Day 14: Hammamet

Hammamet Beach
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We woke up this morning and had a quick breakfast and both Kim and I were feeling better after a good sleep.

We decided to go into Hammamet Medina today, and made our way to the bus stop after our favorite staff member told us about the bus (1/2 dinar to ride). We waited at the bus stop for about 45 minutes before the bus arrived, but that was okay. We met a couple from Serbia who spoke some English and were heading to the Aqua Park and were just as confused as us. Finally we did work it out, get on the right bus and arrive in Hammamet.

no no no, this make us bankrupt, I see our price make you bankrupt…

Hammamet Medina
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The market was very interesting, with 700 shops all carrying the exact same merchandise. The idea is to not get ripped off too much. Haggling is very difficult, and you do walk away feeling as though you probably got ripped off, however, you still paid less than you would in Australia. One example, they started off at 150 dinar for an item (it seems to be the standard start for anything), I suggested 20, he came down to 120, then tried to show me something 1/3^rd the size and suggested that may be more in my price range. I went up to 30, he down to 80, up to 35, down to 60, up to 40, down to 50, and finally settled on 45 (after about 3 minutes of trying to get 50). I have no idea how much the item is worth, as nothing is fixed, maybe I could have got it for 25 had I persisted. Throughout the day we went through all the tricks of the trade including the ‘jaw drop’, 5 seconds of the open mouth before the shake of the head, no no no, this make us bankrupt, I see our price make you bankrupt…how about xxx. We didn’t appear to get any better as we didn’t have prices to judge by, until we did find a shop with fixed prices. We paid $130 for some clothing that we could have bought at fixed prices for $110 (so on the whole we only got ripped a little I guess and considering those items started at $250 it could have been much worse).

Hammamet Medina Alley
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My advice here is definitely, take a quick look around without entering any shops and if there is a fixed price shop anywhere, check it out first, so you at least have a clue what things are worth, and then bargain and you will walk away with a good deal. The shopkeepers all usher you into their shops by standing outside their doorway, essentially blocking off the way past and putting the arm out to their entrance. They all did speak good English, and our favorite salesman Mohammed spent a good 10-15 minutes with us negotiating over an ornate camel skin drum. He told us he liked us because we would spend time negotiating with him and talking to him, not like the Germans who want to do everything so fast. He wanted to know how many camels for Kimmy, I told him I would get into trouble no matter what I reply J.

Hammamet Medina Door
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As we walked through the Medina, as well as shops there were plenty of people’s houses. The Medina consisted of narrow walkways with all white walls, and nana’s sitting inside doorways grinding grains for meals or cooking on pots on the floor. Occasionally there were some very ornate doors, as opposed to the fabric which covered most doorways. The Medina walls are 12^th Century, so are very old. Just outside the Medina were guys folding fishing nets and doing everyday things. Although most of that part of town is obviously geared towards tourists (mainly from Germany, France and Italy) it was very interesting to see how people here live. The beach was very pretty (no camel dung here) and lots of little wooden boats scattered on it.

Hammamet Medina Door
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After a morning spent shopping we headed back on the bus. The bus was full of Arabic men (very few women) and a few tourists. We felt clever because most of the signs were in Arabic, and we asked people who were friendly and willing to help if they could understand us. The bus was very bumpy and there were only a few seats, so most people stood and held on. Once we returned we spent some time by the pool. After that we tried to get the internet to work but failed, I spent about an hour trying to explain to the reception guy what needed to be done to fix it, but unfortunately we didn’t get it going, so have no internet until tomorrow. We love calling home and speaking to the girls to keep in touch. They are doing a fantastic job “surviving” and have only missed bin night once.

Hammamet Medina Walls
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We had a quick dinner and Billy was getting very sleepy. The buffet was great, a fantastic selection of foods, including spicy spaghetti, white cheese in vegetables, many new recipes with local produce. They always have a Tunisian item. It’s fair to say try anything and be surprised or “looks are deceiving”. Fresh baked breads and an amazing spread of pastries and desserts and local wines. Gin and tonics are frequent too!

Billy now has a Tamagotchi traveling with him and keeps him entertained on crowded buses, and while waiting for his parents to haggle over some overpriced souvenir.

Tool of the Day

We had to retrieve our stuff which we had left by the pool the night before, and the people who pack up the cushions on the pool lounges had put our gear somewhere. This took about 20 minutes of walking back and forth from the pool to reception for them to finally produce it. People definitely nod and say yes when they have no idea what you are saying!!