It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been gone for one month. In some respects time is flying, but in others, not so much; this is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it. Either way, the first month has been a positive one. I feel as though my journey is off to a good start and I look forward to whatever lies ahead. I’m finally learning to throw caution to the wind – to shake my pre-planned, overly organized, preemptive ways, and just live one day at a time. Something I’ve struggled to do in the past…
I’m currently safe and sound in Tunis, Tunisia. I’ve been traveling around the country for the past two weeks with my friend Rich, who I mentioned in the previous post. We managed to loop around the country in 12 days – a pretty big accomplishment, if I may say so. There were many bumps along the way, but in the end, our Fiat Punto pulled through for us, making it a successful trip.
We lacked regular internet access while on the road and I neglected to take detailed notes. Recalling the events in their entirety will be a bit challenging, but I’ll do my best. Usually words fly right through my fingertips, but I’ve been struck with a horrible case of writers block – just my luck.
I arrived on the evening of the 7th. Rich was kind enough to meet me at the airport, so I wouldn’t have to deal with taxi drivers’ devious ways. In the end, we still got taken advantage of. The cost for a cab ride from Carthage airport to the city center should cost approximately 5 dinar ( something I didn’t know upon arriving). We agreed to use the meter, but our driver was increasing the amount along the way, assuming we wouldn’t notice. I was completely clueless to the situation and found the whole confrontation rather comical. I’m not exactly sure what the final amount was, but within a few minutes of reaching the city center, we were dropped off on a sidewalk, still several blocks from our hotel, and a cop was involved – Welcome to Tunisia!
After a short night’s sleep we reconvened for breakfast, and then made our way to the Libyan embassy to inquire about getting visas. Currently, you are required to be part of an organized tour to obtain a tourist visa, but we thought we’d give it a shot. Unfortunately, we walked away empty handed. It turns out we can get a 3-day transit visa for crossing into Egypt, though. It’s not what we were hoping for, but something we’ll consider if we decide to head that direction eventually. What happened to, ask and you shall receive?
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting acquainted with the city, wandering around the old medina, and drinking multiple cups of coffee, while listening to Rich recall stories from his past: something I’ve come to really enjoy.
Since our Libyan adventure was out, we moved onto plan B: a two week road trip around the country. We rented a car the next morning, which was surprisingly painless. A quick flash of our passports, a few hundred dinar, and we were on our way, grinning from ear to ear. Little did we know, within the next two hours we would get lost making our way back, end up on the side of the road unable to get our car into reverse, and then get it towed while checking out of our hotel. Awesome.
Now, to our defense, there were no signs or markings that indicated it wasn’t an available spot. After a brief moment of panic, we walked across the street to an upscale hotel and enlisted the help of a bellboy. He asked for our key, 30 dinar, and then told us to wait in the lobby. Twenty minutes later he returned with our car, no questions asked. It was almost too good to be true. The whole transaction was seamless which makes me think it’s a regular occurrence – a tourist trap, perhaps? Either way, we had our car back and that’s all that mattered.
Let the fun begin…
