Due to internet connectivity, I will post each days adventure later when i return to NYC. in the meantime, here is an overview of what we have done so far and what remains.

Tunisia was occupied by the Carthagians, Romans, Ottomans, Byzantines, and French. Each civilization built on top of the others, which created vast cities throughough Tunisia. The Roman amphitheater in El Jem is said to rival the Colosseum in Italy. True to the name of the tour, it is roughly divided in half. The first part is an exploration of the Roman/Carthagian/Byzantine ruins throughout Tunisia and the other half is trekking through the Sahara to sleep under the stars at a Bedouin camp. In addition to the camping, we explore the Star Wars sets, see mirages from salt flats, and basically try to not get sand in our shoes.

So far, we are a couple days away from the end of the tour. The timing of the trip is in conjunction with Ramadhan, the fasting of the muslims during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. There are pros and cons to Ramadhan. Pro: the markets aren’t overwhelmed with people, con: everything is closed except for a few places. However, the cities come alive after 7pm when the muslims have had their barley soup to break the fast.

The main highlights of the trip include the Roman mosaics, the seaside village of Sidi Bou Said, the temple at Dougga, Star Wars set and desert four wheeling, and getting to understand and watch the people of Tunisia. The country is fairly westernized. Women have equal rights in the workplace, but the family traditions of man/woman hierarchy remain. they are friendly but underneath the friendly smile is a dollar sign or a dinar sign. it is pretty poor country and they do what they can to make money like offer a photo opp in exchange for money.

Internet access is a pain in the ass to find and when you find it, the keyboard is in the french configuration making your w = z, your periods = colons, and your brain = insanity. luckily, sonia from the group brought her netbook, which i am using in the lobby of the grand hotel oasis in tozeur. i have uploaded all the pics and i am writing everything down and will transcribe it to the site soon.