Tunisian Impressions (Live) (page 2 of 4)

EL JEM

I went there by shared taxi from Sousse. The ticket cost 6.8 TND (2 euros), and the trip took about 1 hour 15 minutes. I asked the driver where the hotel was, and a passenger who heard me walked me to the hotel on foot (no taxis in El Jem). This time, I didn’t get an invitation for coffee (it’s Ramadan), but to stay in touch via social media. I told him I don’t have a smartphone! (Which is true.)

There aren’t many hotel options in El Jem.

I’m staying at the Hôtel Julius. The room costs 145 TND (42.50 €), and it’s an excellent value for money. The room is huge with a massive bed, a safe, fridge, hairdryer, air conditioning, a bathtub, and a kettle. Plus, the receptionist—a young man studying design—is really friendly, and the room has a large window with an amazing view of the amphitheater. I feel like I have the Colosseum of Rome right in front of my room (I didn’t know there was a monument like this in Africa)!

I’m glad I didn’t try to do a day trip from Sousse because the amphitheater and archaeological museum have limited hours during Ramadan—they close at 3:00 PM. I’ll go tomorrow, but even from the outside, the amphitheater is impressive. It doesn’t seem much smaller than the Colosseum in Rome.

Like in Tunis and Sousse, around 6:15 PM, the streets empty out—it’s striking! The man who walked me to the hotel said that breaking the fast is a sacred moment. At the hotel, there’s a café, and I was told there’d be activity until 11:00 PM or midnight. I’d already noticed this in Sousse—after the iftar meal, people go out to cafés late into the night.

When I step out of my room, I see the café two floors below. At this hour (9:00 PM), it’s packed, completely smoky from cigarettes, and the clientele is exclusively male.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hi Marie, thanks for this daily chronicle. If you're not afraid of the road, *louages* are definitely the most convenient way to get around. They run pretty often and aren’t too expensive. The amphitheater of El Jem is the largest Roman monument in Tunisia and the best-preserved in North Africa. Depending on the source, it seats between 25,000 and 30,000 people, and it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Every summer, there’s a symphony music festival, and the amphitheater is lit by countless candles—it’s magical! I’d like to revisit the prices you mentioned, especially hotel prices, which are quite low for Europeans. Unfortunately, they’re out of reach for many Tunisians. Since the Tunisian minimum wage is about 550 dinars (165 €) for 48 hours... The cost of living is obviously not the same... When you talked about what was on your in-flight meal tray—what you called a sort of quiche—it was probably a piece of *tajine*. Tunisian *tajine* is more like a thick, hearty omelet. I don’t know if you plan to visit Mahdia and stay overnight, but there are two nice little guesthouses there: *Dar Evelyne* and *Dar El Mahdia*. Have a great visit tomorrow and keep up the good work!

Hi Michèle,

■ For the Tunisair meal tray, yes, you're right—it was tajine. The gentleman next to me, the former cameraman, told me so.

■ About the *louages*: both times, the drivers drove carefully. The second one had his phone in his hand for a few minutes, but I'm used to taking *chicken buses* in Central America, and it takes a lot to scare me!

Over there, they drive like maniacs on narrow mountain roads. If you're at the back of the bus, you literally lift off your seat when you hit a speed bump! They pass on blind curves, watch videos on their phones, and more...

Here, I fell asleep on both *louage* trips—something I’ve never managed to do on a *chicken bus*, even though I’ve taken dozens of them! And I think the roads in Tunisia are in pretty good condition, at least on the two routes I took.

■ You're right, salaries are very low. At the Tunis hotel, the young woman who handled breakfasts told me she earned 600 dinars. When you give a small tip—say, the equivalent of two or three euros—they’re really happy and thank you warmly. You can tell they really need that money.

But the hotel in El Jem is an *excellent* value for money because it’s a high-end room. I mentioned the amenities, but there are also rugs, two chairs, a coffee table, a desk, etc... and the view of the amphitheater! The hotel café is chic, with armchairs covered in red fabric and mosaic tables.

All the hotel prices I mention include breakfast.

■ For the rest of the trip, it’s after 6 PM, and I still haven’t decided where I’m going tomorrow! I think it’ll be Kairouan. This morning, I booked a room by email without giving my credit card number, so I can change my mind—but I only have 6 days of vacation left...

■ The sun just set (I also have a nice view of the Great Mosque’s minaret and the sun setting behind it), and I just heard gunshots, like yesterday at the same time. I even saw smoke. I guess it’s to signal the moment of breaking the fast?

PS: It’s getting hotter and hotter....

EL JEM

THE AMPHITHEATRE ❤️❤️❤️

(12 TND = 4 euros for the combined Amphitheatre + Archaeological Museum ticket)

The "must-sees" depend on everyone's tastes, but for me, this site is truly a must-see in Tunisia.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in the world after those in Rome and Capua, with a capacity of up to 30,000 spectators.

It has three levels of galleries in very good condition; the higher you go, the better the view, but the stairs are steep and the steps quite high.

I recommend going early before it gets too hot.

The amphitheatre hosts a music festival in the summer, and in a few days, for the end of Ramadan, there will be special evenings. For those passing through El Jem at that time, I think you shouldn’t miss the chance to attend a show in such an exceptional place.

The tourist cafés and restaurants opposite the amphitheatre were open during the day.









ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM ❤️❤️

Same ticket as for the amphitheatre

This museum houses magnificent mosaics, some of which are gigantic. Many depict mythology, while others show circus games, and so on... The floor is also covered with mosaics.

You’ll also find the House of Africa, the remains of a Roman home with some lovely floor mosaics.

A mosaic artist was working outside the House of Africa. He explained his craft to me—it’s very meticulous work. He was trained by Italian mosaic artists.

Both sites can be visited in a morning. Opening hours during Ramadan: 8:00 AM–3:00 PM.

I didn’t know how long these visits would take, but I could’ve left today for Mahdia and spent the night there instead of staying in El Jem.

In Roman times, El Jem was known as Thysdrus. It was a wealthy trading city that thrived on olive oil. Today, the town seems less prosperous—on one of the main avenues, you’ll occasionally see a donkey-drawn cart loaded with hay...

But on the road between Sousse and El Jem, you can still see olive trees as far as the eye can see. The landscape reminds me of southwestern Spain, where you also see endless olive groves and shepherds with their sheep.





















TO BE CONTINUED...

Good evening Marie, if you had plans to visit Kairouan, El Jem, and Mahdia, I’d say you did things a bit out of order. It would’ve made more sense to go from Sousse to Kairouan first, then El Jem, then Mahdia. Still, Kairouan is definitely worth the trip. A day and a half in El Jem seems reasonable. Were you able to visit both sites with the same ticket over two days? If you booked at the Hôtel La Kasbah, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Bring a shawl to cover your head. You mentioned bread. In Kairouan, there are so many different kinds, and they’re all better than the last. And in Kairouan, you *have* to buy makrouds—semolina cakes stuffed with dates and soaked in honey... What you called "coups de feu" are actually cannon shots announcing sunset and the end of the fast. Have a great day tomorrow

Good evening,

Yesterday I arrived in El Jem in the early afternoon, and I didn’t have time to visit anything since the sites close very early. I wandered around the streets and the market instead.

The ticket for the sites has the date on it, so you have to visit both on the same day.

For Mahdia and Monastir, I wasn’t sure if I’d go, but given the little time I have, it doesn’t make sense to spend just one day there. I’d rather save them for another trip.

On the other hand, I really wanted to go to Kairouan, and I actually booked a room at the Kasbah Hotel. The room is 245 dinars including breakfast, which doesn’t seem excessive for a hotel in this category.

I’ll head back up toward Tunis and maybe arrive a day earlier than planned to visit Carthage.

Near Kairouan, there’s the site of Sbeitla, but it’s advised against on travel advisory sites. Have you been there recently?

Oh, I thought you’d managed to visit the museum yesterday. Yeah, it did seem like you had to visit all the sites included on the ticket on the same day. It’ll be the same for Kairouan and even more sites. Now that you’ve seen the El Jem amphitheater, just imagine an artist like Barbara Hendrix or Dee Dee Bridgewater—or even the Gipsy Kings last summer. What amazing moments! 😊 As for Mahdia, it’s a small town, and apart from the museum and the ribat, which follow Ramadan hours, a stroll through the marine cemetery and the little medina won’t take more than a day. I haven’t been to Sbeitla recently—it’s an interesting site, but it’s over 100 km southwest of Kairouan. It could make for a nice stop on another trip south. For Carthage, check if the museum is open; otherwise, there’s the amphitheater, the baths, and the Roman villas. It’s just the two of us chatting—would be great if others joined in with comments...

Hello,

For Carthage, their website does indeed state that the museum is closed.

For Sbeitla, it’s near Kasserine, not Kairouan...

Regarding concerts in the El Jem amphitheater, I didn’t know that big international names perform there. For those who’ll be in Tunisia this summer, it’s definitely worth making the detour.

As for comments on the forum, unfortunately, travel forums don’t really have exchanges anymore. Most people come to GET information, not to share it or help plan a trip. Or they come to advertise a guide or an agency.

Without constructive exchanges, travel forums lose a lot of their appeal and are becoming more and more deserted.

PS: The weather’s nice and hot. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t go to Djerba. Maybe next time, perhaps in the spring.

KAIROUAN ❤️❤️❤️

Kairouan is the spiritual capital of Tunisia, the first holy city of the Maghreb, and the fourth holiest city for Sunni Muslims.

It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.

I traveled there from El Jem by *louage* (shared taxi). It’s not direct—first, you have to go to Sousse (6.5 TND = 2 euros), which takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes, then switch to another *louage* for Kairouan (6.2 TND = 2 euros), taking another hour. Total: 4 euros and 2 hours and 10 minutes.

In the van, I was sandwiched between the driver and a young girl. I chatted with the driver, whose brother lives in Nice. When we arrived in Kairouan, I asked him about the taxi fare to my hotel, and he offered to take me there himself. He dropped everyone else off at the station, and I stayed in the vehicle while he drove me to the hotel. I gave him a tip. He even offered to be my guide in the medina, but I declined.

■ Hotel La Kasbah is located in an old fortress and is a classified site of Muslim architecture. The rooms have a lot of charm, with walls covered in ceramic tiles, woodwork, *moucharabieh* shutters, a veranda overlooking the pool, and Tunisian wooden furniture and mirrors, etc. In the late afternoon, it’s really nice to relax by the pool with the sound of water from a stone basin flowing into it and thousands of birds in the trees around the pool.

It’s a 5-star hotel, and the room rate with breakfast is around 75 euros.



THE MEDINA ❤️❤️❤️

I love all medinas, and this one is no exception. I love everything about it: the stunning doors (I only have photos of doors!), the architecture of the houses, the bright white walls, the shops (the jewelry stores have gorgeous Berber pieces), the people going about their day, etc.

I met a man weaving on a traditional loom, and we chatted for a while in Italian (it’s amazing how many Tunisians speak Italian, even some who’ve never set foot in Italy!). We had an interesting discussion about his work, the fatigue during Ramadan, etc.

In the medina, I saw a beautiful house with several Olympique de Marseille flags. A man came out, and I asked if a Marseillais lived there. He told me he was a Marseillais at heart (he was actually from Aix-en-Provence). He runs an OM supporters’ club in Aix and Kairouan and also manages a cinema-café next to his house. He said it was open in the evening if I wanted to go.

I asked a group of men for directions to the Great Mosque, and one of them insisted on accompanying me. He was a police officer (in civilian clothes) whose father lives in Cannes. He took me to the terrace of a carpet shop next to the mosque, and from up there, the view of the mosque courtyard is breathtaking. I highly recommend going up there. No one in the shop tried to sell me anything. I wanted to give the officer a tip for his trouble (I was far from the mosque when I asked for directions), but he refused.

I arrived in Kairouan in the early afternoon and didn’t see everything, but I really love the tranquility of this pretty city (surprisingly, there are few tourists).

At the top of the terrace, there’s a small café. Two tourists were sitting there, and the officer offered me a soda, but I declined. I’m not Muslim, but I didn’t feel like eating or drinking in public during Ramadan.

Otherwise, cafés frequented by locals are closed during the day. The tables are set up (in other cities, chairs and tables were put away), and men sit at them without consuming anything (not even cigarettes).



























TO BE CONTINUED...

KAIROUAN (continued)

Today I was planning to visit the Great Mosque and the zaouias, but these sites close at 2:00 PM, and I didn’t have time to go because I left the hotel late. Then I spent quite a while in the medina talking to people, and there were more workshops open than yesterday afternoon.

There were especially more weaving workshops with pedal looms—some medium-sized and others quite large. It’s the men who do the weaving.

There are also lots of shoe workshops, especially for babouches made of goat leather with camel soles.

Some of these workshops are in low houses that look like "caves."

Near the Zaouia of Sidi Abid El-Ghariani, there’s a carpet shop in a stunning Kairouanese house. It’s a (free) visit you shouldn’t miss! If you can’t find it, touts will likely take you there—you’re not obligated to buy anything.

Some men offer themselves as guides without you even asking. If you don’t want to pay them, insist that you’ll find your way alone and don’t need a guide.

■ This afternoon, I had a hammam session at the hotel’s traditional hammam. I went all out: exfoliation with black soap and an algae wrap. I came out completely refreshed! It’s definitely worth doing!

■ In Kairouan, like the rest of Tunisia, you absolutely must try the different breads—they’re all excellent! Today I had a round, not-too-thick bread made with cracked wheat and flavored with fennel and other seeds. Delicious! Someone warned me to watch out for pickpockets in the crowded bakeries where there’s always a scrum.

■ In Tunisian cuisine, I recognize some dishes that are also eaten in Spain, a country I know very well. For example, "mechouia"—in Extremadura, it’s called "moje" or "mojeteo," and the peppers are chopped into strips rather than finely minced like in Tunisia. I checked Wikipedia, and mechouia is indeed an Arab-Andalusian heritage.

In Spain, there are also many fried pastries similar to Tunisian "deblas," called "floretas." There are lots of other common fried pastries, but I think in Tunisia, they use sugar syrup instead of honey like in Spain, and in Spain, anise seeds are often used.

■ In a pastry shop, I saw "bouza to drink" for 20 dinars per liter (over 6 €). I don’t know what it is, but it’s expensive.

Otherwise, the lemonade and strawberry juice are delicious!

■ The "azulejos" ("jelliz" in Tunisia), which I love, are another common point between Spain and Tunisia.

■ And in many Spanish cities, even the smallest ones, in the old Arab and Jewish quarters, you’ll find the same narrow streets as in the medinas.

But Tunisia is especially close to Italy, and I practiced my Italian a lot today....





















TO BE CONTINUED.....

Hi Marie, So if I understand correctly, you went to Kairouan, the 4th holiest city in Islam, the oldest mosque in North Africa, and you didn’t visit any religious monuments? The medina of Kairouan is quite unique and really nice. Different from Tunis and Sousse, which are similar to each other. Are you still there tonight? Will you visit tomorrow? I think bouza is a kind of cream dessert with dried fruits or sorghum. Maybe also with hazelnuts. A bit special during Ramadan. The strawberry juices are delicious! 😋 I don’t like makrouds, but I always find Kairouan’s bread delicious—you’re right. The touting guides on mopeds are a specialty of Kairouan, and they wait for cars at all the city entrances! A hammam at the Kasbah hotel must be something else... I stick to the hammams in Mahdia, and they’re quite formal! What’s next tomorrow?

Hi Michèle,

Tomorrow I’m staying in Kairouan—I’m not leaving this hotel!

For the hammam, I don’t have any point of comparison since I was alone.

Makrouds aren’t my favorite Tunisian pastries either.

Thanks so much for this live travel journal. I find it really interesting—a great mix of personal feelings and practical info. I’m enjoying it and looking forward to each new episode.

Thanks so much for this live travel journal. I’m finding it really interesting.

Hi there,

I’ll do a full recap when I get back to France, but in any case, don’t follow my itinerary—I did it backward. As Michèle (Mraissa) pointed out, yesterday a shopkeeper asked me where I’d been in Tunisia and told me the same thing: "You did it backward." It happens to me often, and sometimes I think, "If some people do organized trips, well, I do completely disorganized ones!" So this isn’t an example to follow....

KAIROUAN (end)

●Great Mosque ♥️♥️♥️ (12 TND = 3.50 €, ticket valid for several sites)

This is the city’s iconic building—it’s huge, and from the outside, it looks like a fortress. It’s the oldest and most prestigious mosque in the western Muslim world. Even if you don’t know much about Islamic art, you can’t help but be impressed by its size, courtyard, and so on.

Non-Muslims can’t enter the prayer hall, but from the threshold, you can see the interior and its many arches.

Before visiting, I recommend reading the Wikipedia page about it—it’s extremely comprehensive (history, architecture, photos, etc.), with accounts from Western writers and travelers who were blown away by this building (Maupassant, Rainer Maria Rilke, etc.).

As with all Muslim religious sites, you need to cover up. At the entrance, they provide outfits for men and women, but this is the mosque where I saw the most women with their hair half uncovered. I tucked my hair under my beret and pulled up my hood.

Behind the mosque, don’t miss the small cemetery with its immaculate white tombs.









●Zaouïa of Sidi Abid El-Ghariani ♥️♥️ (Same ticket as the Great Mosque)

This is the mausoleum of a 14th-century saint from Libya. The walls are covered with beautiful ceramic tiles, and the ceiling is painted marquetry.

Here too, you’re supposed to cover up, but I saw a family of Spanish tourists, and the woman had nothing on her hair.







● Zaouïa of Abou Zamaa ♥️♥️♥️ (Same ticket as the previous sites)

This building is outside the medina. I walked there and took a taxi back (2 dinars, less than 1 €).

This mausoleum is larger than the previous one. The walls feature beautiful ceramic tiles and stucco friezes, and there are also lovely wooden ceilings.

It’s where a companion of the Prophet Muhammad is buried (the entrance to the sanctuary itself is off-limits to non-Muslims—it’s a place of prayer).

Explanatory panels mention that this is the most visited mausoleum by Tunisians, especially during the Mouled festival, which celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

■ There was another zaouïa included in the ticket, but it was closed.

■ The Carpet Museum of the National Office of Tunisian Crafts was closed yesterday and today too.

■ Many tourists come in groups in the morning and then leave—you don’t see many in the afternoon.

■ The men who watch for tourists to offer as guides are always in the same strategic spots. Today, one of them—who I had a hard time getting rid of yesterday—came to say hello, and I told him, "You’re following me!" That made him laugh. There are quite a few of them in Kairouan.

■ The taxi driver was a woman—she’s the first and only female taxi driver in Kairouan (she must be in her fifties). A younger colleague quit because of the stress from the chaotic traffic. She warned me to watch my bag because there are kids who snatch things.













TO BE CONTINUED...

I got back to Tunis today by *louage* (14.6 dinars = 4.30 €). The trip took a little over two hours, but they flew by. I met a Tunisian guy who was heading back to Paris—he’s spent his whole life there and knows it like the back of his hand. He was really chatty and told me all sorts of stories about working in big Parisian brasseries where showbiz folks are regulars. He’s met Aznavour, Gainsbourg, Michel Drucker, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and more. He also worked at the cabaret *Chez Michou*. He was such a funny and interesting guy—he even gave me his address in his village near Kairouan and his wife’s phone number so I could visit and she could make me couscous!

We also talked about Tunisia. He was frank and clear-eyed about the country, often using the phrase "laisser-aller." For example, when I pointed out the insane number of plastic bags littering the roadsides and fields (when you travel across different continents, you realize the planet is slowly being completely overrun by plastic—it’s terrifying!).

Anyway, the two-hour trip just flew by.

I’d planned to come back to Tunis tomorrow, but I ended up returning a day early. I hadn’t booked a hotel for today, but I found a room at the Hôtel El Hana International (128 dinars = 38 €), where I’d already planned to stay for my last two nights.

This hotel has definitely seen better days, but I’m on the sixth floor with a great view of the Théâtre Municipal, where I’m going to see a concert tonight, as well as tomorrow and the day after. The concerts start at 10 PM and end around midnight, so the hotel’s super convenient—but it’s noisy since my room faces Avenue Bourguiba (which is totally deserted right now at 6:20 PM, marking the end of the fast).

Tunisians who aren’t fasting for Ramadan can grab a coffee and smoke in the café in the hotel lobby.

Oh, and on Avenue Bourguiba, near the clock, don’t miss the Hôtel du Lac—an icon of Brutalist architecture. I think they’re demolishing it.

For my last two days, I’m planning to visit Carthage and La Marsa.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I really enjoyed tonight’s concert—traditional Arabic music reimagined by a Tunisian DJ. There was such a mix of instruments (piano, violins, Spanish guitar, bagpipes, drums, etc.), different singers, and it was more of a music-to-dance-to than something to sit and listen to in an armchair. In fact, the audience was on their feet, dancing in the aisles and on the balcony—the show was happening in the room as much as on stage! Poems were recited in voiceovers, but even if you don’t understand Arabic, it’s not really an issue.

Tunisians, especially Tunisian women, really dress up to go out at night, competing in elegance, and the streets stay lively until late.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend catching a concert at the Théâtre Municipal de Tunis or elsewhere in the city. It’s a great way to discover music you’d never hear in France, especially since the prices are super affordable—at the Théâtre Municipal, the most expensive tickets cost 40 and 50 dinars, which is 12 and 15 €.

I read in the news that the Théâtre Municipal wasn’t supposed to be open for Ramadan nights because renovations are planned, so it might close soon.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I’m revisiting the Municipal Theatre of Tunis, a little Art Nouveau gem (from my room overlooking the theatre, I can perfectly see the bas-relief that’s hard to spot from below. It depicts Apollo surrounded by the Muse of Poetry and the Muse of Drama, and it’s the work of a French sculptor, Jean-Baptiste Belloc).

What struck me last night was the elegance of the audience. I’m more used to going to the theatre in Madrid, where people dress much less formally—it’s really only for the opera that Spaniards dress up more.

Last night, among the spectators, there was a very elegant lady in a green outfit with a matching scarf and a chechia (a unisex head covering), young women in stunning djellabas, others in leather miniskirts and knee-high boots, some wearing sequined or gold-coin-embroidered scarves. Even the usher (a woman in her fifties) who showed us to our seats had a lot of style—she was wearing a shiny red top, a tight skirt, and burgundy boots.

The most eccentric was an elderly gentleman in a red suit with a flower behind his ear. He didn’t stop dancing by himself while holding his phone to film the whole time. He was in the front and knocked over a metal bar that was on the side.

Throughout the concert, people kept standing up, others arrived halfway through the show and kissed everyone in their row, some were talking on the phone, and many were filming the performance.

At the balcony and in the hallways, women (and a few men) were dancing, and those seated raised their arms and swayed in an oriental style.

In short, there was a great atmosphere, even though the hall wasn’t even close to full (there were other shows happening elsewhere in Tunis, including Cheb Mami at the Cité de la Culture).

People are allowed to smoke inside the theatre (though not in the auditorium), so you can smell tobacco throughout the show. That’s also very different from Europe, where smoking is now banned in public spaces).

LA MARSA

This is the chic and quiet suburb of Tunis. I think expats must live here because I ran into quite a few Westerners who didn’t seem like tourists. In La Marsa, you can find all the foreign press (especially French).

The shops are upscale (decor, clothing, pastries, etc.), prices are high (the *bouza* that was 20 dinars per liter in Kairouan is 52 dinars per liter here), international restaurants are plentiful (Breton crêperie, Thai catering, etc.), and the cars are high-end. In short, it feels like Europe.

There are also beautiful villas, and the seafront is nice. The beach was crowded—families, young people playing beach volleyball, etc.

In my opinion, it’s not an essential stop. La Marsa can be a nice detour in the summer for swimming and escaping Tunis, but in winter and during Ramadan, with bars and restaurants closed, it’s a different story.









LA GOULETTE

Closer to Tunis than La Marsa and on the same bus line, I’d say this is another stop you can skip.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tonight’s concert was different from yesterday’s—tonight it was Tunisian classical music, *malouf* from Tunisia, with all the traditional instruments. I loved it.

Like yesterday, the audience was very well dressed—clothes, jewelry, hats. These are affluent, cultured Tunisians.

The eccentric old gentleman was there again, still in the front row. Tonight he was wearing a golden-yellow suit and still had that flower behind his ear. He danced through a good part of the show, spinning around and raising his arms with a perpetual smile on his lips. What a character! My neighbor pointed him out to me, laughing, and said something in Arabic that I didn’t understand. They assume I understand Arabic just because the performance is in Arabic.

Tomorrow night, it’ll be traditional music from Djerba. The night’s going to be short because my return flight is Monday at 6:30 AM...