On a louage to Sbeitla

 Yesterday, I walked onto the balcony outside my room, and looked at the sky. It was beautiful, end I loved standing there for a while. Enjoying the breeze, hearing the singing from the minarets. And contemplating on my journey so far. Dreaming away. And then I saw the following image present itself before me.

It was a perfect ending to my stay in Tozeur. I went to bed afterwards. Nothing more to add. And besides, I needed to get to bed early. I had an early start today.

I had talked to the young woman minding the reception, but she seemed more interested in her phone than in my request for a taxi the following morning. She understodd english well, but seemed like she didn't care much. "No problem!" she said after I asked her several times if she understood. 

I got up at 6 and my taxi was supposed to arrive at 7. I had a shower and a breakfast, and was ready to go 10 to 7. This morning, there was an elderly guy there. "You wanted a taxi at 7 no?" I nodded. "The girl yesterday never called the taxi. I will do it now". I was glad I always prepare for these types of events. I had plenty time. My bus wasn't leaving until 8. And it was just a 5 minute drive. So I just thought "of course she didn't" and sat down. He called the taxi for me and came over to ask me where I was going. I told him my plans, and he said "try the louage". "The what?" After som explanation, I understood what he was talking about. It is a mix between minibus and maxi-taxi. They go when they have enough passengers. And it is much quicker than bus. I thanked him for the info as my taxi arrive. A quick dash through backalleys and streets, we arrived at the bus-station. The receptionist said the louage-station was 50 yards away. It was. I found one for "Gafsa". 15 minutes later, the minibus was full. Not typical "Africa-full", where you fear the wheels will come off at the first turn from the overload, but all actual seats where taken. 8 in total. And we zoomed off to Gafsa. We arrived one hour before the bus was supposed to arrive. I was happy.

I Gafsa I would look for a louage either directly to Sbeitla or via Kasserine. But the first order of business was taking care of bodily business. I needed to go, and as I scanned the area, I found the drawing of a man. YESS! I walked over, and was about to enter when the caretaker put his hands up and stopped me. He then opened one of the stalls and looked into the toilet. Seemingly to check that there where no floaters left there by the last customer. He ok'ed it, and let me in. Ah! Station toilets. Never fail to entertain me. The flusher was more a pile of parts, so it obviously didn't work. And there was a bucket for water next to it. For flushing.

I finished my fluid business and left. I assumed he wanted money, and the look on his face and stretched out arm suggested this was correct. I had no idea how much, as there were no signs with an entry fee. So I pulled out a handfull of coins and presented them to him. To let him know he could take the one he wanted. He just stood there and smiled. I put an half dinar in his hand. His hand still stretched. I put another 1 dinar coin on his hand. Still smiling. Hand strecth. I suddenly understood. I put the rest of the coins in his hand. "Merci!" he said and smiled. The price is of course whatever you pull out of your pocket. How silly of me.

I started asking for a louage to Sbeitla. Everyone shook their head. "Kasserine" they all said. I started asking for Kasserine. They all pointed further. In the end, I found the louage for Kasserine. And they were missing one person. So as soon as I got on board, we were off. Perfect!

In Kasserine I found a louage for Sbeitla. And I was closing in on my target. And it wasn't even noon! I was happy. Half an hour later, I got out at the louage station in Sbeitla. I opted to walk the 2.5 km to my hotel. 5 hours of travelling had taken its toll on my feet. They needed to be stretched. And for those of you wandering, how much did it cost? 16 dinars in total. Or a little over 5 US dollars. For the whole trip. About 1 dollar per hour. I won't cry myself to sleep over such a price...

On my way to the hotel, I walked past a wall where I saw a very familiar name sprayed on it. AWWW! You shouldn't have! How did you guys know I would be here? That is so sweet! Now I really felt welcome!

After checking in, I had a quick nap before I got out and about. Since I arrived several hours earlier than anticipated, I had time to check out the site I came here for. The acheological park. A huge area with a more or less complete roman city. Most of it was of course gone, with only a few posts here and there left. And a number of mosaics. That is what happens after 2000 years of decay. And the locals needing cheap building materials...

At the entrance was a smiling and multi-lingual guy. He told me that tickets were sold across the street. Hm. Interesting. They had a small info-building there where they sold the tickes. I bought one, and crossed the street again. Like I have already written, the area was HUGE! And I spent almost two hours wandering around the actual streets of the city. Walking into houses (sans roof...), across courtyards. The public cistern. Villas. Small houses. And the most intact of all, the temple. I tried to imagine how it was back then. Bustling life in the street. Horses, people. Shops. If you are ever in the neighborhood, stop by. It is well worth a visit. Trying to capture the area in photos is not possible for me. You have to experience it yourself. But here are some that hopefully gives some impression.

Since I finished what I came for today, I will head further into the mountain tomorrow. Instead of a short trip, I will make it a longer day trip. I hope. 

Tomorrow i Sunday, and a small outing into the mountain sounds like the ticket.

Ragnar

Lounging in the louage.