The Desert of Your Dreams

Day three in Tozeur was a busy one. First, we went on a train ride from Metlaoui into the mountain. The train is an old one from back in the day called "The Red Lizard". The ride took about two hours including three stops along the way. It was a beautiful and relaxing trip. Then in the afternoon, we went to one of the zoos in Tozeur. There was a friendly baby donkey and some peacocks roaming around, and lions, camels, gazelles, guinea pigs, ostriches, and other animals in cages. Nidhal didn't notice the lions at first and about jumped out of his skin when they growled as we were walking by. Also at the zoo was a famous Coke drinking camel called Ali Baba. Nidhal got to hold a snake, which is really amazing for him considering that the last time he was at the zoo there were pictures taken of him running from the guy showing the snakes to two girls.

After the zoo, we went to the grave of a Tunisian poet named Aboul-Qacem Echebbi. Nidhal says he was a genius. Like many geniuses, though, he died young at the age of 25. From his grave, we drove to Nefta to see its basket oasis and the sunset over the Sahara. We had difficulties finding the entrance to the basket, and with time running out, we had to settle for seeing it from above. Oh well, we have to leave something to do for the next time we come.

We then ventured out into the desert to see the sunset. We had to ask some police for directions and about whether the car would make it down a particular road. They said that if the car didn't make it, they would help get us out. When we left an hour later, they pulled us over to ask us if the view was nice. But anyway, we ended up driving to a spot where we could get a camel ride onto the dunes. When my camel sat down, he liked to go head first, so every time he sat I felt like I was going to flip over the front onto the ground. The sunset was beautiful (most sunsets are, aren't they?), the camel ride was nice, and we got a free desert rose out of it.

The next day was our last morning in Tozeur. We checked out the city center and took a look at Tunisia's version of Mount Rushmore. It's a small mountain with the same face (Aboul-Qacem Echebbi) on each side of it. And then we left for Douz.

To get to Douz, we had to cross the Chott El Jerid. We noticed that there was some activity at one point and so we stopped to see what was going on. As it turns out, a French movie is going to be filmed there. The guy told us to look around at the sets, but we were satisfied with pictures and the two free waters he gave us. Once in Douz, finding lunch was not an easy task since everything closes down for the hot mid-day hours. But we actually stumbled upon something quite good. The rest of the day was relaxation with some naps, some eating, and some swimming in the pool.

We were in Douz for three nights, but we didn't do much while we were there. Our first seven days were so full that we needed a break. All we did in Douz was relax, go to the Thursday market, drive around, and check out a museum. All in all a great time.