Mosque To Medina & A Sfax Homestay 🏡

Day 155. 56km (80469kms 7yrs)

I slept a long a deep sleep locked away in the little room behind shuttered windows. As I prepared to leave, the kind caretaker brought me first a huge fig, then cold water, then coffee and biscuits. It all made me wonder why I don’t knock on doors more often instead of skulking about abandoned buildings.

Knowing I only had 50kms ahead of me today I returned to the same miserable road north. After a dozen kilometres I arrived at a beach town named Mahres where I got a good cappuccino for one just one dinar. The tap water is very bitter around here so I added some sugar sachets to my bottles before completing the ride into Sfax. North of Mahres the road widened so was a less dangerous if still not very beautiful ride.

Following a suggested route in the guide book I past by a very forlorn-looking synagogue, then a couple churches followed by the Alliance Français before turning into the city’s large medina. From outside it’s a huge and complete rectangular fort which cars and trucks are obliged to go all the way around to cross the city. Inside the crenelated walls the alleyways are packed with shopping locals. Conspicuously absent were tourist stalls; this is a market that has preserved its local origins. It was tricky to move with the bike, yet men cut through the crowds on motorbikes or pulling wide carts of goods. Further north in the medina the souq gives way to housing allowing enough room to return to cycling the narrow streets.

Once I’d had my fill of souq life I retired to a air-conditioned cafe outside the medina until it was time to meet my host. Along with myself Bilel was also hosting a Moroccan woman through Couch Surfing, so together with some other friends we ate a meal of couscous and brik but by late evening I confess I was too tired to appreciate the lively chat around the table.

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#tunisia #travel #biketouring