Living in London is highly suitable to an eager jetsetter. Weekends in Venice, daytrips to Paris; continental Europe is truly at your fingertips. But why limit yourself? Abiding by my new mandate to travel only where I have not yet been, my latest holiday took me to Tunisia in Northern Africa.

A three-hour plane ride from London- Tunis will set you back on average £125GBP ($250USD) but beyond that, accommodation/food/sightseeing is relatively cheap. The currency in Tunisia is the dinar (دينار TND), which is currently (1 USD = 1.16510 TND); a great exchange rate if you are making money in sterling! The official languages of Tunisia are French and Arabic, and almost all the people I met had a basic understanding of English (but this was mostly in the tourist areas).

For four nights/five days including flight, accommodation, food (including a three course meal at a fabulous restaurant), sightseeing, and taking cabs everyday, the entire trip cost me about £200 ($400USD); which is very reasonable considering it can cost up to £110 just for a day trip to Paris on Eurostar.

Part of what helped with the price was our choice to stay at a hostel in the middle of the old Medina, (the walled old city, full of narrow streets and passageways, comparable to the backstreets of Venice). There are souks (سوق) lining the medina where vendors will entice you to buy everything but the shirts off their backs, particularly tourists. Women especially can expect to be harassed, and it is advisable to make yourself aware of the cultural norms you are stepping into and dress appropriately; but either way you will inevitably find out how many camels you are worth.

Souk

A member of Hostelling International, Auberge de Jeunnesse, cost about 8dinar a night. More information on it can be found here. While not the most glamorous of places to stay it definitely served its purpose. There were about 14 beds per room (single sexed ONLY); and seeing as there were about 20 of us we took up a whole floor. The biggest complaint was the bathroom, where the toilets had no seats, nor toilet paper, and hot water was very infrequent. But for 8dinar a night, we bought toilet paper, braved the cold water, and learned great squatting skills; it was most definitely worth it. The manager of the place was very kind, and very eager to practice his English, which led to many interesting conversations and even a marriage proposal; which I sadly declined. Most of the Tunisians I met were lovely people, eager to show off their beautiful country. The cab drivers were particularly helpful; going out of their way to get us to the obscure locations we asked them to take us to.

Although I did walk through the Medina after dark I was in a group of at least four, and it is not recommended to walk alone at night, particularly for women (as it really wouldn’t be safe anywhere else in the world either). We chose to stay inside Tunis to get a better understanding of local Tunisian culture, and to save money. Most of the resorts and beaches are located along the coast; destination hot spots for many cruise lines.

Medina

A strong Muslim country, Tunisia has a secular government and is considered one of the most liberal Arab countries in North Africa. For example, Tunisia is one of the few Muslim countries (Azerbaijan and Turkey are two others), that prohibits the hijab in government buildings. However, there is still much evidence of sexual segregation. It is rare, outside of the tourist areas, to see women out past 9pm, and the streets are lined with cafes where men gather day and night; smoking hukas, watching television… I have always felt slightly uncomfortable walking past large groups of men, just out of my own insecurity, but this was a particularly uneasy experience. Understanding some of the conceptulizations of sex divisions within Muslim culture is much different to actually experiencing the power relations first hand. (Please note that I am in no way trying to paint a picture of Tunisian/ Muslim culture, nor am I trying to postulate a negative/positive opinion.This is merely a description of my own personal feelings in the context of being a American/Roman Catholic/gender theorist/woman. Even being an overweight child contributed to my insecurities about being gawked at, and in turn how I experienced Tunisia.)

It is obvious, especially in Tunis, that many people feel torn between their liberal secularization and their religious heritage. One woman I spoke to described how it can sometimes feel like ‘being the bad child’ (i.e. not being a reverently Muslim country); ‘‘they say ‘look’, ‘you look just like a European country’, but we are not Europe.” Coming from a very strong religious background, particularly Irish, that feeling of guilt as well as the reclaiming of religiosity occurring in almost all the Arab countries in recent years is very easy to internalize/understand. At the end of the day; it became ever more apparent how important it is to experience the people/places/things I read and write about so frequently in my programme.*

But getting back to Tunis, and all of the fabulousness it has to offer, on our first day there we visited the ruins of Carthage. Comprised of about 6 different sites/museums, and some gorgeous mosaics, the cost to see each of these is about 7dinar (FREE if you have an ISIC card).** This includes a tour guide at a few of the sites, and they are also a great place to buy some souvenirs.

Ruins at Carthage

From there, we took a train ride two stops to the beautiful town of Sidi Bou Said (1 dinar). This gorgeous blue and white city is a common tourist destination, very reminicent of the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini. Some of the most reknowned French philosphers (a.k.a my best friends); Beavoir, Sarte, and Foucault, are known to have stayed in the town. With breathtaking views all around, we enjoyed a walk down the side of a mountian (it was an excellent workout although being in sandals on the jagged stone steps I did fear for my life once or twice.) Following which we soaked in the sun at a juice bar overlooking the water and had a fantastik dinner to finish off the evening. Gorgeous and peaceful, if I ever went back to Tunisia this is surely the place I would stay.

Sidi Bou Said

The following day we visited the head office of the African Development Bank[2], temporarily located in Tunis, before heading off to a three course meal at what is regarded the best restaurant in Tunis, Dar el Jeld, 5-10, rue Dar el Jeld, La Kasbah. Hidden in the medina, this restaurant promises glamour, ambiance, and a delicious traditional Tunisian meal. According to a New York Times Review, ‘‘Tunis’s best-known restaurant, Dar el Jeld, 5-10, rue Dar el Jeld, La Kasbah, (216-71) 56 09 16, offers a more interesting auditory experience — an elegantly dressed old man, plinking an antique sitar in the softly lighted dining room — and setting. At this converted private home in the medina, Tunisian specialties are cooked to perfection; the couscous is fluffy and delicately flavoured and the kabkabou– dorado with tomato, capers and lemon — is fresh and light.”***

Dar el Jeld

Although it was closed before we got there, we attempted to go to a hamam, commonly known as a Turkish bath, where according to my friend who experienced it in Egypt; large women scrub you down with hard loufas, peeling dirt off your skin that has been there since your fifth birthday. I (well she) would highly recommend to give it a go.

Tunis has much to offer, and this is only a few of the highlights. For more on what to do there, visit wikitravel. It was an amazing trip, and for me a much more worthwhile travel experience than some of the more expensive European cities. I would love to go back anytime, maybe even live there for someday, but of course I must follow my rule so it might take awhile.

***Sussman, Anna. “SURFACING: TUNIS; European Style in North Africa“. New York Times, December 19, 2004. Last accessed: April 25, 2008.