Adventures in Africa

Have you heard of a shower?  I have but apparently the smellies 2 rows in front of me from Detroit to Paris had not.  How can they not tell they stink?  Pepe Le Peu smells better.  What about the rude guy in front of me who slammed back in his seat and spilled my soda sitting on my tray all over my pants.  Yes, there was a bit of yelling.  Luckily, I carry clothes in my carry-on – I had to change my pants hour 3 in to the flight.  Next up movies – I decided to watch GI Joe: The Last Cobra and I fell asleep – need I say more?  Next up, Termination Salvation – how could it be worse than GI Joe?  It was!  Next up, The Hangover, which the French renamed “A Very Bad Weekend.” Why change it?  It was awesome as is.  Something really got lost in the translation there. 

In Paris, I had to take a shuttle from terminal 2E to 2F so I boarded the bus and off we go.  All was fine until our Formula One Bus Driver whipped around a corner.  I was standing and I went flying across the width of the bus falling directly into a man’s mid section in a big bear hug formation.  Not my most graceful move!  Besides being utterly embarrassed, I wrenched my shoulder and neck again and am now heavy on the pain killers.  What fun!

When I got to Tunis, the first thing you did when you got off the plane was walk through a machine that took your temperature to check for Swine Flu.  But members of the organizing conference committee was there to meet me so I help going through customs, they met me with a welcome drink, got my 3 suitcases and off to Hammamet we went.  It was already dark by 7:30 p.m. so I did not see much on our hour drive to Hammamet.  The Sofitel hotel was very nice and the Mediterranean is across the street. 

Well after 8 hours of sleep last night, I feel human again, instead of cyborgish so I decided to head down to breakfast where I had yummy nutella crepes!  From there, I organized a private car tour with Ramzi.  We were gone 7 hours!  We started in Hammamet and saw the old Medina (city center) which is a fishing village.  We also visited a Christian and a Moslem cemetery.  From there it was off to Nabeul and Korba where we saw the mosques and the seaside towns. 

We also got pulled over for our 1st of 2 scary control stops.  My driver had to show license, insurance, etc. and the car was searched.  I had to show my passport. 

In KeLibia (pronounce Kay Libya) we went to the Fort used in the 12th century but used in the Punic Period (146 – 256).  History geeks alike would have been in heaven!  Then it was off to the Kerkouene Archeological Site, which was the ruins of a Punic village.  Pretty neat but definitely needed something more than flip flops for the trekking I was doing today!  Then we went to Haouaria for lunch on the Mediterranean.  I was not brave and I had spaghetti in a fish sauce.  I was too hungry to not pick something I did not like!  From there we went to Korbous where there are rejuvenating springs (similar to Saratoga Springs NY).

Between meetings, cocktail receptions and evening events, I was able to see a little more of this interesting country. I watched a snake charmer, road a camel, visited outdoor markets and went tandem parasailing!

One day I decided to go to the hotel spa for a Hamman which is a Turkish type bath/scrub and that is when it got interesting.  The spa was very nice and I wore my 2 piece tankini bathing suit to the service.  First the woman put me in the steam room for what she said was going to be 5 minutes, I swear it was more like 15 minutes and I felt like steamed broccoli and finally had to go stand in the hall until she cam back because I was way too hot. 

Then she said she would do the body scrub in a room within the steam room so I was in for another 25-30 minutes of this oppressive heat.  We entered this private room and she wanted me to get completely undressed which really isn’t my bag, so I agreed to the top only.  Given that she did not speak English at all, French very little and we were not connecting in Arabic she was not happy that I had my bottoms on.  She then tried to wrestle them off, but I prevailed and my service continued.  She buffed me within an inch of my life, but my skin was so smooth. 

One free afternoon, we hired a guide and headed off to the Ruins of Ancient Carthage. We obviously had not planned well, as we got there about 45 minutes before they were closing but the attendant was nice enough to let us in and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since we now had time to explore other places, our guide suggested a visit to Sidi Bou Said, the City of Blue and White. We were not disappointed! As we walked the narrow cobblestone streets, you felt you were in an entirely different world!

Africa is definitely someplace I’d like to explore more – I want to go on a safari, explore Morocco and experience South Africa. Until then, I’ll remember this trip as I hum along to Shakira’s song, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)!