African Perception

So, I thought I would do a post to comment on my perception of Africa.

I must comment on how little the warnings of being a female alone were relevant. Except for being blatently checked out at times (things I would experience in other countries say like Italy), I felt no fears of being a female walking alone. Ghazi tells me that tourist get some slack in these areas. Of course as in other places, discretion should be used in where you go alone. But also, most Tunisian women (and I suppose men for that matter) do not appear to be conservative Muslims. I see more covered women in London than I did in Tunisia.

The people in rural areas seem to have a purity and rawness about them that I don't feel in rural America. Maybe it has to do with little exposure to capitalist culture and a simple focus on sustaining and enjoying life. I was very drawn to this. It was the first time where I felt the serenity of a simple life could be satisfying. Simple should not mean uninformed, uninvolved and without access to the outside world.

So, here is my call for everyone to keep yourself informed of things outside of yourself and to live a life with purpose! May your mark leave the world a little better!

And then there was the beach in Sousse

And so we arrive at the beach...


We stayed at a hotel that at least looked interesting but was a very touristy hotel. Apparently, the Russians got a good package deal because 85% of the people there were Russian. So naturally, there were cheesy, touristy events planned at the hotel. First night was karaoke (which a lot of people didn't participate in) and the 2nd night was a drag queen show (which none of the Russian's attended...just other nationalities). The drag queen's weren't even good at their lip-syncing! I mean if you are going to not sing, you have to at least learn the song well enough to lip-sync well! Most importantly, we got to relax on a beautiful beach on the Mediterranena and I didn't get burnt!




This is the view from the hotel room...man...why can't life always be like this!!


It was a wonderful visit and I recommend others visit around. The clarity in mind you experience is exquisite!

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.

Tunis, Tunisia

I visited my friend Ghazi in Tunisia this past weekend. How reminded I was that we need to continually visit places completely different than our norm! The first morning he had to work and so dropped me off in the old part of Tunis. As you can see there is a market for touristic/traditional goods. Notice the place/door at the top of the stairs, that is an old cafe that has been open since the 1300s! I arrived early enough that the shops were still opening and putting their goods out so that they didn't have time to harrass me too much to go in and take a look around. This all changed an hour later when all the tourists arrived! I sat and enjoyed a coffee (traditional Tunisian style) at the old cafe for a bit. I think one waiter was going to give me my coffee for free as I didn't have any small changed but another waiter took my 20 dinar bill.


As Tunisia in on the Mediterranean Sea and has been controlled by various European countries through the centuries, there are ruins and remnants of these ruling powers. Here is an example of a Roman aquaduct that would carry fresh water from 60 miles and store the water in these cavities where people would pull water through the circular holes.

The Foundry in Shoreditch

Rima (painting) participated in an improv art event at the Foundry in Shoreditch near Old Street tube stop. While a violinist, bass clarinetist, electric guitarist, cellist, xaphoonist (the last 3 are all the same person) and vocalist improved music, Rima worked on a painting, taking inspiration from the music. A writer probed the audience for thoughts while this was all going on and read allowed a compilation of these thoughts. I was quite impressed with the whole event. The instruments were not played in traditional manners and lead to a very hypnotic sound that allowed your mind to meander from Rima's painting to wherever your mind led you. This event was organized by Openned. Check out their website for other events they organize.

The Chapel Bar

Jennifer and I got together for a late night drink at the Chapel Bar the night before Carter and Debbie showed up. It turned out they were having a costume party there (Duo's was the theme). It was a fun atmosphere and not too loud and obnoxious. The crowd was friendly and open...not necessarily sticking to the people they came with. There was a DJ and dance floor though the music wasn't exactly my tastes. It is a place that stays open past 11pm (always a good thing to know!!). They had hidden these playing cards around and if you found your matching card, you got a prize. Jennifer won some bubbles and this guy we met won a My Little Pony. 2 of Diamonds....where are you??

My Little Pony guy was quite stuck on the brilliance of England, London, and himself. It made me ponder once more why people live by stereotypes? Even though he says he allows people to prove themselves, the fact he commented that I was a progressive Texas shows more you have to prove you are not something, verse that you are something. Maybe one day we can live life truly being open to people.

More Austin Visitors and sights

Debbie and Carter (Bernard in the middle) swung by London for a couple of days of their European tour. This picture is from a Mediterranean restaurant out by Hammersmith that we went to. The food was good (one of the first I've seen with coucous on the menu but then again I haven't been to many Mediterranean places here) however at the end of the evening, they spotted a mouse scurrying across the floor. I think that kill the place for everyone. I got a bit of a stomach ache from a bean appetizer that I originally had no plans of touching (should stuck with that).

We also ate at Ebury near Sloan Square for lunch one day. I thought the food was tasty a bit better fare that a lot of places. It was definitely worth the try. Carter also brought us to a chocolate shop (L'Artisan du Chocolat). They have a wide selection of chocolate morsels made with various ingredients. Of course, a chocolate shop is not complete without some trouffles as well (which it did).

We checked out the Modernism exhibit at the Victoria and Albert museum. It's a fun exhibit to see the thoughts of that period of how design can impact society. Unfortunately, London did not offer the gorgeous weather we had a few weeks ago to Debbie and Carter, but at least this was no surprise.

I'm back

Ok, so after a long break from here (mostly due to heavy work schedule but then partially due to loosing my digital camera), I'm back. I've decided that I will slowly catch up on here what's been going on when the current stuff isn't that interesting. There's been some fun times but then some boring, work times. So, I hope you enjoy the catch (when it happens).