Tunisie

Well, we made it out of West Africa but only as far as North Africa. We are in Tunisia and having a great time. It is nothing like West Africa here. In fact, we think it is a bit of an insult to Tunisians to lump them in with “the developing world,” as some people insist on. There are paved roads to even the most far flung locations in the country and there is power and safe drinking water in all those towns too. It is like paradise.

Also different from West Africa, there are actual attractions here. Namely, there are beach resorts, museums (with stuff in them) and Roman ruins as well as the physical beauty and oddity that caused much of Star Wars to be filmed here. Coming to Tunisia was a bit of a shock to the system, after many travels in West Africa where the journey itself was the destination and the rest of the time was spent convincing yourself of that over a bad local beer (although a camel trek in the Sahara might fit into this category- without the beer).


Sam in the Roman Ampitheatre at Dougga


Mark standing in for the missing statue of Jupiter


Sam and Mark grunt on communal Roman toilets


Having a beer at Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's house


Sam and Mark (Owen and Beru are bar-b-queing out back)


Sam mounted on "Old One Hump" while Mark negotiates with the perpetually grumpy "Ezmerelda" (names given by the riders)


Inside the Colliseum at El Jem, 3rd largest in Roman history


Checking out some mosaics

Hiding out in the seaside town of Mahdia