Where the streets have no name…

I haven’t written anything for quite some time. And its not that I haven’t had anything to say or show…
I guess I just felt uninspired these past few months… until now that is.

I needed  to step out of my comfort zone to actually get my mind working again. Last July, my girlfriend and I spent to weeks in Tunisia and believe me I will never forget our experience. We arrived in Tunis after 7-8 hours of traveling from Montreal to Paris and Paris to Tunis. Dazed from being awake for 24h but at the same time excited we had finally arrived! First thing on the agenda, get a hotel room for the night. Before leaving on this trip we had decided on booking everything as we went along just to make things more interesting :).  I have to admit, she did a fantastic job planning our itinerary… I have no patience for things like that… I was too busy thinking about what film and cameras I would bring along! At the Tunis airport I found a pay phone that sort of worked and when I say sort of I mean I could only hear like a whisper at the other end of the line. Don’t ask me how, but I actually managed to book us two nights in Tunis, in a pretty decent hotel (A/C and private bathroom) with breakfast included for like $35 a night!

This is how our adventure began, I’ve never been good at describing things for people to imagine… I guess that’s one of the reasons why I like taking pictures so much, you can just listen to them.

Just imagine walking around in 40C weather, the smell from the sewers, the cars, the garbage…. just insane! But then, we would come across a man delivering fresh mint, or a man selling spices… and I fell back into a dream.

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… Typical scene in the Souk, intertwined allies with shops…

… many people always walking by…

…. some playing….

… and others just doing their job.

Afternoon in Tunis (Charles de Gaule street), from our Hotel room

This a small square near the Parliament. For some, shade was always welcomed here.

A new tradition… whenever Amélie has something to eat and I have my camera, I will use it :)

Waiting for the local train… taking us to Sidi Bou Said.

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I really liked Sidi Bou Said. It reminded me of the Greek Islands… and the calmness was very welcomed.

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Yes… sleeping was very much on my mind at this point.

I don’t know why but I really like this one.

View from the top of the City

Amélie and doors… I don’t know why but I took like 30 shots of her in front of doors, she was in love with them.

Lesson well learned on this trip… sit and wait, things are bound to happen :)

Why I love shooting in b&w… things exist in the way I felt them.

That night we slept like babies! We sure felt better from that point on.

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Some more markets…

… and some rest in the shade…

Typical little square with coffee shops.

Last few hours in Tunis.

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Next morning we got up early and walked to the bus station… trying to get the earliest departure for Kairouan. It was a great 2h ride! The scenery was breathtaking and unusual for us. Lots of olive trees… which seemed to go on for miles and miles…

… gorgeous sights…

… and thankfully some great photo opportunities :)

Kairouan! Just a little south-west of Tunis. We got there around noon… the heat was just unbearable!
We tried to walk around but soon realized that we were better waiting till around 3 or 4 or face heat exhaustion.

Best bread ever! Home made, not too soft made with love and just perfect… and those who know me well know
that I simply adore bread!

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Like many cities in Tunisia you find a main Mosque fortified by walls which used to protect the cities against invasions and/or harsh weather. Its like a small city within a city, with shops, artisans and restaurants. To us it looked more like a labyrinth that we would get lost in, and never come out the same way twice :)

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Such a peaceful and traditional city. One of the things I enjoyed the most there was the call from the Mosque for prayer, that man singing had a beautiful and powerful voice. Of course it was less attractive when he called out at 3am… but still, I always felt  like he was singing from the heart.

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During out whole trip, we never saw a cloud in the sky… but we sure did have a chance to experience some beautiful sunsets!

Nice resto (Sabra) where he had supper.

Next morning I went on to the roof of the hotel and shot a couple of frames before heading to the bus station… next stop…
the island of Djerba!

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As always… I enjoyed natural light so much!

Breakfast of champions! Home made bread, coffee… really good coffee and some figue jam.

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After what seemed like a never ending bus ride in 40C degrees, for like 6-7 hours,
we had finally boarded the ferry for Djerba!

I tell you the sight of the ocean made us very… very happy!

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We arrived at our Hotel (Lotos) just in time for supper and not a moment too soon! This place was great! Not only the architecture was still from like the 40s or 50s but the service and food where outstanding!
We really felt comfortable… and finally a place with beer and wine :)
Not easy finding a hotel or restaurant that serves alcohol in a Muslim country… not that it mattered that much
but after a 6 hour trip a beer sure tasted good!

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Ahhh morning in Djerba… always a nice breeze coming from the ocean!

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Finally… the Mediterranean sea!

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Love that Ilford PANF 50 film! Damn crisp! You should see this on a 32″ screen!

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Near Houmt Souk (Djerba)

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Les Baboush

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No shortage of motorcycles there… that’s for sure!

Local Fish Market. All transactions are done by performing very specific gestures that tell the buyer or seller what is going on without talking.

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My nose was very happy here!

Many people selling Jasmin… Contrary to our custom, it is mostly the men who buy Jasmin flowers
and put them in their hair.

Next morning we left with our guide, who was referred to us by the hotel owner, and braved the 400km which would take us to some unbelievable places in extremely warm weather… close to 52C, we even had a warning of a Sirocco coming our way.

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First stop… Medenine
A very well kept “Berbere” village which had now become a tourist trap! I kind of fell in that trap but got out of it with my head high :) Only spent 5$

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This was the window in the bathroom… or as I called it “hole in the wall”.

A small stop on the way…

… to Ksar Hedada. Another “Berbere” type village which was used for the filming of Star Wars
episode I “The Phantom Menace”

Lots of restorations but also some parts were being modified into a Hotel.

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A very unusual place! I was surprised at how cooler the temperature was when you entered
one of the chambers.

Back on the road and heading to Chenini, which turned out to be my favorite place!

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Turns out this village was carved out in the mountain.

Pretty impressive!

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Taking a little break from the heat… which seemed to be our favorite activity.

Our guide sorting out some kind of special menu for us. We had Couscous with Lamb, a tuna brick (which is a half-moon shaped dough, deep fried and filled with eggs and tuna), a tomato and cucumber salad and for desert a honey and nut mixture that resembles Gazelle horns.
To top it all off we had a traditional Thyme tea…  and it tasted great, very sweet but very nice!

A well decorated restaurant-carved-in-the-mountain type.

We came across some goats resting in the shade.

The beginning of the desert!
Too bad we couldn’t spend a couple of days in the desert… we were really in the worst period for that.
No excursions take place during the summer months unless you are ready to die.
We later learned that it was possible but only if you left late afternoon and came back very early the next morning… oh well… maybe next time :)

We also came across a salt lake. I just remember how quiet and peaceful we felt there.

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I was just about fed up of the heat at this point.

We felt a little sad leaving Djerba. In all we spent 4 days there, we really had a great time!
I was also looking forward to our next stop… Sousse!

Ahhh Sousse, a mishmash of local tourists, also Russian, English, German and French tourists and everything from women wearing traditional clothing to tourists going topless… very strange indeed.

Local Beach

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The Medina… where was our Hotel. Very nice place with a large patio. Every morning an old man would do his morning exercise routine on the patio next to our door.

Good morning creepy old man!

The main boardwalk where you had to deal a price for two long chairs and an umbrella… average price $6 for the whole day.

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Very strange indeed!

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We decided to spend a part of the day in El Djem… wich is about an hour train ride from Sousse. Still standing there is a Colisseum from the Roman era… which was very well preserved!

Many Spanish tourists that day

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We also decided to walk around the city for a while before catching the next train back to Sousse.

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A very charming city!

Back in Sousse I took this shot…

From the top of that tower… another Fort built to defend the city and Mosque.

View from the other side

From inside

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Our last moments in Sousse

Some good deals to be made… if you know how to deal… I don’t. But to my defense, I brought down a $60 bracelet to around $5. Apparently (according to my girlfriend) still to expensive :)

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No matter where you go… boys will be boys!

Every night they would bring the plates back in the store… and every morning put them back out again!

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I will keep this experience in my heart forever… not because I was happy there… nor because I learned a lot…
or anything like that. This trip changed something inside of me and I feel like a door has been opened.
I know it sounds strange, I have a hard time describing it myself but it is what it is. I just wish I had more time and money to travel, until I get too old or blind to continue. With my Amélie, the best partner I could ever imagine beside me.

This entry is dedicated to her… because without her I would still be lost somewhere in Tunisia… well not really.
She knows why and that’s all that counts.

~ by rpolom on September 1, 2009.