Tuesday 3 October 2012
Our departure from Porto Corallo, Sardenia is delayed a day as we turn back in the face of fierce head winds and building sea state and spend another night in the marina. Very early on Tuesday 2 October we get away and encounter a fresh breeze aft of the beam once clear of Sardenia.
 |
| Capn Buck is not happy about turning around but the rain and wind follow us back in. |
 |
| We are exhilarated, the boat is going so well and the sound of the water rushing past our clean, clean hull is a gentle mesmerizing swish. |
Our entry to Tunisia is uneventful after a truly cracking sail, effortlessly clocking speeds of 9 – 10.5 knots, we lose the wind and have to turn on the motor. Dawn breaks as we round Cape Bon, and change course towards Hammamet.
The humidity starts to close in with the loss of the wind
and we find ourselves motoring in flat calm conditions down the coast of
Tunisia for 70 NM until we arrive in Port Yasmine, Hammamet.
 |
| Kim and Duncan do a good job of organising our entry formalities |
We have been
well and truly schooled by other cruisers on what happens during this process
and come bearing gifts of cigarettes and whisky, none of which turn out to be
particularly interesting to the officials who process us. It is important that we have our log book stamped
so that SY Matelot is officially out of the EU, and we pay E10 for the pleasure.
Officials come on board which is a bit
disconcerting, but we answer their questions and have our valuables well
hidden. We have been told horror stories
about theft of wallets and flares happening during this process, but do not
experience any of this.
Soon we are tucked up in a berth close in to the heart of
the marina and life in Hammamet for us begins.
We do not realise it but we will be in residence for almost 3 weeks. Our visas are issued for TND10 per week and
renewed weekly. We are made to feel very
welcome in Tunisia despite having heard in advance that New Zealand citizens
are not welcome there. The marina is
very well laid out and quite sophisticated, in total contrast to the town once
we leave the gates behind us. Internet is a bit difficult and intermittent
but we manage to get on line a few times by using the wifi in a café nearby
without making too much of a nuisance of ourselves.
 |
| It is very warm so we get Matelot set up with sun covers and side curtains over oursparkling dark blue topsides. |
Unfortunately after all the bending of doing this job
Richard is again suffering debilitating back pain so Pippy takes a few
excursions alone on the bus to the markets...
 |
| Yes I can see the head from the beast for the day hanging outside with the dried chillies... |
...and we set up medical and dental
appointments to have ourselves checked out by the excellent doctors and dentist
here. A week or so later we are all done but Richard’s X-ray comes back with a
diagnosis of arthritis and he goes on to some pain meds which seem to help. No long term solutions though. -We can buy whatever medications we need over the counter here, so stock up the boat with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
Saturday 13 October
We are determined to do some sight-seeing while here and opt
for a rental car at TND60 per day (NZD60).
We are given a map by Duncan and strictly instructed to stick to the
tourist routes. If we stray too close to
the Algerian border the GPS is set to disable the engine in which case we are
to call Duncan from our mobile phone and he will organise to get us going
again. The car duly arrives with enough
fuel to get to the nearest petrol station, and once fuelled up, we are off,
travelling south along very good roads, arriving in the town of El Jem around
lunch time.
The Archaeological site and
mosaic museum are stunning. The
amphitheatre built in the early 3rd century boasts a chequered
history both as a games stadium and a fortress known as El Kahina’s Castle
after the Berber heroine and princess who sustained a siege there and built a
secret underground passage to the sea to acquire provisions.
We are not able to gain access to the many underground passages but wander around the huge ramparts (known as cavea) then move on the stunning Mosaic Museum to view an exceptional display of intricate 3rd century mosaics.
We are not able to gain access to the many underground passages but wander around the huge ramparts (known as cavea) then move on the stunning Mosaic Museum to view an exceptional display of intricate 3rd century mosaics.
Time is short and we must get to our hotel at Matmata before
dark or we may not find it! On we go,
passing through Sfax on the coast, Gabes, then to our hotel in Matmata - 500
kms in total for our first day.
We discover fairly quickly that we have to slow down for the speed bumps which come without warning signs in the small towns we pass through. They are obviously put in place by the locals as they are all different in construction and size and very risky to go over at speed.
We are 130 kms from the Libyan border and drive past hundreds of roadside stalls selling black market petrol in dodgy looking cans with a hose coming out the bottom.
We discover fairly quickly that we have to slow down for the speed bumps which come without warning signs in the small towns we pass through. They are obviously put in place by the locals as they are all different in construction and size and very risky to go over at speed.
 |
| We stop to buy fruit |
Place names begin to resemble language of the Star Wars movie, filmed in these parts, Medenine, Tataouine and Chenini. Tomorrow we will visit Luke Skywalker’s house. Our hotel at Matmata is very comfortable, but appears to be almost empty of guests. The tourist season is over for the year.
The next morning we decline the guide and find our own way easily by accident, to the film set for Luke Skywalker’s house which is now a hotel. It is fun to visit but we are glad we are not staying there thanks.
 |
| Richard feels right at home in Luke Skywalker's living room. |
 |
| The film set is now a working hotel |
Our other special treat for this day is to visit some of the ancient grain stores called Ksars which resemble fantasy buildings from a child’s fairy story. They are fascinating to visit and are randomly distributed around the countryside.
We stop to explore at Ksar Ouled Soltane and Ksar Ezzalraji, before driving on towards
our planned destination for the night, an oasis on the edge of the Sahara,
called Ksar Ghilane, now realising that it is a long way (back past our hotel
from last night in a huge loop) ....and we are not going to make it before
dark.
But wait a moment… there is another road which cuts across the deserted scrubby land and will get us there faster.
The map says it is tar sealed all the way and we bowl along feeling very positive now. Suddenly around a corner the road stops and stretching in front of us is a dirt track.
It is now getting dark and we have no option but to turn around. Obviously we are not going to make it to our planned hotel and we search along the way for somewhere to stop for the night.
The dusty little villages do not inspire us to stop and enquire and the one hotel we find is shuttered and closed.
Fortunately we have our GPS and are able to head in our chosen direction despite not having detailed maps loaded, because by now we are sure we are lost.
Pippy’s bright idea to take a short cut has landed us in a sticky situation. It takes what seems like hours winding our way in the darkness, but we spot the main road and lights of a town and arrive back at Matmata for a second night, just in time for dinner. Phew!
But wait a moment… there is another road which cuts across the deserted scrubby land and will get us there faster.
 |
| Spectacular landscape close to northern Sahara |
The map says it is tar sealed all the way and we bowl along feeling very positive now. Suddenly around a corner the road stops and stretching in front of us is a dirt track.
It is now getting dark and we have no option but to turn around. Obviously we are not going to make it to our planned hotel and we search along the way for somewhere to stop for the night.
The dusty little villages do not inspire us to stop and enquire and the one hotel we find is shuttered and closed.
Fortunately we have our GPS and are able to head in our chosen direction despite not having detailed maps loaded, because by now we are sure we are lost.
Pippy’s bright idea to take a short cut has landed us in a sticky situation. It takes what seems like hours winding our way in the darkness, but we spot the main road and lights of a town and arrive back at Matmata for a second night, just in time for dinner. Phew!
 |
| Dust and rain at the same time! |
 |
| Cafe L'erg has seen better days! |
The next day we drive 70km south down the ‘pipeline road’ towards Ksar Ghilane, arriving around 11am to be met by Bashir on a quad bike who guides us into the Oasis, which is rather necessary as visibility is very poor. We are in the middle of a sandstorm. Now Pippy would be quite happy to wear a Birka. It would keep out the sand, heat and flies very nicely thank you.
 |
| Bashir shows us the way in.... |
... invited to (TND/NZD80) sleep in a Berber tent (eeeewwww! Looks like the scorpions will be able to crawl up the walls and into bed with us)
The accommodation is not quite to our taste so we gently extract
ourselves, drive back up the pipeline road then turn westwards to a very
interesting small town called Douz, finding a room at Hotel 20 March for 20TND
including breakfast.
We are quite close to the main square of the town and walk out to find a place to eat. There are men everywhere, but no women or children, no spontaneity or laughter. They sit outside cafes drinking tea and stare at us as we walk by. The atmosphere is friendly, but the energy is heavy. On the way we stop to chat to shopkeepers offering tourist goods who astonish us with their multilingual skills and obvious intelligence and education. They are lovely to talk to and they direct us to a café where we are able to order a delicious meal for a very reasonable price. The next morning we return to the square and purchase a few small items before moving on.
We are quite close to the main square of the town and walk out to find a place to eat. There are men everywhere, but no women or children, no spontaneity or laughter. They sit outside cafes drinking tea and stare at us as we walk by. The atmosphere is friendly, but the energy is heavy. On the way we stop to chat to shopkeepers offering tourist goods who astonish us with their multilingual skills and obvious intelligence and education. They are lovely to talk to and they direct us to a café where we are able to order a delicious meal for a very reasonable price. The next morning we return to the square and purchase a few small items before moving on.
Tuesday 16 October.
 |
| Amazing colour and texture... |
Our journey today takes us 94km across the fascinating salt pans of Chott El Jerid and Chott El Fejej. We
come within 120 km of the Algerian border before turning north then past many
date plantations
... through Metlaoui and Gafsa towards Kairouan the city of Mosques where we plan to stop and explore. Cap’n Buck puts his foot down but it is 450 km just to Kairouan and by the time we arrive, we are both hungry and exhausted with still another 100 km to drive. The city is clamouring, busy and dusty and we have no idea where the centre of town is, so we just follow the sign posts north. We are satiated and want to go home to SY Matelot. This amazing city will have to be a project we do another time hopefully. There is so much more to see in Tunisia, but we have done well for now and have had a very good experience of this country and its people.
 |
| These large bunches of dates are 1Euro a kilo...This tiny gracious lady helps Pippy to choose. |
... through Metlaoui and Gafsa towards Kairouan the city of Mosques where we plan to stop and explore. Cap’n Buck puts his foot down but it is 450 km just to Kairouan and by the time we arrive, we are both hungry and exhausted with still another 100 km to drive. The city is clamouring, busy and dusty and we have no idea where the centre of town is, so we just follow the sign posts north. We are satiated and want to go home to SY Matelot. This amazing city will have to be a project we do another time hopefully. There is so much more to see in Tunisia, but we have done well for now and have had a very good experience of this country and its people.
It will be Sunday 21 October before a suitable weather
window for our passage back to Marina di Ragusa presents itself.
Pippy has a lovely time until departure, stocking up on sesame
sweets, canned tuna, pickled lemons, massive turkey breast for TND3 which we
have on board stuffed with dates, and a Tunisian lamb meal. We take 3 hourly watches and our 31 hour
passage seems to fly by unfortunately motoring for 17 hours.
 |
| This little passenger joins us along the way... |
We arrive to a lovely welcoming party at 1700H on Monday 22
Oct and feel we have definitely arrived home for the winter.
