sySpringDawn

We've been really happy during our ten day stay in Monastir and enjoyed the cultural shift from European to North African ways and customs.

Weather wise, the temperature has been more or less the same as when were in Sicily and Malta (around 29C during the afternoon) but with a much lower level of humidity which does make the heat somewhat easier to bear.

Monastir is a mix of old and new with modern hotels and the marina, cheek by jowl with the ancient Ribat and Medina. The Medina and covered daily market are exciting places, hustly and bustly, especially in the mornings. Of course, there's the usual quantity of tourist tat available in the Medina's tiny shops – rugs, ceramics, leather sandals, straw hats and lots of toy camels! I was over the moon to find a whole street within the Medina dedicated to spice sellers where I stocked up on things like turmeric, peppercorns and pine nuts– the smell in the hot sun was just wonderful – a real assault on the olfactory senses.

The covered market sells fresh produce every day – bread, cakes, fish, meat, fruit, veg, olives, spices, preserved lemons, eggs (acres and acres of eggs, don't ask me why), live chickens and live rabbits and it's bang next door to a modern supermarket, again a mix of the old and new. We were wandering around looking at the fresh fish one morning (you can't hear yourself think above the cries of the mongers) when there was a shout from behind and we quickly stood aside as someone rode their motor-scooter through the centre of the market – try doing that in the UK! The butchers specialise in one animal only so you have the chicken man, the rabbit man, the beef man, the lamb man – all shouting for attention. Everything we purchased was ridiculously cheap, a few dinar for this a few dinar for that and we feel that the decision to come here, have the boat lifted, fill up the fuel tanks and top up on spices and wine has been a worthwhile one. Additionally, we could afford to stay in a marina during high season at just £13.00 per night.

Something we weren't aware of when we chose to come here was that Ramadan started on 16th June. The differences it made to us were that during Ramadan, we weren't able to buy alcohol in the shops (only specially licenced shops can sell alcohol), some cafes, restaurants and shops close down entirely for the whole of Ramadan and some of the restaurants which do remain open, don't necessarily serve alcohol during Ramadan. It must be a difficult period at the best of times but in June, with the longest days of the year, it must take a fair bit of discipline to refrain from eating and drinking during the hours of daylight. Each evening when the sun set and the crescent moon had risen, a canon sounded and you could hear the calls to prayer from the minarets above the mosques.

Checking-out of Tunisia was nearly as long a process as it was when we checked-in. We visited the Port Police at midday and let them know we intended to leave at 15.00 hours and that we'd purchased our exit stamps (this is a requirement at 30 Dinar each). No, that wasn't good enough, we had to return to their office at 14.50 hours and no sooner! Robbie duly toddled off at the appointed time with the necessary paperwork which they fiddled and faddled about with for ages. Then both a Police Officer and a Customs Officer accompanied Robbie back to the boat, came aboard for a quick inspection (we think they want to ensure there are no stowaways on board but they only gave the boat a fleeting glance) and told us we were good to go! They stood on the quayside and helped us untie our lines and wished us well. Merci, Monastir.