With the car safely in our possession and our anxiety levels in check, it was time to put Rich’s driving skills to the test, and hit the road. While navigating the busy streets of Tunis in a 5-speed sounded mildly entertaining, I thought it best to let him take the wheel, and what a good idea that was.
To put it bluntly, people here just don’t give a (bleep) when it comes to traffic safety. Stop signs, traffic lights, and cross walks prove useless. People dodge in and out of traffic whenever, wherever – no joke. Don’t even get me started on sidewalks. Why would you use one when you can walk in the middle of the street instead? Makes perfect sense, right? Riiight.
We managed to make it out of the city while only stalling the car a few times. Of course, I can’t take credit for the minor feat; hat’s off to Rich on that one. I would have surely doubled, maybe even tripled the number. Once on the freeway it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.
We arrived in the city of Bizerte later that afternoon. We drove around in search of a place to stay, and eventually decided on Hotel El-Fetah, thanks to the Lonely Planet recommendation. I can’t say I agree with their take on this place. It was definitely cheap and noisy (we forgot to ask for a room in the back), but the shared facilities were far from “spotless”, like they mentioned. Oh, and the shower… let’s just say we both opted to do without the next day. The offensive buildup and crusty towels didn’t exactly summon that fresh-and-clean feeling one hopes for.
After settling into our hotel, we made our way down to the old port to take in the multicolored boats and cute kids trolling for fish. A few of them were kind enough to let me snap some photos and show off their bounty. I’m not sure why this is, but I take to foreign children much more than I do to those at home. Perhaps it has something to do with witnessing them in their playful state, enjoying the outdoors as they should be, instead of glued to the TV watching the likes of Hannah Montana and Dora The Explorer – I don’t know, just a thought.
After walking up the hill past the medina, we were greeted by an old man pointing to the Spanish Fort behind him. In broken English he requested a few dinar for the entrance fee, which we later learned was nonexistent. It’s possible (not probably) that he wasn’t trying to dupe us, and just wanted some change, but I can’t be certain due to the language barrier; I suppose the correct thing to do is give him the benefit of a doubt. It’s just that when you stand next to a gate and ask for money it certainly implies that a fee is due. Perhaps I should give it a whirl one of these days. After all, you know what they say: Work smarter, not harder. After shelling over the coin, he pointed out his barely breathing dog (still not sure why), and then disappeared.
The fort was boarded up, so there was nothing to gain from our visit, besides a semi-decent view from atop the amphitheater. We took a short break and then decided to make our way across town to walk along the jetty. As we made our way down the sandy center, we came upon several large steel pipes strewn about. What ensued next will probably remain one of the most memorable moments from the entire trip. We clapped, hooted, hollered, and even sang into the pipes for what seemed like hours (probably minutes).The pipes amplified and echoed the sound which resulted in nonstop belly-aching laughter, especially on my part. It was the purest form of childlike happiness, and it didn’t cost a thing, proving it really is the simple things in life that are most enjoyable.
We arose bright and early (not by choice), with our sights set on our next stop: a small beach about an hour and a half away by the name of Cap Serrata. We stopped at Ichkuel National Park for a quick hike, and then continued west. The drive was picturesque, with rolling hills cluttered by olive and eucalyptus trees; the sun shining brightly the entire time.
As usual, Rich was a good sport and put up with my game of twenty questions; I basically drilled away – a skill I’ve perfected over the years. When we arrived at our destination, we checked into the only accommodations available in the area (it’s rather remote), and then headed to the beach. It’s a lovely area with tons of potential. It just needs a little TLC… and a dumpster.
(video of pipe playtime to come – experiencing connection issues)
