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.

for the next adventure, john and i are headed to england and tunisia from 9/3 to 9/13.  we made it to england on the red eye and i slept the entire time.  a first for me.  usually i can’t sleep on planes but i was so tired from work and moving into the new place on macdougal that i would have slept standing up if i had to. 

anyways, we made it to london.  checked into the le meridien at piccadilly circus.  since i am a gold member, they upgraded us to a club suite.  and it is suite.  huge room with a foyer.  we met up with john’s friend conrad at the airport and he showed us around central london.  it was a great day, but chilly.  i am glad i packed some warm clothes even though in a few days i will be in the desert. 

london is a beautiful city and has the same feel as new york city. we walked around the embankment, crossed the millenium bridge to the tate modern, back around the embankment and crossed to head up to liecester square to wrap back around to piccadilly. after conrad departed, we aimlessly walked around and had a couple drinks on old compton street. i love the architecture of the city and the amazing similarity to new york’s villages. our itinerary is wide open but we are planning on meeting up with more of john’s friends who will guide us in the direction of cool places. plus, ali gave us some great ideas on where to go, so we will check those out as well.

one annoying aspect is finding cheaper/free access to the internet. it is going to be a challenge.  i’m sure it will be an even greater challenge trying to find a place in tunisia.  i will update when i can, but the pictures may have to be added when i return.  bummer.