Tunisa is in Africa

And so, Africa has come and gone.

We sailed into port late, which meant we could be on deck for the first glimpse of Tunisia.  I looked out our cabin window, and there on dock were camels.  So yes, of course I rode the camel.  Who wouldn't?  It's a camel!  It's Africa!

This is a country of 10 million people, and 3 million live in the Tunisian area. Since 1957, women have legislated equality.  Polygamy was outlawed, and women were given the right to vote, earn wages, own property, and divorce.  they hold office in the government.  Education is free, compulsary, and not segregated.  Tunisia has separation between state and religion, and the government is secular.  Alcohol is allowed to be consumed, and they make wine and brandy in this country.  The currency is the Dinar, which you cannot bring in or take out of the country.  Every business deals in dollars and euros.  We bought a few things in the souks, and had to bargain for our goods.  Negotiating the price makes me uncomfortable, and I'm not good at it.  I'd prefer just to pay, but that is their culture.

It was very dirty, much garbage strewn everywhere.  Don't look too closely into the bay of Tunis, as it looked to be the major repository for trash.  Quite sad.  And although equality is codifed into law, women were not very present.  It was mostly men in the streets, all men in the shops, and only half or so of the younger women were not wearing some sort of veil or hair covering.  There were several female Tunisain police officers, however.

We took a ship's tour, as our command of arabic is limited to shukran.  We boarded a bus with our very nice Tunisian tour guide named Nudine.  He was well-traveled, including a trip fifteen years ago in which he took a greyhound from New York to Seattle.  The drive to the marketplace in central Tunis was fascinating - right away the poverty was apparent, from the barely functioning vehicles to the old men at the roadside, the half-finished dwellings, and ever-present mounds of trash.  We spent some time in the covered markets and then took the coach to Carthage.  Was there no where the Romans weren't?  We have seen Roman ruins in the UK, Paris, Rome, Africa...over thousands of miles.  And what they built in their conquering travels seems impossible, as they had only sailboats, animal-powered means of transportation, and slaves.  What's left of Carthage was beautiful, large remains of a bathhouse perched on the shores of the deepest blue Mediterranean.  The area around  Carthage was where the millionares live, and the presidential palace overlooks the roman ruins.

We drove back to the ship, and we saw a man herding his goats down the railroad tracks, and camels grazing in the traffic island between two major highways.  It was a quick tour, and quite fascinating, but we felt a little removed from it all.  I'm glad we went, and don't know what we would have done differently, but the visit seems somehow incomplete.

thanks to all those answering my sunrise questions. It makes logical sense, but still seems just...wrong.  We have now changed times twice, and will once again beforse disembarking in Athens.  Time of sunrise continues to vary up and back by at least twenty minutes a day, and the sun is now setting before 7:00 pm.  That'll mess with your head, let me tell you.  :)

Tomorrow to Malta.