It was one of the largest cities in northern Tunisia during its heyday and was a regional capital. What was so amazing about the place was that it was in the middle of fields and olive groves. There was almost nothing around it.
And the view was spectacular. You could see for miles down the valleys. It was hot and dry, with fields of hay and lots of olive trees overgrowing everything. The best way I can describe it is to say go watch Gladiator and the bit where he goes home to see his family. That is what it looked like. Just beautiful, only pictures can describe it.
As for this morning, we took a boat trip out onto the Mediterranean. It was a great morning because we cruised along and the weather was perfect. Not too warm yet because it was early, lots of sun and wind to keep us all smiling and comfortable. We had piles of fruit with us, and some music to entertain us. But this is what I wanted to mention. The music was billed as authentic Tunisian music. That was played on a snare (sp?) drum. Somewhat odd. Pardon me for being skeptical of its authenticity. The dancing that went along with it go a little old too and I wish that we had just been allowed to enjoy the peace and quiet that is the best part of being out on the water. We cruised up the coast for a while and ended up with a coast guard escort to the Algerian border. It was only a few miles away and we coasted around for awhile taking pictures of the shore and being disappointed we couldn’t swim ashore. This is the second country (along with North Korea) I’ve only gotten to see but not venture into. What a bummer. I just feel like it’s such a waste, I’m so close and can’t go check it out. I’ve heard lots of conflicting stories about it quality wise but I’d like to check it out someday. Almost everyone here in Tunisia has traveled there (our host brother was there for a soccer match this weekend) or was born there. Several Americans that we have met have even spent a lot of time there.
We drove home and spent several hours sore and grumpy from the heat. The air conditioning was on and off so we were cooking at circa 100 degree temps in the back of the bus. Of course that meant we were sucking down water and coming close to passing out. What can you do? We made it back and couldn’t get a cab so Kevin and I walked home and got showers before starting our homework.
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