Tunisia - "Again, again!"

Normally I am not a fan of leaving the comfort zone. Yes, I know, life is happening out there. Everything can be. However, I think that within the comfort zone - no matter how wide or stretched it is - the good ideas come, the great projects start and the person in his centre and in complete peace is the better person. 

So, and then today, without warning, it threw me out of my comfort zone. 

The evening before, in the thermal open-air bath, we meet Urs from Ticino again. We met him in Douz and the joy of reunion is great. So we think, floating in the warm water, that we could do a little desert hike to the old Roman fortress in the morning of the next day.

In the morning, however, our wishes change as we then face reality and realise how far away the fortress is. We decide together to rent quads and race through the desert. 

In the first impulse I say yes. But then, as I sit on my own quad, I notice all the patterns of fear rising up inside me. That's right, there is still something in me that has not really come to rest. A restlessness, a fear, a helplessness. Uneven ground, speed, a male-dominated testestoron-infused energy. For a moment I am inclined to dismount again and not join in.

And then I do what I have learned. Eating a snack (boiling myself, so to speak), riding along and stopping if necessary and allowing myself to stop the tour. I let the tour guide know that I am uncomfortable, he nods, smiles and seems to know what to do with me. 

Slowly we roll through the oasis, me in last place. It's good that there are only three of us. Urs and Gerd are initiated and so I don't have to turn my inner self inside out with strangers.

The first curves are strange, suddenly I feel the power and also the safety of 4 wheels. Then the sun shines on us, it warms the cool morning a little and a little later a lever switches in me: I have joy. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. 

The sand between my teeth grinds (because instead of closing my mouth I'm beaming like a honey cake horse the whole time), the glasses only keep a minimal amount of the sand from my eyes. I get dusted by the person in front of me, all that doesn't matter so much: I have such great joy! Gerd and Urs get off the track every now and then, they've been having fun in the sandy desert right from the start.

At some point we "have" to stop at the fortress, right, that was the reason for the tour. So a quick photo stop of "old stones" and on we go on my new favourite vehicle. Up the dune, down the dune. The soft sand gives way and makes room for our bikes. The sun is shining and so am I. I notice that something has just been "made whole" in me. 

As we roll back into the oasis, I'm inclined to start driving again right away. "Please Gerd, let's go again!" I call out to him, beaming. He happily takes me in his arms and we give ourselves over to the desert experience once more. 

What a beautiful experience. The desert is magical - never, ever would I have thought that!

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Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

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