Lion's Club Visit to Zaghouan

Last weekend we were invited by some friends to join with the local area's Lions Club to visit a Berber community located near Zaghouan.  Located south of Tunis, this area is quite picturesque ... very green, hills, and lots of historical points of interest.

We feel very fortunate to have been invited along, and as the saying goes ... became an "accidental tourist".  Hard to believe so much could be packed in one day!

Some highlights were viewing the ancient Roman Aquaduct system along the roadside.  These "ruins" are actually in pretty good shape considering their 3,000 years age!  And literally go on for miles ....

After visiting the Berber community there, we returned to Zaghouan to join together for a traditional Tunisia meal.  Even though this was lunch, there were so many courses I lost count.  And yes, there was a couscous dish as one of the courses.  Dangerously delicious :)

I've been playing around with some movie maker software - so here's my little movie "photo" album of this part of the afternoon:

Return Visit to London- Nov 11 - 14, 2011

London is soooo close!  It takes awhile to get used to the idea that the European destinations are close, have reasonably priced airfare and convenient access from Tunis.  So off we went for a "long weekend" holiday to London!  Great to have some familiar food again, hear English spoken and to be a pedestrian in a pedestrian friendly city .... yes, compared to Tunis, London is much more pedestrian friendly.

 
And then of course is shopping.  I'm like a little kid in a candy shop after the minimal shopping and selection opportunities in Tunis.  For example, after weeks of searching in Tunis for bed linen with the correct sizing for our bed, I had virtually given up.  Then in London ... not only was the size I was searching for available, there were virtually hundreds of design/colours to choose from!  Now I must admit, Roy was not nearly as excited as I was, but yohooo, I was over-the-top thrilled!  So we successfully found some bed linen and while Roy had the task of carting this very heavy load back to the hotel, I amused myself with yet some more shopping.

That's the "Earl of Chesterfield", the namesake of the hotel we stayed at.  A nice little spot very close to the heart of London.  We were able to walk to everything and luckily, the weather was terrific making being outside very possible.  

We also visited the Wax Museum.  Stephen, this pirate photo is for you ... may we be invited onto your pirate ship now?  Lots of pieces to LQQK at, but I guess my favourite was the "Three Wise Men" (Einstein, Stephen Hawking and of course-Roy).

Pirates for a Day

The Three Wise Men

Beautiful "Fall" Days

Our days have settled into a routine with Roy heading off to work for the day and Misha & I going for a nice long walk.  The seawall at Berges du Lac, the community in Tunis where we are living, is quite large and an hour walk probably just covers about half of it.  I took this video yesterday:

Very hard to believe it's November!  Although I'm told it will get much colder, for now we are very much enjoying the + 22 - 24 degree weather during the day.  Misha does get a fair number of reactions from the locals.  Dog ownership is not that common and we have found many Tunisian's are actually afraid of dogs ... even this "scary" Misha.  My guess is that they will be even more concerned when they see me walking Misha in the rain, when I've got her decked out in her Martha Stewart doggy jacket :)

Election Day - October 23, 2011

The long awaited and much anticipated election day has finally arrived.  As luck would have it, our apartment is right across the street from one of the polling stations.  We first became aware of this when the evening before we saw some soldiers being dropped off and setting up posts at this spot, normally a school.

Normally a school, this site appears to be a site for the election "tomorrow"

That's a soldier walking towards the door "patrolling" the area.  I guess they are not taking any chances and careful planning to ensure the polling stations will be kept safe for election day.

Same site, now on election day

This was ~11:00 am on Sunday, October 23rd.  The lineups were long, but it seemed that it was kept moving, so wait times were reported to be under an hour.  There was a real "festive" mood, lots of cheering, flag waving and celebratory calls out to each other.  It was a real honour to be able to be present and witness this very historic event.  And the best news, not a single incident reported.  It looks like all their careful planning paid off.

Here's a short video to give a bit of the flavour of the day:

Now Back To Tunis - Oct 2011

Now the mad rush to get ready for returning to Tunisia.  This time, I insisted that our dog Misha came.  Here she is on packing day, just before heading off to the airport.  Not aware of the major trip that lies in store for her!

And now after we arrived ... yes, I now believe even a dog can suffer jet lag!

A very tired "doggy"!

We arrived safe & sound, and with no issues or problems.  It was quite stressful getting all the paperwork prepared to take a dog on a journey like this.  And not one person even asked to see them!  Then, after we arrived in Tunis, Roy checked with the travel agent and somehow Misha was never properly booked on the flight ---> she ended up flying all the way here as a stowaway!  Funny how all the work to ensure the paperwork was properly done and we neglected the most obvious step ... of booking her on the flight.  Good thing she's such a seasoned traveler ... as usual, I don't think anyone even knew she was on the plane.

Now to beloved Sidney Island - Sept 2011

Sunrise - Taken from our bedroom window ... feels like being in a postcard!

After being away from our cabin for the longest period ever, we were even that much more happy to be back.  And greeted with all the beauty of this amazing place.

Roy kayaking in Miner's Bay

We also took advantage of every minute as we knew our time there would go by quickly.  So went kayaking just about every day, and on the "colder" days, went hiking.

Our daughter, Jessica and her friend, Whitney had joined us for a few days and had to endure one of our "rather too long" hikes.  We seem to never get enough, but the kids probably would have preferred half the time.



One highlight was when friend from my Peninsula Newcomer's hiking group came for a day of hiking.

The "Ol" Newcomer's Group 

Taken by friend, Liz Ball

Time in Calgary with mom - Sept 2011

Mom & I visit dad's grave site.  She also is wearing her newly found wedding ring and posing to show it off.

Mom's alzheimer's had seemed to progress some, but thankfully she still recognized me and had pretty good long-term memory recall.  I stayed with her for about a week and gained a renewed appreciation for the challenges that Susie, her permanent caregiver, has to keep up mom's care.  It was good to have that one-on-one time together though ... very good for the spirit ... although hard at times to see mom struggle through her day.

A Quick Canada "Catch-Up" - August 2011

A chance to visit Cecilia and Peter's new place, near Port Credit in Toronto

Cecilia made the most beautiful bride list for sure!

Time filled up pretty quickly once we returned back to Canada.  Hence, no further posts until now.  First stop was friend Cecilia's wedding.  It was also wonderful to see friend Sakae and family (from Japan) who attended the wedding.  Sakae's mom is the one dressed in a beautiful kimono and Sakae is standing behind her mom.

August 2011 - Return To Canada

After returning back to Canada, first stop had to be Starbucks.  It had been way too long since having a great coffee.  With the time zone change and my desperation, I was first in line ~5:30 am.  The barista that served me had to endure my story about having gone so long without a great coffee.  However, she was sufficiently impressed that my coffee was given "on the house"!  And it was soooo delicious!

Driving In Tunis

I've made a few references to the driving conditions here ... so I thought I would show a short video on a typical day of driving.  This street is called La Soukra Road, kind of in a popular shopping district.  So this would be like MacLeod Trail in Calgary or Douglas Street in Victoria.  Notice that the drivers typically have their arms out of their windows.  It seems to me that subtle hand and arm gestures are required driving aids (actually used to communicate politely rather than simply gesture).  The cars get jammed up like this on occasion, but somehow it is never for very long and one is not "stuck" in traffic nearly as much as we experience in our Canadian cities.  

It is very common is to see pedestrians walking amongst the vehicles, even when traffic is moving! Even though there are signs, stop-lights and painted lines on the road, all of these are completely ignored.  It is more uncommon to see someone stop at a red light than pass through.  Always check both ways as traffic always goes both ways - even on a one-way.  And if you are walking on the sidewalk, be wary ... still fair game for traffic flow.  A driver may opt to use the additional space of the sidewalk to get past some traffic congestion,  

And I'm not even sure why they bother to paint lines on the roads as absolutely no one sticks to one lane.  Not so much an issue when traffic is congested like in this video.  But can be rather disconcerting when on a roadway where the traffic is moving along.  Kind of looks like everyone is driving while "under the influence".  Except it's just another normal commuting day for the locals.   

An Errand Day in Tunis-Some Grocery Shopping

It's been awhile since my last entry, mainly because our lives have taken on a rather "routine" schedule.  So not much new but here's a few tid-bits ....

Army Tank in Front of Carrefore (The Tunisian "Safeway")

As many of you know, Tunisia being right beside Libya, there are plenty of situations that arise from this Libyan influence.  For example, many Libyans are now in Tunisia and have left behind their friends/relatives.  The living situation in many of the Libyan urban centres are reported to be quite challenging.  One challenge is a shortage of food & water in parts of Libya, in some cases are quite extreme.  One way they are managing this, is that food & water supplies are being bought here in Tunisia, at the same supermarkets (it's called "Carrefore") we are all shopping at, and then taken back to Libya for those "friends/relatives" left behind.  Well last Friday, I found myself in the midst of a bit of a water riot!  I'm not kidding, I've never seen anything like it.  It's not un-nerving enough to go to the supermarket and navigate past machine-gun soldiers and an army tank but to also put up with frenzied crowd with an "every man for himself" attitude ... well it just puts grocery shopping on a whole new level!  Needless to say, being a bit of a fiesty, little thing ... I scored two 6-packs of water.

Libyan Transport Truck heading back to Libya

Here's an earlier photo I took showing one of many trucks heading into Libya from Tunisia, filled with supplies:

Probably the most memorable part of watching this "water riot" unfold, was the human chain of Carrefore employees encircling around the flats of water as they were being wheeled into the customer distribution area.  They literally made a human chain around the flats of water, guarding it until all the flats could be wheeled out.  Well one rather large lady just couldn't contain herself anymore and tackled one of the unfortunate Carrefore employees and then her accomplices started ripping away the plastic shipping wrap to get at the 6-packs.  And then it was like kids scrambling for candy just after a pinata breaks open.  Yes ladies ... even crazier than a Holt Renfrew shoe sale!

Also this Libyan influence is being felt by Roy's work.  Here's an example of an email Roy sent to me last Friday:


"Our military contacts near the camp, informed us that the Libyan forces surrendered to them last night after this intense activity. The number of troops is unknown but they said there were over 2 hundred vehicles seized along with weapons and ammunition.  The military views this as a positive step in the process."


Apparently there has been some Libyan military activity near the Tunisian border and Storm's rig is operating close enough to this activity that this military update was seen to be important enough to circulate.  Puts a whole new dimension to the "See ya hubbie ... have a good day at work".  Especially as Roy was in Tatooine last week around the time of this news! 


On a more boring side, the furniture shopping is pretty much finished now.  Here's a few photos of our place, now furnished.  It's very comfortable and now it's furnished, feels very much like home.  

So there you have it .... my latest update.  Hope all is well with everyone back in beautiful Canada.  I will be leaving for Toronto next week to attend my friend Cecilia's wedding.  And then onto Calgary for the remainder of August to be with mom.  If all goes well, Roy & I are hoping to be back to Sidney for September and spend the month at our cabin on Sidney Island.  A lot depends on the situation here in Tunisia, but one way or another we should be able to get back to Sidney in the fall.

Egypt July 14-17, 2011

By The Great Sphinx

Since travelling to different parts of North Africa is relatively easy, we decided to take a few days to visit Egypt, specifically Cairo.  This was a first visit for both of us, and were not sure it the timing was all that smart since we are in the hottest part of the summer!  However, it worked out very well as not only was it cooler than the "hotsnap (+45)" that tunis was currently having, but between the timing and the recent political events, we seemed to have the tourist spots mostly to ourselves!  Take a look at this photo above ... normally this area would be crawling with tourists.  And only ~ +32 degrees!

This is the area right in Cairo.  These pyramids are visible from all around the city ... if it wasn't for the pollution.  Sometimes in the late afternoon we could see the pyramids from our hotel room window.




We also did some other touristy things like visit a carpet making factory and a papyrus "paper from a papyrus stem" making place.

Carpet Making School

Art Work on Papyrus "Paper"

This is Roy Standing with our guide "Mohamed".  Definitely having both a driver & a guide is the way to go in this place.  We tried heading out on our own the next day and the "locals" quickly see you are a tourist and are constantly hustling you for your $$$$.

Probably the most memorable site was Tahrir Square in Cairo.  Still very much party central for the revolution.  They continue to have demonstrations, especially every Friday (the anniversary day for when their revolution started).  We walked right by this area on the way to visit the Egyptian museum.  This area is closed off, under the control of the young rebels and one can only enter with "a pass".  We saw a burned out government building:

If it's said "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words", then being there is a thousand times more powerful than that.  It felt like we were walking in the midst of a war zone ... especially striking as a long side this it was "business as usual".  People engaged in their normal lives, donkey carts, kids playing and of course the perpetual hassling of tourists.

The Hospital in Smar - June 28, 2011

The purpose of the trip last week to Tatooine (Southern Tunisia) was for Storm Energy's community initiative of providing medical supplies to the area.   Little did we know how great this need was.  Roy, Jamel and myself arrived to the hospital in "Smar", this region's medical centre hub for this region.

We met with the medical director, Dr. Ahmed Filali who took us on a tour of the facility prior to the arrival of the medical supplies.  Words can not describe how much these supplies were needed!  Broken beds, empty supply cupboards, few & well used patient care items ... not to mention the lack of basic items expected for a hospital centre, like medicines, diagnostic equipment, surgical supplies, etc.  I felt like I was in a WW1 surgical field hospital from the early 1900's!

This Dr. had been working in this hospital for the past 25 years and even though he could well leave to a more lucrative position in another area has chosen to stay because of the high need of medical services for the area.  Not unlike Canada's challenges in providing medical care to our northern-most communities.

We learned that due to it's geographical location, this region was not a priority area in Tunisia under the former regime, but also being so remote was "off the radar" for organizations such as the Red Cross.  It would take up to 4 years for a request for supplies to be filled!  So for instance, the dental treatment area had a supply table with a broken piece of glass that had been that way for many years. The dentist would have to be careful to place his equipment off to one side to avoid the sharp edges of the broken glass.

I took some pictures of the facility, some of the staff and especially of the supply truck that Storm gifted for the community.  Pay paticular attention to the smiles of the staff, my pictures are not good enough quality, but there were tears of joy in some of their eyes!  This will be a day none who were there will easily forget.

Dr. Filali drawing us a "map" showing the large region that this hospital services

Bashir, a Storm employee, was the key person who organized this initiative.  He is presenting a supply of medicine to Dr. Filali.  This medicine is to treat scorpion bites, common in this desert region.  Many people die each year for the lack of this medicine ... it only costs ~$30.00 a vial!  It's in a cooler as it must be kept refrigerated.

In one of the treatment rooms

Outside the facility

The Supply Truck Storm arranged.  That's Roy with Dr. Filali

This truck was packed full!  They couldn't have fit one more needle into it.  This photo was taken after they had already unloaded a couple of beds.

This is Roy again with the region's medical director (sorry, I didn't get his name)

The signs on the truck are "SVI" Storm Ventures International.  And, the main one is the Tunisian flag.

These are some of the nurses.  Know that it is not often you would see smiles as big as these!

I had also taken some video which shows much better the facility and the people involved.  However, I have not had success as yet in getting it uploaded to this blog.  I'll keep trying!  But to describe some of the donated items included:  There were medicines, computer equipment (yes, they did not even have internet access!), waiting room chairs & television, hospital beds, supply tables and general medical supplies.  These items will be distributed to this hospital as well as the medical facilities in the area that they service.

Some More Side Trips In Southern Tunisia

At the same Berber Community, there was some young boys who were happy to earn a few "tourist" dollars with their "trained" birds.  So a few more photos:

Normally, I don't like to promote the capturing of wild animals for our human amusement, but these people are really feeling the effects of the drop in tourism this year.  The war rages on in Libya and so these places are receiving about ~5% of the tourist numbers that they would normally experience.  So we gladly parted with some $$$ to work with these young lad's enterprise.

The Tip of the Sahara.  Lots of Camels and lots of Sand!

It's like walking in a deep snow bank!

Wild Camels, just "loose" along the road

Another "random" camel, one of many in this area

This Sign Says to "Watch For Camel's Crossing"!

A Visit To Southern Tunisia - June 24

The southern part of the country is where many of the Berber community is located.  We passed through a few of the towns and stopped at this one for lunch.  This area is located in what we would call a very harsh area ... barren landscape, very hot during the day, etc.  So they have learned to work with the landscape instead of "fighting" it as we do.  Their homes are carved right into the rock.  The ultimate in environmental technology!  Their homes are kept at a comfortable +22, day/night; winter/summer without any heating/air conditioning.  Hmm, sounds like we can learn a lot from these people!

A few more pictures:

In the doorway of a sleeping area

In the eating area

Eating Area

To get an idea of the Berber Landscape

A Day at the Beach - Mediterranean

Check out that blue sky!  No wonder "Mediterranean Blue" is such a gorgeous shade of blue.  We made like the locals and headed off to the beach last Sunday.  Brand new beach chairs, beach towels and beach umbrella.  However, it was kind of windy, so our new umbrella promptly folded inside-out as soon as we opened it up.  We soon discovered that you can rent a permanent grass umbrella for what would be ~$2.00 for the day.  Far easier and much more effective.

This was the first time Roy had been to the beach in the 6 years he has been coming here!  So I guess I'm doing my job by insisting on some "Fun Time".

And I'm marvelling at how easy it is to just decide "hey, it looks like a nice day ... let's head down to the beach".  For us Canadians, organizing a day like this requires much time and many $$$'s.  I think I can get used to this!


FOR YOU MOM .....

You asked for a scenic photo of the beach, so here's one:

I took this from our sitting spot at a beach near Tunis.  It was a very hot day (around +32), so hanging out near the water was a lovely way to spend the hot afternoon.  It was quite windy that day, so it was very easy to stay cool by hanging out here.  Wish you could have been here ... it's very close to your beloved Italy!