Tunisia - Ong Jmal, a camel's head in the desert

Deeply relaxed and refreshed, we continue west. West always means the Algerian border. And for years, that has also somehow meant a queasy feeling. 

The German Foreign Office and also the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs warn against this border region from time to time. 

What we have learned in the last few years of our journey, however, is to look for additional sources of information than these fear-mongering websites. So we do some research and, after weighing up various sources, decide to travel to the border region. 

The police are omnipresent but absolutely not intrusive, they are really concerned about the well-being of the few guests and we feel really comfortable, welcome and also safe. 

So we take the road towards Nefta, but shortly before the town we turn off into the desert and after an endlessly long winding road (oh, how we love that!) we reach Chott el-Gharsa (another salt lake that is not actually visible as a lake). 

Mos Espa

We make a short stop at Mos Espa, which is probably better known as the location of some Star Wars episodes. Here it is very touristy for a short moment. Almost unpleasantly touristy.  

Before we get out, we are already besieged. Whether we don't want to go on a camel tour, buy something here, buy something there. When we first just want to look, we are quite rudely begged for money, chocolate or clothes by these same traders and camel owners. "You can expect that," the guide, who speaks pretty good German, tells us.

We try to remain friendly but consistent and eventually they let us go. Later, however, when we want to drink a tea and buy a loaf of bread baked in the sand, all the traders are playing football and are not interested in us. Well, then we make ourselves comfortable "at home", drive on and find a dream spot at the so-called "camel's head", a rock formation at the dried-up salt lake. 

The camel's head

What an amazing backdrop, what a mega place to stand free. The sun is setting romantically, the moon is shining brightly and the stars are twinkling. Oh yes, and the cold creeps mercilessly first into Felix, then into my feet. But good thing I have a husband whose favourite task is to warm my feet.

PS.: Yes, we have now watched one of these Star Wars episodes every now and then. In the meantime I put a tick behind it, I've seen it, that's good. Mesa gotta be allowed to be opinion-free sometimes, right?

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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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