I fell in love with Tunisia quite unexpectedly. It is therefore with some reservation that I write about my experience, in case I inadvertently ruin the surprise, because it is when you have no expectations that you usually stumble upon something quite extraordinary.
Visiting Tunis on a business trip, I had visions of Cairo crossed with Lusaka. I knew Tunisia was famous for the Carthage ruins and was vaguely familiar with the history of Hannibal and the Romans (mostly thanks to the History Channel), but otherwise I was not expecting much.
Looking out of my hotel window was the beginning of the debunking of my perceptions of North Africa. Avenue Habib Bourguiba, where I stayed, is the Champs-Élysées of Tunis. This 3,2km tree-lined boulevard with a pedestrian walkway down the middle is where you will find the Tunis vibe — bustling cafes, high-street stores and banks. Tram lines crisscross the city, which is clean and safe.
That Tunisia once formed part of the French colonies is obvious in the café culture and the dress sense of its people. Black leather jackets during the mild winter season seem to be the fashion uniform for men and women alike. Although a Muslim country, it is secular and there are no noticeable signs of religious dress.
On the first evening we decided to walk the streets and find somewhere to eat. I had the typical Jo’burg instinct that the streets may not be safe at night, but it was evident that crime is a non-issue and the streets were teeming with people meeting friends and grabbing a drink. This was probably helped by a fairly visible police presence. Tunisia has a reputation as a police state along the lines of Singapore.
The president has been in power for more than 20 years, having amended the Constitution to allow for his fifth term in office, and the walls of Tunisia’s buildings are adorned, like so many African countries, with the picture of the president, hand to his heart. But no one is rioting over the roughshod treatment of the Constitution, perhaps because under the current regime the country has reduced its poverty levels from 50% to 3%, has an unemployment rate half that of South Africa, 80% of the population own their homes and Tunisia scores the highest level on the Human Development Index of any African country. On the streets there is no feeling of fear among the people and the vibe is relaxed and friendly.
In search of adventure
In an adventurous mood we decided to go off the main streets and found a small restaurant down a side road. We walked in and found the restaurant packed with locals. We were, for a few minutes, the focus of the restaurant, with lots of grins and nods of approval. The image of Tunisia as a police state was severely dented when, despite six “no smoking” signs adorning the walls of the restaurant, at almost every table people were smoking — some rules, it appears, are there to be broken.
The maître d’ (a harried, red-faced man wearing a cook’s apron) quickly brought us some snacks and took our drink orders. In Tunisia they don’t just bring bread to the table; it arrives with a lot of little complementary side dishes, such as baked broad beans in spices, a tuna, oil and tomato paste dip, boiled eggs and a type of vegetable resembling bok choy. Unable to read a word of Arabic and virtually no French between the four of us, we just took wild stabs at the menu and hoped for the best. Seafood makes up a big portion of any menu, as well as lamb, sausage and egg. The food in this little restaurant (Restaurant Capri) was superb. In fact, as a rule, Tunisian food is outstanding — simple, spicy, but delicious. We shared two bottles of Tunisian wine, (very drinkable) and the total bill came to 40 dinar (R240) for four people.
The following evening we made our way to a more touristy restaurant, Dar El Jeld, in the Medina (the old part of town). It is worth a visit just to see the opulent building that used to be the administration department controlling the leather trade. Original tiles adorn the walls, reflecting its Moorish architecture. Here you have traditional Tunisian food with high-quality service. It was a wonderful experience and the food was good, but as one journalist was brave enough to admit after forking out 60 dinar a head (R360), our meal at Capri was just as good and a great deal more authentic.
If you are in Tunis, a visit to the Carthage ruins is obligatory. In its heyday Carthage was the second capital of Rome and has an archaeological history dating back to 700BC, the time of the Phoenicians. Taking a day off, a colleague and I jumped on the small local train that runs along the Mediterranean coast. Our return second-class ticket cost the princely sum of 2 dinar (R12) and after fumbling away in rusty French, we soon discovered that the ticket seller was fluent in English. Generally in Tunis most people in the services industry and many citizens can converse in English to varying degrees, although Arabic and French are the official languages.
Once again my Johannesburg fears were allayed. It is quite simply very safe to travel by train, even second class and the thing that struck me most on the trip was how teenage boys would stand immediately and offer their seats to the elderly or disabled. How people treat their vulnerable says a great deal about their values and culture.
Rich history
Carthage is not only archeologically relevant, it is also where the wealthy live. This is where you will find the president’s palace as well as the ambassadors’ residents — we walked past the homes of the Iraqi and Jordanian ambassadors.
The ruins themselves are mind-blowing, simply because you are looking and touching buildings that are more than 2 000 years old. People have complained that they are not on a par with Greece or Rome (mostly because the buildings were destroyed first by the Romans and later by the Vandals), but perhaps because we were there off-season and had the place to ourselves, we were deeply touched by the sense of history and magnificence of these ruins in their heyday.
We had a surreal moment when the guide, who offered his services at the Roman Villa ruins for 2 dinar (R12), walked into a room forming part of the ruins where ancient mosaics were just stacked against the wall and threw a bottle of water over one to show us the brilliant colours underneath the dust. This stuff should be in museums yet here we are able to touch them and throw water on them. The guide claims that after a hard rain you could come and collect artefacts from the sand such as old coins and pits of pottery. There is still so much that needs to be unearthed, so much still to discover.
We jumped back on the train for Sidi Bou Said, the blue-and-white town, a well-known tourist town but still a must on the itinerary. This is an astoundingly picturesque town on the Mediterranean where all the buildings are painted white and the doors and shutters are painted blue. Sidi Bou Said is known as a town of artists. Many famous artists, such as Paul Klee, lived there or visited the town.
Most people who visit Tunisia head for the resorts along the Mediterranean coast and, judging by the reviews, it makes for a fantastic holiday. But it is worth discovering the real Tunisia, hopping on a train and becoming an accidental tourist. The people are friendly, the culture exotic, the food is fabulous and all this at very reasonable prices.
Tunisia will surprise and charm you. It is definitely worth a place on your bucket list.
Getting There
There are no direct flights from South Africa. We flew Emirates via Dubai, which is a 20-hour journey. Shorter, 15-hour options include Air France (via Paris) or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. It may be more economical to work Tunisia in as part of a broader north African trip or a crossing from Italy, which is only one hour by ferry.
Currency: Dinar: currently 1 dinar = R6, so you need to know your six times table. Prices are reasonable and you can eat well on a budget. Taxis and trains are affordable — to get around town you pay about R12 for a trip.
Best time: April, according to the locals. The weather is a bit warmer, but the tourists have not yet arrived.