Tunisia Travels

Tunisia! We had an easy flight from Barcelona and a safe transfer from Tunis to Yasmine Hammamet. We are staying in the classy El Mouradi hotel with a view of the pool and mountains in the distance. The beach across the street is lovely.

Yasmine Hammamet is a ‘built for tourists’ resort town about thirty minutes by local bus from Hammamet. Kind of like Nuevo Vallarta is to Puerto Vallarta. Near our hotel there is even a “new” ancient looking medina (maze-like shopping area with narrow streets). It is clean and artificial, however it has real vendors that are almost desperate for business. It is winter, the weather has been cool and rainy, and the economic crisis here is huge with over eleven percent unemployment. In spite of the challenges, the people have been warm and friendly.

The culture here is different from any other we have experienced. The people are strong and passionate. Our challenge has been getting a feel for the many unwritten rules. The country is ninety eight percent Islamic, one percent Christian and one percent Jewish. My French and Elenore’s German are coming in handy. English works only as a last resort mostly with younger people. As polite Canadians, we are easy prey for aggressive sales people luring us into their shops by any means necessary. Our first week was an education.