Blabbercamel

After these few weeks, I’m happy to announce that I’m officially on HOLIDAYS!!!! ~yay~

I’m leaving for Tunis on Monday (NOT work related) to meet my family at last . My dad and camelette and her little cockroach are going there for a week, and seeing that it’s only an hour trip away I decided to meet them. (I haven’t seen them in 6 months )

As you can see from the picture (sorry for the quality ) there’s papa camel, camelette and little cockroach. My mom couldn’t make it, I really hope to see her soon

The other good side (100% personal) is that 2 of my colleagues are going to be there too (They are going for work obviously ) and I have a whole week to pester them [Yes!! I'm a bastard inside ] - I’ll have to prepare a check list of the things I’m going to do to them

Friends, Romans, Countrymen …No wait that’s not right…

Friends, Brothers, Sisters (much better :))

I have post cards LOADS OF THEM (we’ll almost :?)… I’ll start sending them shortly, so if any one wants one please leave me a comment in this post and I’ll contact you by e-mail later on for the address, please DO NOT POST your address in the comments.

Till now I have: (UPDATED) tomorrow I’ll by the stamps and 1 envelope

• My parents
• My aunt in Italy
• My cousin in Italy
• My cousins in KSA
• Mitsuchi
• Camellette
• Friends in France
• KGB

All you other people (and dear family members) post a comment if you want one, I’ll check the site before Friday (Inshaa’ Allah)

P.s. Please do not mind my hand writing when you get the card, I completely forgot how to write when I touched my first keyboard (yes, it was love at first sight)

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I have to start taking notes, honestly these 2 weeks that I have passed in Tunis were intense, tough, funny and fast!
Till now all is honky dory at Sheraton Tunis, the rooms  do not reflect the 5 star status, two of the four restaurants are terrible, and the service is very very “Arabic”
There are positive points, mainly related to the friends and colleagues that are staying with me, and the heated closed swimming pool [I simply can't tell you how many times I took a dip (lol a swimming camel)
One thing that really (and I mean REALLY) suprised me is how this Arabic/Muslim country changes from day to night
:o, I have seen the day life, it's almost like any western country [98% of women aren't covered] but they tend to not show either (imagine slightly baggy jeans and normal shirts and sweaters that hardly show anything) all is cool, people keep for them selfs and are generally shy. The night life how ever is a TOOOOTALLY different story
:twisted:, last Saturday I went out with two colleagues to have a drink and go to a disco tech later, we had fun, we played bowling (I won btw :P) then we headed to a disco/nightclub called “Plaza Cornice” or “La Plaza” there was something I would have never imagined in a country like this, people drunk and jumping like crazy, women half clothed [NOT half naked] doing things I didn’t see people do in Europe [I have to admit that in both cases the Arabic women ARE HOT!

Don't worry camellette all is OK! I'm not a night person anyway and I prefer cultural/historic tourism rather that what my *fellow* camels would do

Tunis is a strange place, nothing is concentrated in one place, to go to a museum you'd have to go a direction, for the ruins another, shopping is another story (different places depending what you are looking for) and obviously people trying to make a living in any mean possible (legally & not).

Places of note

• Bardo museum  (more info here)
• Carthage (the ancient city)
• Sidi Bu Said
• Hammamet
• The Medina of Tunis
• La Marsa

Obviously there are many many more places to see and visit (and me with so little time :roll:), work takes about 80-90% of my time, you can imagine how I look at the end of the day; I keep getting asked by the taxi driver and the hotel valet (the only good person at the hotel) if I'm sick, thankfully I'm not; I planed to have a haircut but I keep postponing it everyday

I'm really missing my home (which one?!) when I'll decide I'll let you know

P.s. I have taken many pictures, when I'll have the time to fix the gallery I'll post them :), if you have any suggestions for a good free picture posting site let me know [please!]

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Really I am!
It’s been a week and a half in Tunis and I’m physically and mentally tired.
The office chair is killing my back, just look to how I’m reduced

and because the hotel has a heated swimming pool
Work is chaos but hopefully it will be fixed soon, I’ll give a complete update this coming Sunday (Inshaa’ Allah)
Just to let you know that I miss you all *hugs*

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I managed to visit all the sites that we work with last Friday, and I made up a few ratings of my own based on my experiences on each site, I won’t go into detail or names for privacy and work related reasons

Sites (in alphabetical order)

• Angers - France
• Athens - Greece
• Cagliari - Italy
• Tunis - Tunisia (France)
• La Coruna - Spain

Best City (Architectural wise):

1. Angers, a cute city, nice buildings and castle. (75%)

1. La Coruna, I loved the city being a peninsula, fantastic beaches. (75%)
2. Tunis, I was bit let down by the level of maintanence and cleaness. (60%)
3. Cagliari, not one of the the most beatiful cities out there, but it’s a hoot in summer (50%)
4. Athens, yes… the most ugly city I ever visited, uncontrolled housings & ubanization destroyed many nice buildings and historical monuments, the acient Greek palaces are in a very poor state. (30%)

Hospitality (from the colleagues at work):

1. La Coruna, VERY very friendly, they don’t mix work with pleasure and are a funny bunch to work and have fun with (90%)
2. Tunis, I knew the Arabic hospitality was more (how should I say) warm?!, one person tried to be very hospitable, taking her time from her family and 3-4 year old son on the bank holiday in November to take me around a bit “thank you” (85%)
3. Athens, the site manager was very kind to give me the tour of the city, with him I managed to enter the main stadium in the city, and took me to very delicious restaurants. (75%)
4. Cagliari, I worked with these guys for 9 months, maibe because I feel like one of them that I got used to their ways, but still they invited me around when possibile (68%)
5. Angers, very willing and available when requested any thing, unfortunately the other sites did a bit more to get a better vote (but still they are hospitable) (60%)

City (shops/people/..etc):

1. La Coruna, love the Spanish life stile, I remember leaving work at 8pm and getting out of the hotel at 9pm and the shops were still open, I was only stopped once from a guy asking for a cigarette, no harrasments no bothers no worries (95%)
2. Cagliari, the stores close at 8pm, in winter the city is a bit more relaxed (you should see it in summer ) I was never stopped by any one, not even for sigarattes. (84%)
3. Athens, office hours finish at 5pm so there is time to tour the city and shop, taxis are everywhere and fairly cheap (need to haggle a bit on the price), I hate that pimp who dragged me to that pub (70%)
4. Tunis, many stores, need to keep an eye on the hidden ones since they are cheaper (or search the one’s that have the prices on the articles) watch out for price increase only because your a tourist, HATED really HATED those bastards who constantly harrassed me offering women, drugs or just simply asking for money. (50%)
5. Angers, I honestly can’t give a vote since I never visited the city since I always finished around 7-8pm and all the stores close at 7pm (french law), I lost count of how many times people asked me for cigarettes (but I do remember one guy asking for money 4 times from me ) (49%)

Food:
Don’t even get me started on this subject!!!
I wouldn’t know were to start :mrgreen:

Night life (yada, yada, yada):

1. La Coruna, need I say more? (80%)
2. Cagliari (60%) [in summer I would give it 90%]

Athens

Tunis, Angers, no votes, i didn’t have the time (or the courage) to go places due to work and fatique.

Women (office, streets) (don’t think badly)

1. La Coruna (99%) muy calientas

1. Cagliari (99%) the accent is a turn off

1. Tunis (99%) ahh.. Arab beauty

1. Angers (99%)

1. Athens (99%) too many (and I really mean they were every where)

I couldn’t make my mind up

Note:
What I have wrote in the this post, is a personal view and judgement, my company is not responsable for my actions or for any misunderstandings that this post may cause, and obviously low votes do NOT in case insinuate a bad or negative thing just and simply my personal expreience in that subject/point/matter/time.

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Effective November 6, 2006, new rules for the contents of hand baggage will apply for all airline passengers throughout the European Union (EU). Passengers may only carry small quantities (max. 100 ml per container) of liquids, gels and aerosols in their hand baggage. The packaging of these products must also meet specific requirements. This applies for all passengers departing from or catching connecting flights at airports within the European Union.

The new rules apply for liquids such as water and other drinks, but also extend to gels, pastes, lotions, and the contents of aerosols. This includes toiletries such as toothpaste, shaving cream, hair gel, lip gloss, facial creams, mascara and liquid lip balms.

These are the rules for liquids in your hand luggage:

1. You can only bring on liquids and gels in containers of no more than 100 millilitres.
2. These containers must be carried in a transparent plastic bag.
3. There is a limit of one transparent plastic bag per person.
4. The volume of the transparent plastic bag may not be greater than 1 litre.
5. The transparent plastic bag must be re-sealable.

Al7amdulillah there is nothing wrong with me (apart having a big nose and an ugly face), but I’m really REALLY tired of being harrast in the streets by those damn pimps!!!

Seriously! Where I go I get “INVITED” to places to have “DRINKS” and “FUN”, I’m really pissed.

I’ve been in Athens, and you all know what happened.

I’ve been to La Coruña, and there the taxi driver proposed if I wanted Brazilian meat.

Now IN TUNIS!! (yes Tunis - Tunisia), I constantly get asked if I want Ukrainian, Russian or Arabs!! You might think that I got used to it by know, but here there are organized, last night I went out for a walk in the old medina (the old part of the city) and ended out at the Habib Burgaibah street (it’s the main street) so I decided to walk to the hotel (It’s not far, maybe 1Km or a bit more) I needed the sport walking is good right? WRONG!!

The street is about 500 - 600m long, so I’m walking and a guy comes asking for the time, I show him the watch and continue walking and the guy walking besides me asking “where are you from?” - “Do you speak Arabic? French? English? Spanish? Italian? German?” I don’t look and continue walking while the guy is still talking, so he gives up, and another guy takes over “Salut! Sa va?” (Hello! How are you?) I continue to ignore him and walk past (the guy is still talking and asking questions) till he gives up, and then another guy starts over, over, over and over, everyone with a different language (Italian, English, German, Arabic), till I one of the last who started by “Assalam Alikum” (now for you non Muslims when someone greets you you have to give back the greeting) {BIG MISTAKE} so it goes;

{me} Aleikum assalam.

{him}  Ohh, 3arabi! (oh, Arab), Where are you from?

{me} Oops, sorry I’m late!

{him} Wait, are you Egyptian? Lebanese? Syrian? Jordanian? ..etc..

{me} Sorry I have to go, I don’t have time.

{him} As you wish.

So simple I thought, but to my surprise the next one knew everything (these guys must have a walkie-talkie hidden some where)

{him2} Kuwaiti? Emirati? Omani? Iraqi?

{me} wtf?! No I’m late.

{him2} Shouting and yelling insults half I never understood.

So I continue walking till… you guessed it another one

{him3} Want women? I have Russians, Ukrainians, Arabs, you name the nationality I have them.

{me} Listen I don’t want women, I’m not searching for b*****s, leave me alone.

He let’s me go, then again

{him4} I have boys, you want boys?

{me} 7′alas! (thats it!)

I turn around and call the Police, a cop turned around and I called him, and when I turned back I didn’t see the guy, the cop asked what happened I told him that I was harrast by the pimps offering their “services”, he laughed saying that it’s normal (8O wtf?!) I looked at him in a very weird way and walked away.

The best thing is while I was walking I saw the pimps turning around looking away.

Honestly I said it before, and I’ll say it again I’m not attractive (or handsome for that matter) but I don’t consider my self ugly to go looking for prostitutes, but enough is enough were are we going?
What happened to the Arabic hospitality, a CLEAN/NORMAL hospitality that when they meet you they offer a glass of tea or invite you to lunch or dinner?

Personally I’m sad at low level the Arabs have sunk to

I personally never understood this holiday

But who cares tomorrow it’s a bank holiday in Italy -yay- while in Tunis is a regular day, that means I have a day off tomorrow to visit the city and the surrounding region -double yay-

Max (my boss) remember it was you who gave me this week to visit this site, so don’t expect me to work an extra day (thanks)

Yes… Tunis as in Tunisia

I reached around 1:30pm, all went well.

I was shocked when I entered the terminal, there were about 10 queues waiting for something, when I reached at the end I discovered that it was passport control + metal detector + customs (I totally forgot how the Arab world made it so complicated for tourists to visit their countries and TUNIS is living on tourism :?)

Passed everything without a hitch, I searched a bank to change the €’s I had with Tunisian Dinars, there were about 15 banks, 12 or them closed and the rest were raising the exchange rates (who cares I’m in TUNIS :D)

Took a taxi to reach the hotel, it cost me 20dinars (I think I was robbed 12.5€) but the driver gave me a blanc receipt telling me to wright what ever I want (a proof that I was in an Arabic country) I feel sorry for this stupid mentality
The hotel isn’t bad, it’s the “La Maison Blanche” a 5 star hotel, no swimming pool or sauna, but the room is HUGE!! 8o it’s bigger than my apartment in Montpellier :lool:, it has a bath and a separate shower 8o, direct (512kps slow) internet connection, a large TV  (I’m currently watching an old 70’s Egyptian movie didn’t see one in years :mrgreen:), and an empty mini bar.
Well I am here for work, but luck will have it that this Wednesday is a bank holiday in Europe so I’ll be working only for 4 days + seeing that I reached at noon (almost) and I’ll be leaving at noon Saturday, I’ll have the chance to visit the city -yay-

Hmmm… I’m having trouble speaking Arabic with the locals they keep talking and replying in French, for them to understand me I need to speak Arabic with the Egyptian dialect :mrgreen:, oh well… wish me luck, and I hope they don’t have a red light district

Athens is the capital of Greece, a city with half of the population of the country.

Dry, windy and full of mountains.

The people very friendly, even if they try to raise the prices whenever they can, I needed to haggle to lower the prices on everything. Very proud for the 2004 olympics less on their historic heritage and monuments (that’s because they have seen the monuments since birth, but the olympics gathered over 16 million people to a country of only 12 million)
My regret is that I didn’t have the time to visit the city properly, work took precidence, the only times that I managed to go to the city were an eventful encounter (see previous post) and on friday night, but I was too late and tired to do anything. (I’ll post the pictures in the gallery soon)

The few things that realy struck me were

• EVERYONE speaks English, I mean people in stores/shops, in the streets, everywhere! all movies are in original language subtitled in Greek.
• Yellow taxis are everywhere - very cheap, but you need to ask the driver for the amount BEFORE getting in.
• Bikes and scooters are more than cars

The city/country/people reminded me of Lebanon, the food is similar (desserts as well) the only exception is that they use and put the Feta cheese on every dish, the poeple look and behave like Arabs, and the city is like the old parts that you may find in Lebanon and in Cairo.

Greek alphabet