It's been a busy few days. Exams finished on Monday, marking was completed Monday night, ratification of results was done on Tuesday, and that was the end of term chores put to bed.
So, my marathon journey started a day ahead of schedule on Wednesday. I managed to do Benghazi to Tripoli in about 10 hours, so that was an average speed of about 110 kph. Very satisfying. Once there I met up with an old colleague, and my replacement, for a bite to eat near where I used to live in Ben Ashur. It was like going back home. Later on I met up with a couple of my old students, Khalid and Salem, and they brought me up to date with all the gossip, all of which is too boring to relate, but quickly made me settle back into Tripolitanian mood. I'm glad I met them because they told me what documentation I'd need to be able to take my car into Tunisia.
That night I stayed in Annette's flat - she's in England - and quite a shock it was when I got there. It'd been gutted - no beds, no furniture, no bathroom. So I ended up on a mattress on the floor. Luckily I was knackered, so slept well enough, ready for the next stage.
First of all, though, I had to get my paperwork sorted. Khalid met me in the morning, and we trawled round various places getting bits and pieces. By the time we were finished, I had insurance for going abroad, lifetime membership of the National Automobile Club of Libya, and loads of other bits of paper, all duly stamped with the inevitable green ink. Khalid went off to meet his lawyer (he's getting divorced; "I'll be like you, John," he said!) and I went off to Tunisia. Not before, however, pulling a muscle in my calf whilst dodging a particularly speedy driver in Tripoli. It felt like I'd been shot, and continues to be very uncomfortable. I'm thinking of buying a stick to help me in my shuffling.
Getting to the border was the easy bit. Getting over it needed the help of Steve McQueen. It's a good job I'd got all the right bits of paper: the guards on the Libyan side went through everything. Car, papers, my reasons for travelling, how long was I staying - you name it. It took two hours, and I was so relieved to get to Tunisia. When I crossed over, I said to the Tunisian guard: "Am I in Tunisia yet?" He beamed at me and said: "Yes. Welcome." Since getting here I haven't been stopped once despite there being checkpoints every thirty or so kilometres.
By the time I actually hit the Tunisian tarmac it was getting quite late, so I thought I'd aim for Sfax rather than Tunis. However, when I stopped for petrol in Gabes, an unforeseen problem reared its ugly head - money. I had American Express, Visa, Mastercard, British pounds, Egyptian pounds, and Libyan dinars. They wanted euros, Tunisian dinars, or dollars. And I couldn't take any cash out of an ATM because I'd already reached my limit for the day in Libya buying bits of paper and paying deposits for various things. And the banks were shut.
So, I found a hotel which took plastic, and stayed where I was. It was a bit of a one horse town, but the hotel was comfortable and cool, the food was great, and the people were friendly. One of the waiters asked if I would like to go to a party he was having at the weekend. Of course I couldn't, but what a friendly gesture. Obviously I'm still in the Magreb, and I was reading a book about Islam and Mecca over dinner which always goes down well.
All along the roads here there are stalls selling fruit, hats, etc, and bottles of something which I haven't worked out yet:
At first I thought it was petrol - petrol here is over five times the price of Libya - but it may well be olive oil. I'll make some enquiries.
Up and out early this morning, I managed to get some local cash, so I hit the road again. The roads here are excellent - no potholes, plenty of signposts, and signs in Roman script as well as Arabic. Almost everyone speaks French, so conversation is a little easier too.
On getting to Sfax, there was a wonderful surprise waiting for me - a motorway. It was practically empty, almost new, and went all the way to Tunis. What bliss. The central reservation is planted with flowers, and I also saw what I think was a giant aloe with enormous sprouting shoots which you can see on the rise:
Almost prehistoric.
From Sfax to Tunis, about 250 kms, I drove through thousands of acres of olive bushes, for as far as the eye could see:
and my journey was unimpeded, for the most part, by other cars. Driving here is so different from Libya; I was a little apprehensive at first, but it's just like being in France. I'm having to unlearn some of my bad Libyan habits, particularly on roundabouts - they operate something called 'right of way' here, and I keep forgetting who has it.
When I eventually arrived in Tunis, I was so happy - it's a long way from Benghazi. It's a small place, and the motorway took me almost to the centre. I did have a map, but didn't need it; my hotel is right in the centre, on the main street, on a wide boulevard:
There's hardly a headscarf in sight (the President thought they were insulting to women so banned them many years ago), the atmosphere is very French, and the people are helpful and friendly. Despite my current disability, I shall be out flaneuring tomorrow - there's a lot to see, and it's all quite close by.
