Leaving Le Kef in the dust, we set out in search of Jugurtha’s Table: a flat-topped mountain west of Kasserine, close to the Algerian border. It was once used my Numidian king Jugurtha (hence the name), during his campaign against the Romans around 105 BC, and offers notable views of the countryside in all directions.
This fieldtrip would result in multiple stops by local officials (I don’t recall the exact number, but I think it was close to six), registering with the National Guard in the town of Kalaat el-Senan, getting held up by children requesting money, pens, and chocolate – only to receive Tic-Tacs – and then getting followed by the National Guard or local police in an unmarked car, as we made our way out of town. We’re not exactly sure why we were followed. Perhaps it was because we opted to forgo signing out after completing our jaunt up the table. It could also be due to our close proximity to the Algerian border. Supposedly there is a smuggling issue in the area, but I’m not exactly sure on the specifics. Either way, the reason remains a mystery.
With Jugurtha fading in the distance, we made the three hour drive south to Tozeur. We chose to setup shop at the well-appointed Residence el-Arich for a few days. The town itself is a maze of unorganized, overcrowded, and heavily littered streets. Once out of town, however, it’s a much different scene.
Our first full day was spent running around the desolate flats of Chott el-Jerid. This seasonal lake is completely dry most of the year, with a thick crust of sodium chloride coating the top. Scientists consider the area to be one of the most Mars-like places on Earth, and are analyzing it in preparations for future missions. The area is simply stunning; there’s no other way to describe it. I could have camped out for hours, especially since Rich was in model mode. He was a good sport. Jumps, handstands, silly poses; nothing was off limits. We even returned to watch the sunset.
I should mention that Tunisia is well known for being the prime shooting location for Star Wars films. This alone brings loads of tourists to the south. Everyone wants to live out their Luke Skywalker/Hans Solo/Obi-Wan Kenobi dreams in the desert. Since we were in the area, we said what the hell and joined a father and son duo (Team Holland) for a 4WD excursion, arranged by a friendly fellow manning the front desk at our hotel.
At the time of scheduling, we were told the price would be 30 dinar per person. We were also told not to mention our plans to the other staff members at the hotel. This seemed odd, but we went along with it, assuming we were getting some sort of discount. The following day, we were told the price had gone up to 35 dinar due to the driver. This time we were asked not to discuss our price with Team Holland (a request we would obviously ignore). It was apparent that someone was getting screwed; we just weren’t sure who.
The four of us piled into the Land Cruiser around 3pm. Our first stop would be Ong Jamel (Neck of the Camel) located 30km west of Nefta. It was a bumpy ride over dunes and across rickety roads to this remote formation. Apparently this location was Darth Maul’s lookout in The Phantom Menace. To me that means absolutely nothing. I liked the original films, but George Lucas really did a number on the franchise when he released the prequels. Cinematic #@%! is what I like to call it. Yep, I used the S word – sorry Mom and Dad.
After staring at the camel’s neck for a bit, it was off to check out Mos Epsa, said to be the best preserved Star Wars set in all of Tunisia. The site was comprised of several domed huts and a few indiscernible objects. I could see how fanatics might get their jollies from running around a place like this. It has goldmine potential written all over it. It just needs someone with an imagination and deep pockets.
With the sun starting to descend, it was off to the dunes to watch the sunset. We were under the impression that our driver would actually take us to this spot, but oh no. That would make way too much sense. Instead, when we all declined to ride camels, he made the four of us walk the rest of the way. Now, it’s not the walking that bothered us. I actually enjoy a nice stroll from time to time. It’s the mere fact that we paid for a service, and didn’t receive it. His tip went right out the window.
The sunset was nice, but the most memorable part was watching the barrage of Japanese tourists. They paid a guy to walk back and forth with camels in tow, while they snapped photos at lightning speed. Now, I hate to generalize, but if you’ve traveled abroad, you know that the Japanese take tourism to a whole new level. They deserve their own category. Seriously.
The next day we paid a visit to the mountain towns of Tamerza and Mides to check out the ancient Berber villages. We had hoped to hike between the two, but soon realized that wasn’t an option, unless we wanted to fork over a few limbs. Instead we went for a short hike through the canyon below Mides, and enjoyed a nice picnic of Bananas and Almonds (aka miracle nuts).
That evening we decided to do Fiat a favor, and take our little Punto for a test drive. We’re pleased to report it’s fully capable of competing with our previous day’s Land Cruiser. It handled the desert roads (if you can even call them that) like a champ. We found the perfect dune, frolicked about, and enjoyed our $3.30 bottle of Tunisian wine, as the sun disappeared once more. It’s a rough life.
