Tunis: White Walls, Blue Doors

I have a serious respect for full time bloggers, and I wish I had the motivation and energy to do more blog posts. Fortunately, although my job is the reason why I don’t always have the energy to blog on my days off, it’s the reason I travel so much! So far this month I have been to Bali, New York and Rome, and I still have San Francisco, New York, London and Mauritius to look forwards to. I thought the first half of my month was busy, but the second half will be even busier!

A few months ago I had a layover in Tunis. A new country, a new city, a new destination. I always get excited when I see a new destination on my roster!

I had the opportunity to go to Carthage (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) during my layover, however it was my first time in the city and I always like to see part of the city first before venturing anywhere else. Number one on the top of my list to see was Sidi Bou Saïd, famous for the white houses with blue accents set on a hill overlooking the Bay of Tunis and Mediterranean Sea.

Unfortunately, my layover was not at the most ideal time because it occurred during Ramadan. It was very quiet during the day with a lot of places closed.

I didn’t get a chance to eat while there as a lot of the restaurants were still closed for the day, however we did stop to grab some water and tea at a small café. As this is a tourist-heavy area, they can be quite sneaky to try and squeeze extra money from the tourists. One such scheme is that the waiters will avoid bringing you a menu or telling you any prices until it is the time to pay, and then hit you with a shocking price. Along the same path, be careful of any sweets that arrive on your table after dinner. You may be told they are “complimentary”, but they will show up on your bill at the end, at an overcharged price.

It was a wonderful little area to wander around, with beautiful views. Men sat outside their souvenir shops, each one offering me to come inside to buy something. Don’t forget to haggle, and in my case, the shop owners did the haggling for me! They kept counter offering the shop owners besides them to try and give me a better deal.

If I have another Tunis layover, I would love to see Carthage, but even more I would love to go and wander through the Tunis medina (old city). It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I have a serious fascination with the little streets of old areas. Also, the beach looked amazing, so if I’m in the mood for some relaxing beach time, that is exactly where I’ll be heading.