Day 145. 47km (79964kms 7yrs)
My little patch behind the olive tree was a successful camp, only let down by being 15kms away from the next cafe. I felt lost eating a dry breakfast with no coffee.
But before long I was pulling up to a row of white concrete arches beneath which men played dominoes and drank coffee. There was no milk to be had so after two americanos which looked more like large espressos (should that be americani and espressi? 😆) I was ready to start my day properly.
The old village of Douiret sits - as they all do - just above the modern village. But in this case some of the homes were in great condition and still very much lived in. These rows of houses backed directly onto tumble down ghorfas and alleyways surrounding a whitewashed mosque. Again, I was happy to see life in these ruins.
At the next town I ate brik - a sort of Tunisian spring roll - and waited out the midday heat before climbing up to Ksar Ouled Debbab which has clearly been overhauled since the guide book was written. The part described as still being in good condition is now fully renovated into a nice-looking but entirely empty restaurant and hotel, leaving just the tumble down section free to visit. Contrary to what I believed this morning this seemed like a shame.
I fought the temptation to ride from here the short distance directly into Tataouine to check-into the hostel and have a much needed shower. Just to the south was a string of four Ksour within a couple of kilometres of one another and I’d made a note during my previous trip of one in particular that would make a very nice camp.
I dropped in on all four of them again for the purposes of the vlog, during which I was invited to tea by a local family, just as dad and I had been last time. The women were dressed beautifully but declined having their portraits taken, the man kindly volunteering in their place. An English-speaking neighbour was summoned who was annoyed at being called away from watching the Euros but delighted in telling me that England had just gone 1-0 down against Switzerland. Quite surreal in this dusty, rural, and remote-feeling village.
And so I arrived at the southernmost of Maztouria’s four ksour in time to eat my dinner as the sun set beyond the otherworldly walls, and competing calls to prayer echoed across the courtyard. Perfect.
If you enjoy my vlogs, blogs, and photogs please consider joining me on Patreon 😃
www.patreon.co...
#tunisia #biketouring #travel