Tozeur Oasis

Yesterday we traveled by bus to Tozeur. Our bus driver and guide are very nice. Our guide Hammadi is very funny. Whenever he tells a joke his eyes and face light up and his laughter is contagious. As we left Tunis and drove south towards the desert, Hammadi pointed out many historical influences on the country and people of Tunis. The landscape changed many times. At first it might have been the Tuscan region of Italy with olive and cypress trees and vineyards. Then the scenery changed to look a lot like California followed by Arizona. The main differences were the camel and donkey drawn cart citings, robed people, and, of course, the fact that there were only prickley pear and no saguaro cactus. We stopped at Sbeitla which is a well preserved ruin from the Roman time. The walls of the three temples Juno, Jupiter and Minerva were quite well preserved and really gave us a sense of life there. We learned a song and saw more than can be described here. We have not been able to download photos yet.

Today we began by visiting the museum of Tozeur which really gave us a sense of every day life as it was historically. We visited the small botanical gardens which might also have been in Arizona or California. There was bouganvilla, hybiscus and banana trees. As artists we also wanted to see how bricks and pottery are traditionally made from the regional resources. Speaking of bricks we have discovered a wonderful fast food called Brik. It is a thin crepe wrapped up with vegetables and egg (or tuna and egg) folded over and deep fried. It has quickly become everyones favorite. There is also a paste made of peppers called mechouia that is somewhat hot in taste. It is great as a dip for our bread.

We also visited the oasis which is not at all like the images we have seen. When I think of an oaisis I imagine a pool of water with a few camels and palm trees. This is not acurate. This oasis is fed by a spring and has over 3000 trees. Now the oasis city of Tozeur is building into a resort city with a golf course and several nice hotels. There are several stands in every medina selling any kind of silver jewelry rugs or other items. Bartering is normal and so far we have had a good time in the process. We may have paid too much one time or too little another. Everyone is having a wonderful time. It is sunny and nice during the day which is much nicer than the cold weather we experienced in the past week in Tunis and Paris.

We have a jeep tour into the mountains tomorrow and I think a camel excursion as well. We are all prepared. They showed us how to wrap our scarves around our heads Bedouin style.

A bientot for now.