photos and awareness

Cracker Schnaffel

Just lost the blog i had written for you. Alors this one will be shorter. you might even be able to finish this one. I havenùt seen my belongings since monday morning and thus havent got my usb to upload pictures. So to cheat ive got some pics of thigns ive seen in Tunis to give you an idea.

P.S. this is a special thanks to jessica, She told me she dreamed something and that the outcome was that i should be safe and stay aware. she was right and i was probably becoming too comfortable.

Las night i was walking from the hotel to the train. i get to the intersection and there is a guy standing where i will turn right. its about 10 pm theres a street light and this is close to the center of a four way intersection. the guy is about 35 well dressed. i nod and say salaah and keep walking. people are quite friendly so i wasnt suprised when he said ca va i said cava bien et toi? he said cava and kind of stepped a few feet towards me. I was fifteen feet away and walking away.

keeping jessicas advice in mind i cross the street and i put my hand on my couteau (knifes are illegal here so i wouldnt carry one. a couteau is french for knife). I start hearing the guy make this noise, like hes calling a cat. hiss kisst you know how you call a cat? i turn around and he does it again? okay i stop he is clearly trying to get my attention. its prety poorly lit now lots of trees and fences on both sides.

I say excuse me? he does it again i say je ne suis pas un chat. and he kind of jogs over.

he says vous etes aller a le hotel.

oui, je suis aller a le hotel.

vous etes tunisian. i ask?

and keeping jesicas warning in mind im keeping my distance and starting to think its a little strange that hes walking the same direction as me. he keeps saying ca va ca va? i say in french. your french is not good? he says no not good. i ask why are you waing this way he shrugs his shoulders so i move a few feet away and im looking behind me and beside me to make sure his friend isnt jumping out of the bushes or whatever.

Then i ask again in french why are you walking this way and he kind of stops and looks at me and squints his eyes and pouts his lips and makes three quick kiss faces . ... this is where if we were watching a movie you would hear the records skip sqrchhh ALRIGHT BUDDY i say arrete arrete quitter maintenant. i point to where he came from and pick up the pace. non? he says with a french accent. no thank you i said and kee walking away as he turns around and makes his way back to the corner he was apparently working. I walk quickly and in the middle of the street to avoid the dark bushes on the sides all the way to the hotel. laughing as i enter the room i make sure to do the dead bolt just in case.

so. there you have it, i was hoping the first advance i would fend off would be from an exotic looking tunisian princess but no such luck. None the less, thank you jessica for your warning and its a good lesson that if something doesnt seem right... it probably isnt

Enjoy the photos; and stay out of dark alleys.

All the best,
Luke

This is the town of Hammam Lif, where I live and where I work. South is left Rlkight is North. its 45 minutes by train to the city of tunis where i will be based sometime next week. My hotel is on the right of this photo, my work is pretty much dead center.

Its not my photo so i have no idea about the boats or why the people are in the water, likely theyre getting water to make the juice i drink in the morning. that would explain some things including the constant fetal position rewuired to keep my stomach from cramping up (chill out mom its not really like that ) (who references their mom in their blog anyway)

This is the city of souss, the courtyard. Visited here las week. the base of the walls were built over 2000 years ago then flattened in the punic wars and then rebuilt 800 years ago.

Last but not least this is the skyline of the city Tunis where i will live in a week or two

Hope you have enjoyed ill get you some real photos in the days to come.

Luke