On the road to Tamerza

Ghazi and I headed to Tamerza in central Tunisia on the 2nd day. It ended up being about 5-6 hour drive and we saw some beautiful serene countryside. I must say it did remind me a bit of the bits of New Mexico I have seen (minus the Native American influence). We crossed a few major hills/small mountains with awesome panoramics. Lush vegetation slowly became isolated to scattered oases.

That night we stayed at a hotel Tamerza Palace that is situated just next to some old ruins and an oasis. Tamerza is the largest mountain oasis of Tunisia. It was quite a picturesque setting. We lounged by the pool that afternoon and I must say, the silence out there was nothing like I have experienced. It was amazing the level of peace of mind that can be achieved in one afternoon. As we decided the next morning to head to the beach, we didn't get to explore the nearby waterfalls and gorges. I think neither of us realized how worn out from work we were and just needed to relax.


So we turned around on Saturday and headed to the beach. We found out from the hotel desk clerk that as I registered as an American at the hotel, we could get stopped at checkpoints as America has agreements with various Muslim countries to help look out for its citizens. I don't know if I buy that is why, but sounds plausible. And he was right...on our way to Tamerza, we didn't get stopped once. However, when we left from Tamerza, we were stopped at a few checkpoints. I was actually surprised at the number of policeman that are just out and about hanging out at various round-abouts.


We had lunch at a small cafe along the way where the meat was fresh daily, as signified by the hanging fur by the bbq pit. It was quite tasty. Along the way, we passed a herd of camels and pulled off the road to take a few pictures. We were quickly approached by the shepherd, requesting something in return for getting to take the pictures of his herd. While Ghazi had planned on giving him something, the shepherd remained belligerant and Ghazi refused to give him something and so we were promptly ran off.