Night in Tunisia

Sahara Heartbreak

Did I mention that Loren and I have been saving our little Dinars for a trip? Originally we had planned to go to Lebanon, Jordan and Syria for a tour with our friend Ian. We didn't manage to save quite that much, though. So the idea of a vacation was scrapped.

Then we learned of the Festival du Sahara in Douz, the far south and home of Tunisia's largest date plantation. Wow! The websites and brochures that we have said early November for the festival, and that it would include date harvesting, Berber dancing, camel fights (sort of wrestling/shoving match), hound races and other cultural events. What an adventure!

I quickly snatched up the Lonely Planet Guide to Tunisia and read all about Douz, figuring out if we could fly there (we can!) and what hotel to stay at (Hotel 20 Mars looks best!) and all the neat things to see and do. I even started calculating how to get to Matmata and Tatouine for the Berber and Starwars architecture respectively. Finally we were going to take a vacation. Hooray!

Then, on Loren's sober advice, I checked the dates for this year. The Festival du Sahara has been moved back to late December! Horror! Raagh! No festival for us!

Now my imagination has been entirely captured by the romance of the desert in the winter, and I'm loath to skip the trip. Douz, though, is a pretty small place, and without a festival to attend in the afternoons and evening, it could be a pretty quiet place with not very much to do. I guess it's back to the drawing board, but with a bias now, because I've got the Sahara on my mind. And when the desert gets in, it's hard to get it out.

posted by tiaraletourneau @ 2:05 p.m.