Djerba was an island just off the coast of Tunisia – the inspiration for Homer’s ‘Land of the Lotus Eaters’. We crossed onto the island over a causeway, originally constructed by the ancient Romans. The island’s population was a mix of Africans (Berbers), Muslims, Jews and Christians – they had all lived together in harmony for centuries. Ancient synagogues, churches and mosques were scattered across the island.
Olive trees were grown all over the island but tourism was important too. The soft sandy beaches of the Mediterranean coast were lined with white-painted, low rise hotel complexes and golf resorts. We spotted quite a few Europeans “of a certain age” in the area around the golf courses. We stayed at the only camp site on the island, in a parking area of a hotel built in 1972 and showing signs of age. December was out-of-season but the day time temperature was a pleasant 20°. I had a peek into one of the hotel’s guest bedrooms, it was small and dark and contained beds but no chairs. Nicer rooms may have been available!
One of us (not me) had left their phone in the taxi that had dropped us back to our hotel after a shopping trip. An hour or so later the hotel reception received a phone call to say the taxi driver had found the phone and would bring it back later that afternoon. He insisted, quite rightly, that he handed it directly to Tony and, quite rightly, Tony gave him a small cash reward for his trouble. A fellow guest on the site told us the same had happened to her husband – and the phone had also been returned the same day. A half hour taxi ride cost less than €3, a price that included a generous tip.
We left Djerba by driving 20 km to the other side of the island and taking the car ferry back to the mainland. The ferry cost just under €1 and took about half an hour.
