We arrived on different flights (Miguel via Paris and me via Rome), and a driver picked me up and took me straight to work to meet the team I would be working with the next week. I stayed at the office for the rest of the day.
Miguel and I knew we were staying at the Ramada Gammarth and planned to meet there in the evening. Since Miguel arrived a bit earlier than me, at around 12 pm, he had time to fill after his arrival. Instead of taking a taxi to the hotel, he immediately launched himself into the masses of Tunis....
Narration by Miguel: No Arabic, No French, no problem.
For me, the best and quickest introduction to a new country is to use the public transportation system so from the airport I caught a local bus (much like the one above but with about two hundred people on board) to the TGM train station (a commuter train line) and took it to the beautiful seaside town of Sidi Bou Said, which is made up of white washed houses overlooking the Mediterranean.
I had three hours before I had to meet Kit at the hotel so I walked around Sidi Bou (luckily I only had a small backpack to carry since Kit was traveling with our luggage) and enjoyed its quaint streets...
...and wonderful views. A short cab ride later I was with Kit.
...and wonderful views. A short cab ride later I was with Kit.
After bus, train and cab rides, I realized that as long as I kept my mouth shut, and verbal communication to a bare minimum, most people would think I was a local. Not five minutes after exiting the airport terminal, two elderly Tunisian men asked in Arabic if I could help them fill out their travel forms. They were surprised when I replied (for the first of many many times in Tunisia) with one of the few phrases Kit taught me before departing for Tunis; "la atakelem arabi," (I don't speak Arabic).
Despite both being seriously jetlagged, we went to Sidi Bou Said for dinner. Being the simple diners we are, we opted for a crowded little sandwich joint frequented by locals on the outskirts of the hillside village. We had the most amazing and simple dinner -- chicken and cheese sandwiches on hearty French baguettes with a side of fresh fruit juice, courtesy of the "juice man," above, named Shukri.
Despite both being seriously jetlagged, we went to Sidi Bou Said for dinner. Being the simple diners we are, we opted for a crowded little sandwich joint frequented by locals on the outskirts of the hillside village. We had the most amazing and simple dinner -- chicken and cheese sandwiches on hearty French baguettes with a side of fresh fruit juice, courtesy of the "juice man," above, named Shukri.
We were pretty exhausted that night so after dinner we took a cab back to the hotel and collapsed into bed.
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