Sufatela ruins, swimming pools, and soccer in Sbeitla. Tunisia June 2024

Tracy,

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We depart, off to the small town of Sbeitla, where we’ll be staying because it’s next to some amazing Roman and Byzantine ruins of Sufetula.

During the drive, we’ve got more time to do our own thing. And so it’s a van ride of us all listening to our audio books and music. After a few hours, I look up as our van is turning into the Hospital.

Oh no! What did I miss? I take out my headphones to ask who is hurt? Yassine says, “We are getting coffee.” Blank stares all around. But yes, turns out he learned a few years ago that the espresso cafe attached to the hospital is decent (on a previous tour when someone was hurt and they’d needed the hospital). Ha. Also explained that, especially when he has Italian tour groups, an espresso stop is required every day. So he’s had to learn lots of different places. And again, especially in these smaller towns, most of the coffee shops are men only. Not technically illegal for women to go in, but he says there’s lots of uncomfortable staring. Whereas this care at the hospital is patronized by all (especially as many of the doctors and staff are women). Nice to get a caffeine and stretch your leg stop.

Yassine also told us some wild stories during this drive. He was in the Sahara on an extensive tour guide trip during the 2011 revolution (beginning of the Arab Spring) so didn’t know anything about it. Returned to cities and towns, and got all the changing news, including a government curfew, and all the uncertainty.

He also said that during the solar eclipse, he hadn’t heard about it. Was on island of Djerba. Came outside after a nap and the streets were empty. All businesses closed. He didn’t know what was happening? Was this the Rapture? Laughs heartily He learned later people were scared/had been told that the UV light during the eclipse would be dangerous, so everyone closed up shop and stayed inside. Wild.

It’s garlic season, and so we are passing so many pickup trucks just overloaded with garlic. I swear I could almost smell it.

On our way into town, we stop for photos and let stretch at the Arch of Diocletian.

With reassurances that we’ll explore the ruins more extensively after we drop our luggage at the hotel. And we do! Sufatela is stunning, and so well preserved. Also significant because they had three separate temples to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (normally there was one Roman temple to all three of these gods).

And so much history in this area of southern Tunisia (Berber, Roman, Vandal, it was a powerful Christian Bishopric in the 4th to 6th century, Byzantine, and later an important first step on the muslim conquests into the region).

christian baptismal font

so many exposed mosaics, that one can just Touch!!

And the quality of the light this afternoon, golden rays illuminating everything with some fantastic fluffy clouds…too damn cool.

I’m becoming a pro at Sun protection, by adding my sarong head wrap to my big Sun hat, ain’t no rays gonna get me!

Again, the quality of the Mosaics is stunning. So well preserved. And also, that they are so numerous, so many are still just left in the open air at the original ruins sites, rather than transported to a museum (although their museums are full of Mosaics too. A real embarrassment of riches).

While walking around the site (we’re the only people here), one of the group gives a small scream. I can’t now remember who it was. Turns out they’d almost stepped on a turtle. We all get excited to meet a new friend. And then Yassine just picks up the turtle to show us things. That always makes me slightly uncomfortable. Leave wildlife unmolested. But it was still cool, and he put it back afterwards.

Pretty sure these are Aleppo pine trees. The other side of the ruins site has the town…some apartment buildings and stores in view.

Finally came across some of the push (poussez) signs. The French language, still making me chuckle, 20+ years after learning the French pronunciation for “push”.

We’ve got a few hours before dinner at the hotel, and are excited to use the pool!! After floating and chatting for an hour, Sara joined us for final 30 minutes, sitting on the edge and dangling her feet.

View of Roman and Byzantine ruins in the distance. It’s pretty great. Then a hotel underling and big boss come over to the pool. Tell us “please. Water is no good. No pool!!” oh, okay. Thanks for telling us, we say, as we get out of the pool. And think maybe a sign would’ve been helpful. And as Sara observes, “it’s not like the hotel lobby isn’t ALL WINDOWS looking out over the pool.” We were there for sooooo long, in clear view of everyone, before anyone said anything. During my more-intense-than-normal post-pool shower and swimsuit washing, I kept working on different versions of a short play. Here’s my favorite version:

Amir: Sir?
Boss: Yes. What is it, Amir?
Amir: Sir. There are three Americans swimming in the pool.
Boss: Surely not! That’s where we store our brain-eating amoebas!!

Bwahahahaha. Dinner is at the hotel restaurant. Sbeitla is a smaller town without a lot of tourism infrastructure. So not a lot of options outside the hotel. This evening happens to be a World Cup qualifying game between TUNISIA and Equatorial Guinea. What are the odds?!? I totally want to go watch, but the only option would be the hotel bar. Which is showing the game, happily. Nobody else in our group cares about sports at all. Not even Yassine. Michael says he’s down to join me as a cultural experience. However, when we get there, everyone is smoking indoors and that’s a hard pass from Michael. So now I’ve got to decide whether I’m brave enough to be crashing the Boys Only club to watch world cup qualifier. Because it is ONLY MEN, and it is jam-packed. But there’s an empty chair in the back, so I grab a seat. It becomes apparent only half of the folks are watching the game, the others are just hear to enjoy some drinks and some card games with their pals. (Probably the only place in town that sells alcohol, because it’s a hotel). While i’d prefer to sit in the front half, where the other more invested football fans are seated, without a wing-person, it feels too intrusive to insert myself. But the gents seem fine with me seated here at the back. Some smiles. Some friendly apologies as a group rearranges some furniture and temporarily blocks my view. And once Tunisia scores the winning goal, we’re all celebrating together.

But still, being a solo foreign woman in the much more conservative south town, it wasn’t quite the collegial shared experience I’d wanted. But I’m glad I was able to go and be a part of it. (If the schedule had just been one day earlier, the big city of Tozeur would’ve had a lot more options for co-ed sports watching). Still, what were the odds that one of the few qualifying matches this year happened while I was in town!!!

Then it’s off to bed (and another shower to wash the cigarette smoke out of my hair).

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