Tunisia - 30 September 2010 (4)

In A Galaxy Far Far Away

Not so Dissolute Bar

Next came the overnight stop that I was most dreading: the stay in a troglodyte hotel in Matmata.  Ruth was not sure how it would be laid out, but we were led to believe that we would be sleeping in dormitories, with separate boys and girls.  In the end, we kept the same sleeping arrangements as before, even those who had paid a single room supplement.  Unfortunately, the bathrooms were quite a long walk away and not all the taps and lights worked.  The beds were cut into the rock and sheets and a blanket were provided.  There was not much room for a case or to lay out our things, but Caroline travels light and so we managed.  A few steps led up to our room, but there was a railing to hold onto.  Vic was not so lucky.  This room was up a full flight of steps and there was a sheer drop not far from the door.  Lotfi and Hammadi kindly volunteered to swap rooms with him, to avoid any nasty accidents in the middle of the night.  I stood in the doorway to their new room and my head nearly touched the top.  As they were much taller, they had to bend their heads when they stood up.  The beds were small too and would have been especially difficult for Hammadi and Robin.

Another Scene in Outer Space

A Disreputable Alien

Matmata was used as the backdrop for the crucifixion scene in Life of Brian, but the crosses had been taken down and there was nothing to see.  It was also used for some of the scenes in the Star Wars films.  So, after settling in, we walked to another hotel which was the setting for a dissolute bar where Hans Solo and his “friends” hung out.  The bar was far from dissolute when we went there.  We did nothing worse than pose for photos and have just one drink.  As it was growing dark, we set off back to our hotel, stopping at a corner store to buy some cheap water on the way.

Dinner was included and surprisingly good.  The only hiccough for Caroline and me was the tuna in the vegetarian brik, but we managed to avoid eating any.  The couscous and vegetables were good as the vegetables were butternut squash, potatoes and chick peas.  We had grapes for desert.

Afterwards, we all chatted in the bar and looked up at the sky.  When the main light was turned off, we could see a mass of stars in the clear night sky, but then someone turned it back on.  I mostly chatted to Barry who was now fully recovered from his cold.  Amazingly, he had not passed it on to anyone, although a few people did have sore throats and coughs.

We left Lotfi and Hammadi chatting to the staff and retired to our rooms.  It is inevitable that, when bathrooms are a long walk away, you need to use them more often than normal.  I think the guy standing guard at the entrance to the hotel was amused by the constant parade along the corridor.

I think I finally fell asleep about 23.00, but I woke up at 03.10.  Soon after, I had the brilliant idea to avoid the queues for the shower and got up, quietly gathering shampoo, soap and towel from the suitcase trying not to wake Caroline.  As expected, there was no one about, so I was able to have my shower in peace and privacy and at leisure.  The only problem was that the water was cold, but I gritted my teeth and got through (people who showered at a more sensible time had cold water too, so I would have suffered even with a conventional shower hour).  Better still, there was no one about when I walked back to the room, wrapped in my towel.  I had never used my travel towel before and Caroline had said that it would smell terribly if I put it away when it was still wet.  So I turned the sheet round the other way, wrapped it round me and put the towel on the top to keep me warm and give it chance to dry thoroughly.  It took a while to get back to sleep, but I managed it and woke up after 05.00 when people were starting to stir.