Something terrible happened Friday night... I spent the whole night puking and crapping. No vacation to the developing world is complete without someone -- unfortunately, usually me -- getting the shits. I started feeling a bit sick at work that afternoon after eating a BLT (which Miguel likes to remind me was a stupid choice... "Why would you order a pork-based sandwich in a Muslim country?"). Whatever it was, I was sicker than hell all night long, shivering, feverish, and just miserable.
Of course, it is just my luck that this malady struck the night before our four day vacation. When the alarm went off Saturday morning, I felt slightly better, but I was definitely not 100%. We had planned to depart early, but I was honestly afraid of getting on a bus to Kairouan (about three hours drive away) with no bathroom on board. I had zero appetite, and I was achey and nauseous, but I was determined to press on, even if our departure was a bit later than we'd thought. After gulping down some Immodium and stopping at our favorite cafe next to the hotel and nibbling at a croissant, I finally felt confident and well enough to head with Miguel to the bus station.
We had debated taking a louage, but given the comfort levels, we figured a bus would be the best option. Luckily for us, we arrived at the station mere minutes before the bus was set to head out.
Here is the SNTRI bus in all its glory at the Tunis bus station:
We got seats together toward the middle-back of the bus. Don't be fooled by the TV screens... they didn't work. Not the world's most comfortable ride, as the seats feel like lumpy L-shaped pieces of steel and definitely don't recline (the buses in Mexico are way nicer), but all in all, it wasn't so bad (and thankfully I didn't have any sort of bathroom needs... thanks, Immodium!). I just wished I'd felt better...
Perhaps you are wondering why we chose to go to Kairouan? Primarily because it has a rich history and was en route to the southern destinations we were heading toward. Here's what Wikipedia says:
Kairouan is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. It was founded by the Arabs in around 670. After its establishment in the 7th century, it became an important center for Islamic and Quranic learning, and thus attracted a large number of Muslims from various parts of the world, next only to Mecca and Medina. The holy Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city. In 2003 the city had about 150,000 inhabitants. In 2009 Kairouan was the Islamic Cultural Capital.
We finally got to Kairouan around 1 pm. It was hotter than Hades, and the place was eerily like a ghost town. Not particularly welcoming. Definitely not cosmopolitan like Tunis. We had a couple guide books with us, both of which recommended the Hotel Splendid. It was around $20/night, and it fit the bill. Simple but clean and quiet on a side street near the old city. Here I am outside:
Despite the heat, we hit the town, hoping to see the Grand Mosque. Kairouan is a tangle of maze-like streets, and we wandered around like rats in a maze trying to find a piece of cheese on the other side. En route, we found this building... the Mosque of the Three Doors, which is famous in Islamic architecture books. We had to cut off the bottom of the photo b/c several old men had decided to camp out there, on the look out for tourists like us to harass and try to buy their wares or go to their uncle's/cousin's/brother's nearby carpet shop:
Kairouan is also famous for its amazing doorways:
Just our luck, by the time we finally found the Grand Mosque, it was closed for the day! So instead we visited the city's new museum of Islamic culture across the street. This was a really cool door, from the Mosque, that was on display:
And although we couldn't go inside, here is the Grand Mosque from the street:
And the door to the Grand Mosque from outside -- yes, it's pretty big!:
As I mentioned earlier, the streets were really deserted. I think it had something to do with the insane heat and something called siesta time. This is the main drag through the old city (please note the most awesome female tourist on the left, wearing her Saharan wrap around her head in a tribal style):
By chance, we stumbled across a totally amazing Ottoman palace that now serves as a carpet shop. The very smooth salesman lured me inside by a promise that he didn't expect me to buy anything and that we could just look at the interior decor. I have a problem, you see. I am a carpet-aholic. I swore up and down that I would not be buying a rug from this guy. I already have a few stuffed under my bed, and my floors are covered in every room.
It was totally worth the visit though. Check out the foyer ceiling:
Another view of a balcony:
Please click on these to see the detailed tile and paint work. Amazing!
Another very cool chandelier:
And yet another (the place had about 10 rooms)...
They even had a carpet making demonstration:
And then look who sat down to just "browse" the carpet selection:
Still browsing...
And... oh shit, I bought a Kairouan carpet. I couldn't stop myself!! I got a runner to put at the end of my bed. I have absolutely NO willpower. None...
The pathetic consumer stands proudly with her wares.
The next stop? This place...
Kairouan only has a couple of famous sites, and this is one of them. Rumor has it that this well actually connects to the water supply near Mecca so if you drink it, you can be saved/blessed/errr, whatever by Allah.
Although the sign says it was renovated in 1690AD, I'm pretty sure that's what year it was built. It's up a LONG flight of rickety steps, and amazingly, at the top, there's a mangey old camel wearing a blindfold and operating a water wheel to bring the water up from the well!! Hilariously, the guy commanding the camel assumed poor Miguel was an Arab guy and commanded him along the side of a wall to take a drink from the well (I meanwhile safely perched off to the side in the "tourist" section... and my stomach thanked me, as given my precarious digestive health, I'm pretty sure the Bir Barrouta Well water might have hospitalized me for days). Anyway, Miguel had to drink the water... and then pose for this regal action photo in which the blinded camel nearly smashed him accidentally against the wall:
I attempted my own action pose, and it didn't turn out nearly as well:
Take 2:
Here's what the street looked like upon exiting:
We loved these wall paintings of furniture:
Miguel dubbed this shot "the Kairouan scholars take the streets"...
More cool doorways:
Sadly, I really wasn't feeling better as the day progressed so I collapsed in my little twin bed at the Hotel Splendid to recover from the stomach cramps that were forcing me at regular intervals into a bent-over fetal position.
While I was napping, Miguel went back out into town to snap a few photos of the city. First, he came across this horn and percussion ensemble near the city walls:
Then he headed back to the Mosque of the Three Doors and successfully photographed the doors without the Ferengi Salesmen* annoyingly loitering in wait of a monetary opportunity. Pretty good picture this time, showing the amazing carved Arabic script:
According to a site called Sacred Destinations:
"The mosque was founded in 866 AD by Mohammad bin Kairoun el-Maafri, a holy man from Cordoba, Spain, and it became a center for one of the Muslim religious brotherhoods that have dominated Islam in Tunisia. The interior is closed to non-Muslims, but the main feature anyway is the elaborate façade with its strong Andalusian influences. The mosque's three arched doorways are topped by intricate friezes of Kufic script, two of which name the mosque's founder, interspersed with floral reliefs and crowned with a carved cornice."
After Miguel's brief jaunt around town, he came back and woke me up, and I actually had a small appetite for yogurt and cheese, which I purchased at a local grocer's near our hotel. Miguel was hungry for something a bit more substantial so we wandered around the area of the city where our hotel was located and found some local sandwich and chicken places, as well as a huge dessert outfit called Segni where they make this famous date-filled sweet called "makroud." Kairouan is famous for the stuff (we saw guys boarding our bus the next morning with giant boxes of it to sell in other cities in the south).
As you can see, they had about 800 varieties:
These were rose flavored pastries (not recommended unless you enjoy the taste of your grandma's perfume)... aggggghhhhh:
I bought a box of the basic date-filled, honey drenched sweets, and I brought them back for my office to enjoy. Rumor has it, one of my co-workers stated, "Jeesh, why can't she just buy us some Swiss chocolate from the aiport duty-free?" So much for local sweets.
* = Miguel and I made great use of the term "Ferengi" on this trip. Thanks to my dear friend Stephanie, who originally coined this very appropriate analogy back when we lived in Turkey. The Ferengi are a Star Trek extraterrestrial race who are (in the words of Wikipedia) "characterized by a mercantile obsession with profit and trade and their constant efforts to swindle people into bad deals. They are also known for their business acumen." Exactly.
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