Lybian gas sold street side for lower price than Tunesian gas.
Lamb Barbequie...there they are, waiting their turn to become grilled lamb shish kebab, in background right hangs the fleece of the chops on the BBQ, as well what is still left of the slaughtered sheep.
Fatima's hand brings luck to tourists as well - in shape of appetizer dishes
Kilims everywhere....
And the must have 'camel chairs'
29 March 2012 in Sousse, Welcome to TunisiaTunisia, the originator of what we now recognize as the 'Arabian Spring'.
Even before the last upheaval in 2011, Tunisia was one of the more 'liberal' Arabian (Islamic) countries: free universal education for all children between 6 and 16
years, male and female. Equal rights for women as for men (vote, education, work, drive a vehicle, divorce). Monogamy is the law; there is reasonable tolerance for non
islamic religions albeit Tunisia is 98% Muslim; Women enjoy the option to veil or go bareheaded; women and men are praying together in the same prayer room of the
mosques (but on different sides, to save the men from the enticing view of bent over female bodies).There are female politicians, professionals, fighter pilots, soldiers and officers - they work just about everywhere.
But, a few interesting societal oddities remain. The cafes are still occupied by men only for instance, weddings still happen very early in life (females often marry
at 16) and cost a small fortune, meat is kept on the hoof until ready to eat etc etc...
We experienced our very own local oddity. It started with a prolonged wait of Prinsendam at anchor off the Sousse inneer harbour, before the powers called Immigration
and Customs condescended sufficiently to board us at our anchorage and clear the ship and permit passengers to tender ashore. Ok, now we knew that these spiffily uniformed North African General look-alikes were in charge. All shore excursions started at least an hour and a half late...but
they finally started.
No specific docks in the inner harbour for tenders to use, and the harbour dock walls were too high for anybody to clamber from tenders directly onto land. We used the
port's pilot boat as an intermediate 'ramp' and made it ashore via make shift steps and gangways.
As told in previous blog posts, the visit to El Djem's amphitheatre and Roman mosaics made the stay an impressive and memorable one.
Last tender from shore back to the ship a few miles out in deeper water (anything close to shore is too shallow to allow navigation of a big vessel like Prinsendam)
was scheduled to depart at 4:30 p.m. After a short stroll through the maze of Sousse's Souk, I had made it back in time to catch the allegedly 'last-chance' tender
back to the ship. But low and behold, I noticed that several tenders were on their way back to shore - after drop dead time - and they were empty. Another AHA moment: all the 'longer'shore excursions were still gallivanting around in some part of the Tunesian desert - as they all had departed too late to get back
in time.The ship waits...
But, lucky us, by 5:30 p.m. the stragglers were also back aboard and we were ready for our anchors aweigh good-bye. The Pilot boat nuzzled Prinsendam, all local Officials in their still crisp uniforms were aboard the big ship and in the process of clearing the ship for departure.Except Prinsendam's powerful engines remained silent and her anchor was still firmly rooted in the sea bed- there was a 'problem' but not with Prinsendam. The local
Pilot boat - rumor had it - had been 'damaged' by the 'rough treatment' it received from all our tenders using it as a ramp - with local permission of course. It must
be the tenderest pilot tender in the whole world, these things take a beating every time they bounce agains steel hulls of ocean liners when transferring pilots during
heaving seas. Well, that was sufficient reason for a lenghty delay in what is euphemistically called 'documentation and paperwork' unless compensation for the alleged 'damage' was
forthcoming - in cash I would suppose.
No official news, but a bland statement from the bridge apologizing for the 'clearance delay' tended us over, whilst delicate high diplomacy negotiations must have
been going on somewhere aboard Prinsendam between the Local Officialdom and our Ship's Officers.
Whatever the agreement was - I doubt there ever was one - we finally hoisted anchor at 8:00 p.m. - three hours later than expected.Life aboard just went on as usual...the ship threaded it's way through various fishing fleets during the night. I conducted the nightly 'de-rattling routine' to the
cabin's sliding closet door. It rattles in tune with the ship's speed: the more knots of speed, the more irritating the rattle. Skillful and precise placing of Kleenex
tissue quietens the noise down until the next time the mirrored door is opened.
A bit of trivia....Tunis has the record for the longest war. The Punic Wars between ROme and Carthago (now a Tunis suburg) officially lasted from 264 BC to 1985 AD (2249 years). The
majors of tthe two cities signed a treaty in '85 to formally end their supposed enmity.
And camels have two rows of eyelashes to repel dirt and dust - lucky creatures, no mascara for them.
