The Three Ruined Villages and the Overnight Train back to Tunis
Our second excursion out of Tozeur was to the villages of Tamerza, Chebika, and Mides. All three villages were up in the mountains along the Algerian border and all three were ruined by an incredible rainfall in 1969, when it rained for 22 days and all the mudbrick homes were softened and washed away.
As we hiked to Tamerza, we passed gorgeous green waterfalls and sandstone cliffs which were orange.
The town was in ruins and it was sad to think of the ancient way of life just washed out in 22 days.
The other villages were just as bizarre. Old Chebika was on a clifftop above a river far below - the drop was scary and felt like you were standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Less than a kilometer away, you could see the gaurd shacks of the Algerian border. Because of an ongoing tiff between the two countries, passing the border as a foreigner was not allowed... but we were so close!
On the way to the last village, our driver took us to the Grand Waterfall, a huge river which just cascaded over a large cliff. It was bizarre to be in the middle of the desert and see so much water gushing - we even encountered a bright green frog who had come out to sun itself. There were many vendors on our way to the waterfall, and one particular vendor was friendly enough to ask if I wanted to hold a snake and a lizard. He ended up putting them on my head - woo - I was freaked out!
After the excursion, and back in the civilization of Tozeur, we weren't happy about it, but we knew we needed to work out the details of getting back to Tunis. We rented bikes that afternoon and biked through the massive palmerie, enjoying the cool, green environment which was so different from the desert sand around it. In the last 10 minutes of our bike rental, we pedaled furiously to the train station to find out train details. Our train left at 9:00 p.m., so we spent the rest of the day soaking up Tozeur and all its vibrant colors.
The camel had been so tasty the day before that we went back to that same restaurant for dinner the next day - Tim ended up ordering it as well, and we both agreed that camel was delicious and should be tried again in the future. We spent the rest of the evening walking around the shops, buying CDs of music which had been recommended by our driver that morning, and buying food for the train ride.
One thing I love about Tunisia is that they love yogurt and oranges and you can buy them at almost every streetcorner store. The yogurt is sour and tangy and the oranges are juicy and blood red.
The train to Tunis left on schedule, and we had the whole car to ourselves - or so we thought. It quickly filled up with locals heading to Tunis - and we didn't realize it then, but we were on the party train!! It was non-stop chatting and visiting the whole night. While it was fun to be in the midst of such local color, at 3:00 a.m., we weren't too amused! We arrived in Tunis at 6:00 a.m. and looked like we had been dragged behind the train.