Cairo Update

Where to start?
So basically, I’ve done the three things I most wanted to do in Egypt: I’ve been to the Egyptian Museum (all five hours of it, virtually without stopping); I’ve been to the pyramids, some of it on the back of a camel; and I’ve ridden in a felucca, the sail boats that ply the waters of the Nile.
Can I come home now? Just kidding.
Those parts have been wonderful.
Going out to Giza and seeing the pyramids was a surprise. I knew that they were not far outside of Cairo, but they’re literally about a half hour south. In fact, the city has grown around them on three sides (east, west and north), but the south side still just pours out onto the Sahara.
I spent the day with Hamem, the driver who picked me up at the airport. Again, he doesn’t speak much English so I wasn’t always sure where we were headed, except that I knew I could trust him – and he always kept an eye out for me. We would arrive and he dropped me off at the ticket booth, and then told me where he’d pick me up. It was good, for the most part, although I did have a few pangs of guilt when I thought about him having to just sit in the hot car while I waltzed around the pyramids… (BTW, for the day, I paid him 200 Egyptian pounds, which is about $40, and he seemed quite happy with that.)
We first went to the lookout point, along with 6,000 tourist buses, to get a sense of the scale of the Giza pyramids (OK, and to get my picture taken on a camel…). You pay one sort-of-low fee to get into the pyramid site, and then each of the exhibits costs extra (and some of them are quite high!). It costs 50 pounds (or $10) to just get in, and then the individual tombs can cost anywhere from $5 to $20 more, each. Yes, tourism costs do add up in Egypt. Several were closed, so that saved me the agony of having to choose…
What can I say? The pyramids have been here for over 3,000 years, and no one can still understand how or why… and yet they exist. (But did aliens help them!?!?! I couldn’t find anyone who would venture an answer to that, nor do I think they really understood the question.) Since I was on my own, I did what you do: listen in on the other guides. I could find some in English, but more in Spanish, so my bad Spanish helped a bit.
Then there’s the sphinx… It’s just smaller that I thought. I guess it’s that you’ve seen the photos forever, and shot from the front is does look imposing. But in actuality, its size was dwarfed by the nearby pyramids – but please don’t think that I was disappointed in any way. How could I? The cost to get into Giza included the sphinx!
Then we drove to Sahkarra, which is where the earlier pyramid was built, the one that looks like stepping stones. It was built something like 3,5000 years ago, sort of an early part of the learning curve before they figured out how to slope and angle the sides.
On the way back from there, we ran into a horrible traffic jam, which I later found out was because of the rock slide that happened in south Cairo and killed a number of people. We ended up backtracking and going around the bedlam, and made it home safe and sound.
Today (Sunday Sept 7) was spent at the main market in Cairo, called Khan al-Khalili. It took me awhile to find the place, even though it stretches on for many, many blocks. It’s a bit of a labyrinth, and I was warned about the aggressive sales guys. But generally they were pretty light-hearted about their game…. And believe it when I say that it’s obvious they know how to sell, since they’ve been doing it here for centuries! If they ask what you’re looking for and you say “nothing,” they say “come into my shop, I have nothing.” It’s that sort of game. Surprisingly, only a few were aggravatingly aggressive and would call out to you for half a block before they finally got it that you weren’t coming into their store.
They also love to ask “where you from,” so of course I would vary it up. If I said Canada, they invariably would say “Canada Dry,” as in the soft drink. If I said Holland, they’d say “you want some hashish?” knowing full well that no one is selling that in the market.
The market has pretty much anything you’d want, from gold to toilet paper, and about everything in between. Lots of it is similar, redundantly so. But every now and then you spot something different, like some amazing light fixtures that I’d buy if I had any way to get them home for less than a grand. I was a bit surprised to see the sexy lingerie, with feather ruffles even and in wild colors like red and pink. Also, there were many shops selling very fancy, expensive, Western-style wedding dresses. (The local paper here had a huge half page spread on some TV presenters wedding, with women in strapless gowns and all looking very sexy. It’s part of the dichotomy of the Arab world that still perplexes me, as many women on the street wear the robes where you can only see their eyes.)
I was standing at the door of a mosque, and a very nice man motioned for me to come in. I never know if it’s allowed, since some do and some don’t. But this was a very old mosque and evidently it’s allowed. The first thing you notice is how cool it is, from the fans as well as from the ceiling height being so tall, so consequently many guys are just lounging or napping. It was fully carpeted, and everyone has to take off their shoes and either carry them or check them with a gay at the entrance. I was shown the holy room, which somewhat looks like Mecca. Guys would come in, some would kiss each step as they arrived, and many would go around kissing every railing, doorknob and wall, always praying as they go.
After leaving, I tried asking a policeman how much a taxi would cost to get to my metro station. He said 20 pounds, and then asked if I wanted him to get me a taxi. (Clearly, he would’ve gotten a big commission for that…) I said no, because I knew that was way too much. Instead I heard a guy ask a taxi driver to the same metro station, so I asked if I could go with him and he said sure….. and it cost me 2 pounds instead of 20. What you go through to save $3.
Then I walked over to the Nile River, to where I thought there would be some feluccas (the sailboats). It seemed very slow, so I didn’t have to bargain very hard. I ended up paying 50 pounds (or $10) for an hour on the Nile, just me and Captain Helme! He didn’t speak a word of English, except somehow he knew the word “zigzag,” which is exactly the method he used to get us back into port. OK, it wasn’t two days on the Nile at Luxor, but I get the whole gist of what the felucca thing is all about. I major hotels (Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Hilton) are all right on the Nile as well.
And now…. Just some random notes on Cairo and Egypt.
• I don’t think I’ve ever seen to many palm trees laden with dates… at least we know where they come from now, just like the olives from Tunisia.
• During Ramadan, the restaurants and cafes are either closed or empty, but by late afternoon, before sunset, you can see people starting to drift in, waiting until it’s official and they can finally eat. If you have family, you generally eat with them, but restaurants do open after dark. There are also places set up that seem to be feeding the homeless (or that’s how it appears, which would make sense since Ramadan is all about giving of yourself to God.)
• One of the primary employers has to be the police departments and the national guard. There are SO many policemen out on duty, sometimes 3-4 at a station, most with guns or rifles, and almost all looking extremely bored.
• I told you that the best and fastest, and free, wifi is at McDonald’s. It’s amazing, and they don’t care how long you stay online. I always buy a coke or an ice cream, although other seems to just come in and use it for free. There is that “McArabia” on the menu that I should try tho… evidently it has garlic sauce and onion.
• Egypt is the economic powerhouse for all of the Arab world, there’s just no way around it. They’re consumers, and export as well, and shopping seems to be a national pastime. But if you want to succeed in the Arab arts, politics, technology, fashion, etc. etc., you must “make it” here in Cairo first.
• Also during Ramadan, there are many special soap operas that show at night, specifically made and geared for that time after dinner when the family is sitting around and looking for something to do. Evidently, many of them either ratchet up the story line, or bring in big name stars during Ramadan, all to capture your interest.
• One thing about Cairo: no two of anything is alike. There’s no cookie cutter aspect, and every car, home, door, street, metro stop, bus and on and on is different from the next. I haven’t been out to the nouveau riche parts of Cairo, with names like West Lake and Le Grande, but I bet you they don’t all look the same. That said, I do wonder if any construction projects get done here, since the vast majority seem to be stalled or abandoned.
• There are women-only cars on the subways here, and they’ll tell the men to get off if you accidentally get on one. (I know!)
• There was an article in the Egypt Times, the English-language daily newspaper that comes with the International Herald Trib, about how one of the leading Muslim clerics has said that good Muslims should not celebrate birthdays. (Not all the clerics agree on this matter, however.) They do celebrate Muhammed’s birthday, but that’s it. The article said that birthdays are a “western innovation” and someone in the article said that birthdays only “remind me that I am closer to death.” But some parents still put on birthday parties for their kids, and that can include clowns, cake and pony rides at vast expense. However, some of the merchants report that it can be hard to get birthday items imported, like balloons and such, and that they can also be hassled by the “religious police.” Eh?? What’s that??
• A fanous is a lantern that is used only during Ramadan, sort of like a multi-colored Christmas lantern. They used to be homemade from tin and glass, but now the Chinese are making and importing them, which upsets some people here.
• Truth be told, I’m not in love with Cairo. It’s vast, sprawling, decaying, dirty (on the verge of filthy) and noisy, and this from a guy who likes big cities. Yes, it has its history — thousands of years of it. And then Omar Sharif… but what after that? I just don’t find the people very friendly, and sometimes even disdainful, sometimes nearly hostile.
(PS: I really did try and post more pix, but I keep getting some error code from Blogger, and I just don't have to figure out what's going wrong. Again, there will be lots of photos to see, someday!)

Enough for one blog! Up next: Alexandria.

Thommy Tourist

OMG! I don't know if I've ever done such a touristy thing, but I had to: It's Egypt, how can you NOT ride a camel!?!?!
I'll write more soon, but I just wanted to get this pic up for your amusement.
(BTW, this doesn't come cheap! There's the entrance fees to the pyramids, then you have to pay all the guys: the guy with the head gear, the guy with the camel, the one guy who can talk English..... it never ends! But it was worth it, I have to say!) More soon, I promise!

First Impressions of Cairo

It’s barely been a day and my head is already spinning…….
But first, indulge me with just a few last (I swear) notes about Tunisia.
The women do love their sparkle there, but it shows up mostly in t-shirts and shoes, both of which take nicely to rhinestones and glitter.
If you’re handicapped in Tunisia, the best I can say is good luck. I saw a very few ramps anywhere, and even the ones I did had a steep incline to them. And you’d be faced with stairs anywhere you go, including (maybe most importantly) any of the public transportation places like bus and train stations.
I think I’ve come to understand a bit more as to why I can often feel so “invisible’ in countries like this: It’s not so much that they don’t want to look at you, but more over that they’re terrified you’re going to ask them a question that they either won’t understand or won’t know the answer. That’s my newest theory on the matter.
Evidently, the wife of the President (Bel Ali) is a major businesswoman throughout Tunisia. One person told me should bought the national airline! But she also does charitable things, so I’m sure there’s some balance. (But man, do they ever have a cult for the President going in Tunisia – his picture is everywhere!)
Tempers seem to be a little shorter during Ramadan, or maybe I’m finally just getting used to how they argue here. It’s often short, but very intense, and then everyone just walks away. Maybe that’s because there are SO many police around, almost all toting a rifle or a gun.
During Ramadan, I do try and not drink in front of others out of respect. That doesn’t mean that I don’t sneak off and have the odd Diet Coke or half liter of water, mind you!
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen more luggage with broken wheels… All of those rickety sidewalks no doubt. But hey: the trains sure do run on time!
I took this as a sign that it was time to move on from Tunisia: just as I was getting ready to leave the hotel room, I turned off the light switch – and the lightbulb burned out. Time to go I’d say.

OK, so now onto Egypt.
Phew, let me catch my breath.
I got up at 4:30 am on the 4th of Sept. to get out of the hotel and out onto the street by 5 am to catch a taxi to the airport. No problems with that, surprisingly, and I was one of the first in line to check in for the 7:30 am flight to Cairo (or Le Caire en francais). The café at the airport was open so I snagged a café au lait with a nice pain au chocolat, and then headed on into duty free, where I bought nothing because they only took euros!
I sat there ruminating, however… about how bad I felt that I didn’t do more. There was the artist I met who did some very nice but average watercolors, and he only wanted 10 dinar for them… I should’ve just given him the money and told him to keep up the good work. Or I always try and tip the bathroom attendant ladies as much as possible. What’s a dollar on our end, but it means so much more to them.
Through Servas, the traveler network I belong to, I contacted Dr. Taher in Cairo, seeing if we could meet at least. He not only asked me to come stay at his home, but he also sent his driver to pick me up at the airport! All of our plans worked fine, and the driver was there and ready, which made getting into Cairo SO much easier. He brought me directly to the doctor’s home, and handed me the key to the place and was on his way. That’s what I love about Servas: the trust factor that you can’t find anywhere else.
Cairo is one of those mega-cuties of umpteen millions (15? 20?), which sprawls in every direction. At first it reminded me a bit of Mexico, but perhaps with a little India thrown in as well. It’s intense, never stopping for anything and I can see why the locals wouldn’t live anywhere else.
It’s going to take me a bit to learn the money here. Basically, one dollar is worth five Egyptian pounds, so a 100 EP is worth $20, and each pound is broken down into 100 piastres. But the problem is that many of the smaller amounts, like 5, 10 and even 50 are all paper currency for both pounds and piastres. In other words, I wasn’t sure if I was giving someone 50 pounds ($10) or 50 piastres (about 10 cents). I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it. This is one of those places where you need to hang onto the small bills cuz no one ever has any change, especially taxi drivers and shop keepers (and restaurants and food vendors… but I won’t go into that).
I sat up and chatted with the good doctor last night, but I did find that getting up so early had taken its toll so I headed to bed so that I could get up early for my first big adventure in Cairo…. The Egyptian Museum. It’s a fabled place, and one that I’ve read about for years and always wanted to visit.
I got up and left before the doc was up, before 9 am. I had directions to the metro that got me there in no time – and a one way metro (subway) ride from Dokki, where I’m staying, to downtown was one pound, or about 20 cents. Take that, London $8-one-way Underground!
Finding the museum isn’t difficult, since it’s monstrous and takes up at least four city blocks, in all its pink stone glory. I only had three guides ask me if I wanted an English-speaking guide for the museum, which I waved off since I wanted to experience it in my own time and my own pace (because guides tend to push you along so they can move onto the next victim). Oh, and a plus is that you can horn in on any of the many guides giving talks, so who needs a private guide?
The highlights are, of course King Tut, which toured the States a decade or two ago, and the mummies….. oh the mummies. So many of them, and it’s hard to keep all of the dynasties and ages straight. I did get the old, middle and new ages, plus the years after the Roman invasion and conquering, which became the Coptic years.
BTW, no picture taking is allowed in the museum (so this photo was NOT shot there.... yeah right). You go through a screener plus a guard pats you down. I did have my camera in my pocket, but he didn’t say anything. My thinking is that they know you might sneak in a few shots, but there’s also a bit of a side business (off the record) where the guards will show you a special exhibit or room, or some will even let you slip in a photo as they watch – but you then need to slip them five pounds or so….. (a buck). Many of the guards were also either reading the Koran (because it’s Ramadan) or just looking plain bored.
I did love the exhibits marked: This case is of little or no interest to the visitor.” No joke, it said that. So why is it there? It’s been said that this is one of the worst curated museums in the world, and I might have to agree. Dusty, poorly lit, with descriptions typed up in the 1920s and now on faded cards, or hand-written cards in their place. But don’t get me wrong! I spend almost five hours there!!
I loved some of the titles they ancient Egyptians gave to their staff: Master of the Secrets of the Toilets, called Ra-Wer; Seneb, the chief dwarf of all wardrobes (evidently dwarves were held in high esteen); the Overseer of the Fishing Boats; Khnoumhotep, the overseer of linen; the famous scribe, Mitri, who was honored with an effigy made of wood and gold (very expensive); and of course, Taweret, the goddess of fertility.
What else do I remember: the sandals made from reeds, over 2000 years old but still looking wearable; the alabaster candelabras from 300-600 AD; the fact that Egypians wore kilts – at least that’s what they called them in the descriptions; and how so many kings had beds ready and waiting for the after life… so many beds. I remember seeing the Tut show before, but this has far more of the pieces: many necklaces that I don’t remember ever seeing, bracelets, rings, arm bands, so much gold, often with lapis, and all of it takes up at least five or six rooms.
Also, seeing so much statuary in one place, it’s amazing how virtually ALL the men had broad shoulders, tiny waists and amazing pectoral muscles. How did they do it?
We have digital imaging available now to communicate who we are and what we’re doing, but all they had was mostly stone and wood. What an amazing trove of history, all in one place. There’s supposedly over 100,000 exhibits within the museum, and they say if you spent one minute at each one, it would take you nine months to see it all. OK, so I made five hours, but I’m super glad I made it!
Tomorrow: The pyramids of Giza!

Final Thoughts from Tunis

I took a "louage," sort of a shared mini-van, from Mahdia to Tunis yesterday. As I was getting out of the van, a girl in the front seat slammed the door onto my finger. She asked if it was OK, and I said NO! But there wasn't much I could do. It isn't crushed or swollen, but it seems a little bent now... Oh well, the rigors of travel.
Then when I got to Tunis, I tried using my credit card and it was declined, so I called the bank... and they had canceled the card because it had been "compromised." Evidently, someone got the credit card numbers from some place I had used it, and all credit card numbers had to be cancelled. They're supposed to FedEx me a new card to Cairo... and I'll remain hopeful. Of course I have other cards to use, but this was the main one.
It's Ramadan now, for a MONTH, where the Muslims don't eat or drink while the sun is up. Tunis is quite different during this time. Most shops close by early evening, as everyone prepares to eat as soon as the sun goes down. During the day, all of the many sidewalk coffee shops are closed now for Ramadan, which means all those men who sit out there for hours seem to have nothing to do except look forlorn -- for a month?! Some of the restaurants serve a prix fixe meal at dinner after sunset, like a buffet, where all the food is ready to eat as soon as you get "the word" from the loudspeakers at the mosque. They all pile on the food and go for it, as they haven't eaten all day. They said that Ramadan is no problem for tourists, but it sort of is because all the restaurants are closed. I can get water and snacks at the little kiosks, but that's about it. One person finally asked me: "Why (you) here during Ramadan?" Hmmm...
I do try and remain sensitive to Ramadan. The other day, I bought a small candy bar (called a Monopole, sort of like KitKat), and I just opened it up and ate it at the bus station I was in. But then I realized that people were looking at me... because it's really not polite during Ramadan to eat in front of others if you're a tourist or a non-Muslim. It's not the end of the world, but I do try and be conscious of such things, like any good traveler.
But, in general, the Tunisians are very nice. As I was calling back to the States to speak with my bank, the phone center closed and they pulled down the gates even tho I was in there alone. But they said no problem, and when I got out they asked if I wanted to eat with them. It was a very kind gesture.
BTW, they pronouse mosque as "mos-kay," at least in English.
And I was thinking the other day: I have not seen one single dog the whole time I've been in Tunisia. Not sure what's up with that, but if I find out I will tell ya.
I've been able to see some of the RNC stuff on Al Jazeera television. It was interesting that Bush would only send his endorsement via video, not in person. However, no one here speculated as to why? Maybe because he wasn't wanted? And there's fighting in Thailand, and floods in India... and three more hurricanes after Gustav. SOunds like a job for.... FEMA!
I'm off to confirm my onward ticket, and exchange some money for Egyptian pounds. Wish me luck cuz I need to be gone by 5 a.m. tomorrow to get to the airport in time. No problem, the calls from the mos-kay will wake me up!

A few notes from Tunisia

Ramadan started yesterday, Sept 1. Evidently, the imam (holy man) looks at the moon and decides which day it will start exactly. In some countries, it might not start until today, depending on what they say. Kind of strange, but no one seems to think it odd.
You know it's Ramadan by the noise! In the morning, before sunrise, they go around beating drums to wake you up and tell you to eat something before the sun comes up. Then, at night at sunset, they set off one or two huge blasts, like M-80s or a cherry bomb sort of loud, telling you that it is OK to eat.
The guys tell me that you are not supposed to eat, drink, smoke or do anything during the days of Ramadan, and that even includes looking at picutres of women! (I was showing someone a photo of Angelina Jolie from a magazine but he wouldn't look at it...)
They take their religion very seriously here. We've had more talks, and I believe them when they tell me that they will not have any sex before marriage, and that includes masturbation! (Yes, I had to ask, but I was curious!)
In honor of Ramadan, I did fast yesterday. OK, I had a little water, but nothing else all day, no biggie. They all thought it was very cool that I fasted with them.
Then last night for dinner, I met up with a couple (she from Ireland, he from Holland), and we ended up drinking beers and having a "mixed grill" on the rooftop patio of a restaurant on the corniche (aka the boardwalk along the water front). It was the most English I had spoken without talking slow and distinct for awhile. Earlier in the day, I did take a swim in the Mediterreanean, but mostly just to say I had swam in the Med. The water was like bath water, and the beach was fairly dirty. I also had a chat, in Spanish, with a Tunisian guy who was putting varnish on these cool goat skin lamps. But he did admit to me that the actual lamps were made in Morocco and that he just put the final varnish on them. I've seen these lamps in NYC before, for over $20, and they're about $3 here. Tough to pack in my bag tho...
I'm also surprised when the Tunisians use the "n-word" here. They clearly don't think of it as a bad word, altho I always do tell them that it is a very bad work in English. But they use it to describe the men that come from Ghana, Kenya, etc. They tell me that they are afraid of them, because they are so dark and so big.
Today I heard a different sort of wail, and I was told that they were announcing that a man had died. Evidently, when a person dies they "announce" it so that everyone knows and the family can begin mourning.

I do love how my friend Ahmed uses the phrase "tak tak tak" here: sort of in the same way that we say "etc. etc." or "on and on." They often say: "I will work and make more money, tak tak tak," meaning that they will try to keep moving up.
I hope this isn't coming off as too disjointed... When I have my laptop I can write more lucidly, but when I'm using the internet cafes I tend to just start writing and try to get it done quickly, tak tak tak."
OK, so now I go to Tunis. I will get there tonight, and then tomorrow will be my final day in Tunisia before I head out to Cairo.
Cheers!

To the beach beach beach

Tatouine was indeed a fascinating place. I especially loved the genuine friendliness of the people there, vs. the contrived "tourist lines" you get in some places. It almost seemed that the further south you got (i.e. the further from Tunis), the better it got. Guys would come up and ask if you needed help, or just to talk, and it took me awile to realize that they really didn't want anything, except to help or speak English. I had a nice chat with this kid about his college choices in Canada (I knew a little since I went to Carleton in Ottawa about 100 years ago...) But they never expected a tip; in fact, I think they would've been insulted if I had offered.
But the heat down there DID start to feel a bit too much like Las Vegas for me... super hot and very dry. So I moved north.
I took a louage (sometimes spelled lowage) from Tatouine to Gabes (2.5 hours), then another to Sfax (2 hours), then a third to El Jem. One kid sitting next to me was listening to music and I asked what it was -- and he said 50 Cent! (American rapper, for those who don't know, like I didn't...) Also, along the way they were selling gasoline from Libya, in plastic jugs. They say it's "good gas" and cheaper than what they pay (currently a little over a dollar per liter). Many food stalls along the way had slaughtered a sheep, and they were all hanging upside down draining the blood, probably getting ready to grill today (Sunday, the family day).
El Jem is a classic Roman amphitheatre, built in the years around 200 BC. They say that the builders had already built the Roman Colosseum and learned their mistakes, so this one was nearly perfect. It's oval, and held around 30,000 people, and was also where a famous battle between the Berbers and the invaders happened (the Berbers lost...) Some has been restored, but mostly it's in amawing shape for its age. They were setting up for a concert that night, but it didn't start until after dark, which means I would miss any trqnsport to Mahdia, which is where I wanted to end up.
So I get to Mahdia around 7 pm, and for the first time I couldn't find a hotel room. It's the last big summer weekend and most everything (at least in my budget) was sold out. But then I got talking with this kid -- Ahmed, aged 23 and a devout Muslim) who worked at the reception desk of one hotel, and he told me I could sleep on the roof! He took me up there, and it was nicely finished like a patio deck with padded benches, and clothes lines. But it was a bed, and only about $8 USD, including breakfast. I was glad to have it!
Ahmed also told me where to eat dinner, at a seafood restaurant on the corniche, and he was spot on about that as well: excellent grilled fish! (I was a tad peckish, since it's not allowed to eat inside the louages, and we never stopped long enough to grab a sandwich -- sometimes spelled sandwitch, btw.) Afterward, Ahmed and I stayed up talking in the lobby until after midnight, and then I went up to sleep under the stars. (Oh how some people would laugh if they saw me sleeping on a roof of a small hotel in Tunisia!)
I love Mahdia. It's not a huge mega resort like Sousse, Hammamat or Monastir. It has a far more laid back, lost in time quality to it, and yet a beach town right on the coast. People are very chill, no big pressure to buy or do anything. I read somewhere that one Roman general had a hard time getting his troops to get back on the ship when they layed anchor in Mahdia, and I can see why.
I have two ideas tho: Someone should do a version of "Pimp My Ride" here in Tunisia. The basic rides are so classic, and worn, and it would be amazing to see what those guys would come up with... Oh, and I think I already said that George Lucas should sponsor a Star Wars convention here. But I spoke with an interesting guy from Italy (who works in textiles here and speaks 6 languages!), and he said you would have to prove the benefit to the government (increased tourism) and you'd need to find a majority Tunisian partner. OK, sounds like it's getting complicated now...
Most of the hotels down here do not offer towels to guests. You can sometimes rent one for one dinar (75 cents), but sometimes not. And me, with just a daypack... and no towel.
Lots of women have henna on their hands, but many also have it on their feet! I haven't been able to get a photo of that yet, but I will try! And I see more men smoking on water pipes here -- the real thing not those tourist things like in Vegas. Supposedly, there are hidden-away places where women-only can drink coffee, smoke water pipes and talk to each other, but so far I haven't spotted one!
It's also just funny to rememeber where I am... by having nothing be exactly the way it is. By that, I mean people will tell you that something is "close" and it's miles away; or that it's new, but that means 300 years "new"; or that a bus leaves at 2 pm, but that could mean anything from 2:30 til 4 or even 5. Things all happen, but just in their own sweet time.
Ah, the joy and the mysteries of travel!
I think I will hang in Mahdia for another day, maybe even blow off Sousse. But then back to Tunis so that I can catch my flight to Cairo on Thursday, Sept 4.
Love you, and thanks for checking in!

Reporting from Southern Tunisia

It's been SO weird to be reading about Obama and the DNC while traversing the south of Tunisia.... But I think I've gotten the jist of it, and now all that he has to do is win in November!
But where was I?
I think I was heading to Matmata, to live in the caves. I did just that.

There are only 1,000 people in Matmata, so we aren't talking a huge metropolis. Its claim to fame is that the bar scene from the original Star Wars (Le Guerre des Etoiles) was filmed there. It's sort of tacky, in that the hotel has put up Star Wars sheets on the walls, and there are some books around with paper clippings. Of course, my US-marketing mind gets going, thinking about how it could become like Roswell, NM there, with regular conventions and exhibitions. As it is, I never spoke to one person there who had even SEEN the movie, so they must sort of wonder what the fuss is all about.
For centuries, the native peoples of Southern Tunisia have lived in caves. They stay cooler during the brutal summer heat, and warmer in the cold desert winters. I stayed in one that tried to retain some of the original "charm," and they succeeded somewhat. Originally, a deep crater was dug down approximately 40 feet, and then rooms were dug into the ground at the lower level. Make sense? Does this picture help?
There's a sweet "museum" in town, run by an enterprising woman who saw the need and turned her home into a venue that shows how people used to actually use the cave/troglodyte homes. Each home had a salon/living room, a bedroom or two, a store room for food and grains, and even an indoor bathroom. Mind you, all of the signs are in French, and the woman who owns it was there to answer questions but none of that helped me much -- altho I do have to admit that I'm doing a BIT better with my French...
The highlight of my stay there, other than sleeping in a cave for two whole nights, was meeting a guy named Ali who teaches physics at the local school. He's 29 and lives with his mom, which isn't unusual here. He also tends to their goat flock, and one night I walked up the hill with him as he watched his "kids." It so so peaceful and quiet up there, not that Matmata has much noise about it anyway. In his broken English and my bad French, we managed to talk for two hours about everything: Bush, of course (they really dislike him...), religion, matrimony, the future and on and on. The wisdom of a goat herder can never be discounted -- he sees life in such simple yet logical terms. He also showed me the plants that camels prefer, and told me that cats are kept because they kill the scorpions.
Later that night there was a wedding in town (on a Wednesday, but they have to get them in before Ramadan begins next week). Trucks of young people drove up and down the one main street of Matmata, yelling and singing like it was Nebraska.
There aren't too many other "backpackers" around, but I did meet up with a few. Some from Japan, others from the UK. But it was nice to speak "plain ol'" English, which I haven't done really since I got here. It really does amaze me how quickly people bring up George Bush, and never in a good way. I do think the rest of the world will really wonder what's up with America if Obama doesn't win.
Masses of tour buses come to Matmata for the day, but then leave by sunset and the town returns to normal. I had a great dinner the last night of chicken tagine, with a typical Tunisian salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and........ canned tuna fish! They find more things to put tuna into, including omelettes, sandwiches (often spelt sandwitches here) and pizzas.
I found a good internet place, but they still won't let me hook up my camera so I can't upload pix... but asap, I promise!
Today (Friday Aug 29) we took the bus back to Gabes, and then found a louges (a minivan that goes to a certain city after all the seats are filled -- faster and as cheap as the bus and a better way to meet the locals) to Tatouine.
Tatouine could really be a Star Wars mecca as well, if it wasn't so hot and so far from anything. It's next to the Sahara, about eight hours south of Tunis BUT George Lucas did use the name as the place where Luke Skywalker lived, so it's famous for that.

What a ride: camels sitting by the side of the road, men sleeping by the side of the road during the hot part of the day, horse-drawn carts pulling anything and everything...
We (two Japanese tourists and myself) rented a taxi and driver for the late afternoon and went to see more of the Star Wars sites... the four story mud homes that were used in the movie. Not a bit of cheese to the place, and if you didn't know you would never have noticed. The buildings were built centuries ago to hold grain, and later people moved into them. Believe me, a picture will tell a thousand words...
I love just hanging out, sipping my "the a la menthe" (mint tea with sugar) and people watching... as the Arabic mucis wafts through every speaker. (OMG, is that the first time I've used waft this year??) Even in small cafes in small towns the cafe waiters (always male) will wear a black or striped waiters jacket, like the type you used to see in the 50s.
The guys in Tatouine have a very "hip" factor about them, as tho they don't want to appear backward in any way. They wear Nikes and t-shirts with English words on them, and wear their hair all slicked back. The older guys will all sit and play dominos or backgammon, but they ALL drink espresso coffee. It's also cool to see such comraderie, as they walk arm in arm or rub each others shoulders (in a very non-sexual way of course; it's just that women are out of bounds until married!)
Typing on the French keyboards takes me twice as long; this has taken me an hour to write, so I will sign off and go crash.
I think tomorrow I will head north, toward the coast, and start making my way back to Tunis. I then have a flight to Cairo on Sept 4.
THANK YOU for reading this, whoever you may be!! Email with any questions!