If you happen to see a picture of Seattle, WA, chances are good that you will see a tall building with a UFO shaped dish on the top. Yes, it’s called Space Needle, was built in 1962 and became a symbol of Seattle. According to wikipedia it is 184m high and 42m wide at its widest point. It is also capable of withstand winds up to 320 km/h and earthquakes up to 9.5 magnitude.

The main attraction of Space Needle is of course its observation deck. Although compared to the height of world’s modern skyscraper building such as Taipei 101 (449m to roof) it looks small, the view from observation deck of Space Needle is not fall short of attraction. We can view Seattle downtown and surrounding area, like Mt. Rainier,Cascade Mountains and Mt. Baker. An example of Pacific Northwest beautiful scenery.

Currently the Observation Deck opens from Monday to Sunday 9:00am - 12:00am and ticket price for adult is $16. Oh by the way, near to Space Needle there is Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame/Experience Music Project. If you are a die hard fans of Start Trek, a visit is a must as you can see memorabilia of Star Trek exhibited in Science Fiction museum along with the ones from popular science fiction movies. Otherwise, you might find Experience Music Project in the same building to be more interesting. It is a place where music exhibition and concert often held.

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This is the situation where the GPS (Global Positioning System) fits in. Good GPS with accurate map can guide you turn by turn as if you have a navigator by your side. This is what I heard, and I thought it would be fun to try it. I like new technologies and always willing to try (but I am not fall into gadget freak category, yet ).

So l bought a GPS, a Garmin Nuvi 350 with built in north America city Navigator map. It’s not the latest nor the most advanced one in Nuvi series, but at least I didn’t have to reach deep into my pocket. Function wise it provided what I expected from a GPS (not too much interesting in bluetooth gimmick provided in other Nuvi series ). To made a test, I planned to go to somewhere I’d never been. Then during one of the weekend in spring last year, I traveled to Los Angeles from Seattle, where I lived at that time.

Before I departed, I booked a car first with nearest Budget to my hotel in LA. So I packed my bag, carried the GPS and flew on Friday evening, arrived in LA and checked in a budget hotel in Mariposa ave. This hotel looked good on the web where I made booking, but when I arrived late at night, I found that the hotel door was locked with the steel bars, and I had to ring the bell several times until receptionist greeted in the intercom reluctantly and opened the steel bar door remotely from inside. The hotel’s neighborhood at night was a bit scary to me.

The following morning I picked up the car from Budget, a Saturn Ion. Immediately I mounted my GPS, program the destination and start the full day journey. Unfortunately it didn’t allow to enter multiple destinations (or was it just me didn’t read enough the manual?). I drove to the north along the beach from Santa Monica, Santa Barbara to Morro Bay. My GPS functioned excellently and it gave clear voice direction for each turn. When I gave it an on purpose detour, it calculated new route almost instantly. Every time I arrived in one destination, I reprogrammed it to show routing to the next destination, usually a nearby interesting place I found in the GPS (fetched from its map database).

The meter showed around 200 miles or approximately 320 km when I returned to my hotel in the evening. Never in my trip I was lost, the GPS lived up to the promise. The catch was the map. It should be as updated and detailed as possible. It should have the correct data of the roads, for example if it is one way or two way, to get accurate routing.

All in all, to me, a GPS is way much better than compass and paper map based navigation, hands down.

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After I wrote about some places in Tunisia, I think it will be unfair if I don’t write about and show pictures from Tunis, capital city of Tunisia, where I spent most of my time during last one year. This post will also be the last mlaku-mlaku series of Tunisia.

According to wikipedia, it has population of less than 1 million in year 2007. city centers around Medina and Habib Bourguiba avenue. The Medina is the old town of Tunis with monuments from early time of Tunis such as Zitouna Mosque and souks (traditional market). Bab el Bahar (Sea Gate) is the gateway to Medina from Habib Bourguiba and Avenue de France on the east where the new Tunis built by the French. Habib Bourguiba area hosts many important buildings such as Ministry offices, main railway station Barcelona (La Garre Barcelona) and some hotels like El Hana and EL Africa hotels.

Further to the east of Habib Bourguiba is Tunis lake. One area facing the lake on northeast of Tunis city center is Les Berges du Lac. This is a new and upscale area built from land reclaimed from lagoon. There are embassies and ambassador houses in this area, as well as multinational company offices. Dining in this area costs double or even more than it is in city center. For example a lunch in restaurant in Habib Bourguiba area costs around 5 - 7 DT ( 1USD = 1.78 DT) while in Lac area it can costs around 10 - 20 DT depending on the restaurants.

Going further northeast we can find Gammarth and La Marsa, both are coastal resort facing Mediterranean sea. People go to Gammarth to swim on the beach and since it’s close to Tunis it becomes popular destination. There are good hotels in this area as well.

As for me, I stayed in an area called An Nasr. It’s on the north of Tunis (An Nasr belongs to Ariana town which is part of Grand Tunis) and it’s considered as new area; it’s an array of apartment buildings on the hilly area built less than 10 years ago. On weekend nights, Tunis young people gather in An Nasr, especially on the main road, Heidi Noura street . Yes, it’s busy and noisy during weekend, even more after footbal match as usually they celebrate it here if Tunis’ footbal club win a match! But it’s also dynamic environment, has a lot of facilities like groceries, restaurants, cafe gym and banks/ATMs. So if you are foreigner and looking for an apartment to rent, An Nasr is the place where you can find one relatively easier than other places in Tunis. Just don’t rent low floor apartment on the Heidi Noura road otherwise you won’t be able to sleep after the football match!

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Edward and Carter meet each other in the hospital where they share a room in the hospital (it is Edwards’ hospital, all rooms are shared ones. “I run hospitals, not health spas” is Edward’s motto) . After both of them diagnosed with cancer with a year or even less to live, they start to complete a bucket list and plan a journey to fulfill it. The bucket list contains things they want to do most in life before they die. They realize the desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do in life. Edward promises to finance the trip.

The list contains :

1. Witness something truly majestic
2. Help a complete stranger for a common good
3. Laugh till I cry
4. Drive a Shelby mustang
5. Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
6. Get a tattoo
7. Skydiving
8. See the pyramids
9. Get back in touch with …(a daughter)
10. See Rome

Then they check out from the hospitals and hit the road to pursue their long unrecognized dreams. They go to some magnificent places in the world (which I myself will surely have them in my wish list, if I have any) like Pyramid, Serengeti, Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China. The two who have been perfect strangers couple months before now becomes true friends for life.

After one twist that leads to break-up in their journey, Carter and Edward carry on their lives. Carter returned to his family but soon has to be rushed to the hospital. There Edward visits him and Carter reveals the origin of Kopi Luwak. They burst out laughing and Carter cross off “laugh till I cry”. He then gives the list to Edward and insist him to finish the rest of the list alone.

There’s no miracle in the movie. The movie closes with Matthew, Edward’s assistant, place a coffee can containing Edward’s ashes besides Carter’s who passed away earlier inside a small box on the top of Mount Everest. As he does so, he crosses off the last unfinished item on the Bucket List which is “witness something truly majestic”.

By the way, Kopi Luwak is is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Luwak (kind of civet found in South East Asia). It’s a bit strange that Edward doesn’t know this in the beginning. I live in Java, but Kopi Luwak is like a ghost to me: you hear about it, people talk about it yet you never have it in real life. It could steal a place in my bucket list ….

When first arrived in Tunisia I asked my Tunisian friend about touristic places in Tunisia. Tabarka, a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, about 170 km away from Tunis, came on top of the list of recommended places to go. While this is really depend on what you’re looking for, I found that Tabarka was a perfect place for someone who was looking for a laid back, relaxing environment. The trip from Tunis to Tabarka and back was also really worth it by itself.

So one day in last September, we – me and 3 friends from office, all foreigners and none of us spoke either French or Arabic – headed off to Tabarka on Saturday morning in a rental Ford Fiesta (rental cars in Tunisia has special number plate; while regular cars have black background, rental cars can be identified with light blue background. Somehow policemen, especially in rural area, put more attention to the rental cars and stopped us several times along the way. If you are driving a rental car in Tunisia, be sure to have rental contract and car insurance paper with driving license and ID always ready in case police stops you). It would have been nice if we had GPS, but anyway a detailed road map and a compass we brought had prevented us from getting lost (though we once had a blocked way due to the severe road condition in secondary road that the map gave impression it was shorter path so we had to return to the main road)

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From Tunis we drove to the west to Beja and then Jendouba and from Jendouba we drove north to Tabarka via Ain Draham. Just before Ain Draham we made a brief detour to the west to reach Algerian border, then we continued to Ain Draham. Ain Draham is a village on the hill with noticeable cooler climate and was built by the French in a Swiss style. It sits in mountainous area with roads having twists and turns, up and down along the green cork pine trees. Some part of the road even had warning signboards related with snow (locals told us that during winter snow would cover the road from Ain Draham to Tabarka, sometimes at 1 m deep, and made it impassable). At this point I felt like I was not in Africa, the environment was so much different with the one just 50 km to the south. Have I mentioned to you that the trip itself was really worth it ?

After going further north finally we reached Tabarka. We went to the first hotel we came across in Tabarka. I think we should have booked hotel from Tunis before departure to get better hotel and rate, my previous post has link to travel agent website which will give you an idea about hotels and rate in Tunisia. So after checking in, we spent the rest of the day on the beach (which was too cold to swim at that time of the year). We had a nice dinner in the restaurant and then went to beach side café. There were a lot of street vendors selling handicrafts, so a lot of choices for souvenirs hunting.

The following morning we went again to the beach. This time I really felt the calm, relaxing, laid back environment. No rush in the streets, no annoying horn honk. I felt I could spend the day just sitting on the jetty watching the sea while having fresh wind blowing in my face. Time was frozen. For a moment at least.
We packed up and left Tabarka in the afternoon. This time we choose different path to Tunis. Instead of going back to south to Jendouba via Ain Draham, from Tabarka we went to the east to Mateur than to south east to Tunis so in the end our trip would be like a circular one. Again we had beautiful view along the way. The road went on the top of the hill then went downhill then uphill again and so on. So beautiful that I forgot to take any picture.. There were few cars we met along the way. It’s Sunday afternoon and people might prefer to just stay at home.

As folk says that a picture is worth thousand words, here I put some pictures from this trip. My aplogize that I forgot to take ones in Ain Draham, well in this case it’s only some words, not thousand..:)

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I will start with Sidi Bou Said.

Sidi Bou Said is located near to Tunis, it’s a town about 20 km northeast of Tunis. It’s also very close to Carthage and La Marsa, other popular destinations in greater Tunis area. People come to Sidi Bou Said to walk the streets and explore it’s trademark, cascade of traditional white-washed houses with big blue doors and windows. While there are not many things to do in Sidi Bou Said, you can spend time relaxing in traditional cafes, the famous Cafe des Nattes for example, and have a cup of coffee or two while also smoking shisha. As well as in other tourist traps there are numerous street vendors where you can buy souvenirs and handicrafts. Bargain is a must. Of course, Sidi Bou Said is also a place where you can take a lot of nice photos. By the way, the temperature can be extremely hot during summer hence it’s a good idea to bring a long a bottle of water with you while walking around.

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As you can see from the map below that there is a direct road from Kairouan to El Jem. However according to the map I brought, the road was colored as yellow, meant it’s secondary road. Based on my experience before when I traveled to Tabarka, roads in the remote area with yellow color on the map have rather bad road quality. People we asked in Kairouan also suggested taking another path, which was 30 KM farther but better road. We followed the recommendation and we went in Sousse direction first (north, then to the east) up to Msaken then turned right to the south to El Jem (the same route to Sfax). After driving around 100 KM in 2 hours (we stopped once to buy watermelon from street vendor) we arrived in El Jem.

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The main attraction of the El Jem (or sometimes also referred as El Djem) is its amphitheatre. Being the world’s fourth-largest Roman amphitheatre, the view of amphitheatre of El Jem is nothing less than staggering. As we approached we realized how enormous its size was, it stood out for miles. Built 1800 years ago, it is estimated that it could seat 30.000 spectators. It has almost elliptical size with 149 meters, the big axe’s length, by 124 meters the small axe’s length. The spectators sit on the marble tiers which in total there are five tiers. It is believed that the main spectacle was the gladiator shows.

To me, it’s the best Roman historical site I ever visited in Tunisia. Compare to other historical sites of Roman era (Dougga for example), El Jem amphitheater construction is pretty well preserved. If you have only one day to visit any of Roman site in Tunisia, then you have to go to El Jem. I made a 360 view from inside the amphitheater, apologize if you find the picture is not so smooth. Click on the link below:

360ViewInsideElJemAmphitheater

We walked around for almost an hour. Not so many other travelers at that time. We left El Jem at 6 evening and arrived in Tunis at 9. As I live in Tunis, I don’t think it will be necessary to stay overnight in Kairouan or El Jem. The one day travel started at 10 morning from Tunis, arrived in Kairouan at midday, in El Jem at 5 and finish in Tunis at 9 evening (sunset was 8:30 PM) and spanned across 500 KM. With my ford fiesta, we’ve spent less than 40 liters of gasoline. With one liter sans plomb gasoline costs 1.25 the journey cost 50 dinars and some dinars more for entry tickets. The car rent will cost somewhere around 40 dinars per day depends on the type of the car (I rent my car in monthly basis as I also use it for work).

At this time the highway from Tunis goes as far to the south as to Msaken (south of Sousse), from there to El Jem the road is just one lane and sometimes during high traffic it requires concentration to drive on this condition. Nonetheless we saw highway which was still under construction as an extension from Msaken, probably up to Sfax. It should be open soon and by that time traveling to El Jem should be even more enjoyable.

As usual, please enjoy some pictures from El Jem amphitheater.

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Here came another Sunday. What could be the best thing to spend time on Sunday than traveling to beautiful places you’ve never been with your friends? So again we hit the road toward inner southern part of Tunisia to Kairouan and El Jem. Well, initially we didn’t plan to go to El Jem but since we found out that El Jem was not too far from Kairouan we decided to continue the trip to El Jem instead of going back to Tunis.

We left Tunis at around 10 AM, 5 people in a rented Ford Focus that I use for daily work. Yes, it is a bit over capacity but to have 2 cars for 5 people is also a bit over stretching. We took highway toward Sousse and kept the speed steady at around 100 – 110 KM/hours. Just after few kilometers outside Tunis, I heard meows from somewhere inside the car. I thought it was from radio, but when switched off the radio, I still could hear it. Afraid that the cat might be in the engine room, I immediately pulled over, turned off the engine and opened the hood. Surprisingly it’s true, there was a small but wild (and looked weary) inside the engine room ! Since the cat refused to be lifted, we waited couple of minutes until it left the car.

I turned right on the exit to Kairouan (the Kairouan exit was just before Sousse’s one) and went through normal road to Kairouan. I brought a road map with me, but just by following the road signboards is enough to get to Kairouan. I consider the road signboards in Tunisia are pretty good; it’s not the first time I reach my destination by relying on the them.

After around 170 KM driving we arrived in Kairouan and went to main tourism attraction in this city, Grand Mosque of Kairouan. The Grand Mosque of Kairouan is also known as The Mosque of Uqba, named after Uqba ibn Nafi, an Arab general who built the mosque in 670 A.D. The mosque is built over 900 meters square and has vast courtyard with sundial and sink to collect rainwater (note that Kairouan is located in arid area). The minaret which is used to call for prayer, is said to be the first one built in a mosque as earlier mosques did not have minarets.

The prayer hall is closed for non-Moslems but at times when the doors are opened one can see through the doorways. The mosque opens from Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 14:00 except on Monday where it opens for visitor from 8:00 to midday.

We took our chance to pray in this historical mosque then went on visiting Aghlabid pools, not far from the Mosque, it’s on the border of Kairouan when you enter from Sousse direction. The pools are used for water reservoir and were constructed in 9^th century. The water didn’t look so clean though.

Here we decided to change the plan, instead of going back to Tunis, we would find the way to El Jem. Later on we found out that it turned out to be the best decision of the day. But for now, let’s enjoy some pictures from Kairouan !

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All in all, the journey is really worth it. To experience Sahara, Tozeur is one of the best places to start from. From Tunis you can also book a group tour to Sahara from local travel agents. Usually it will start on Friday morning and return on Sunday afternoon from Tozeur. The best time to visit Sahara is in December – April as the temperature at that time is mild and comfortable. Try to avoid going in the summer, it will be too hot (when we took a walk in Tozeur city center at around 9 PM, the weather was still warm). It’s also good idea to check the weather forecast (such as weather.com) before going there.

As for my tailor made tour, I’ll do simple calculation for the cost.

1. Return train ticket Tunis – Tozeur 45 DT.
2. Landcruiser (4×4) rent 180 DT (price is per car including driver and gasoline, if more than one passenger then the cost can be distributed. For half day rent, the rent price is 80 – 90 DT per car, depending on destination).
3. Lunch and Dinner 25 DT.

Total cost is 250 DT which with current conversion rate equals to 215 USD / 137 Euro.

You can find the link for train service and hotel booking that I used in my first post.

CHEERS !

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After bumpy ride on Chott El Gharsa finally we reached Sahara. The way it looks is exactly like the typical desert we use to see in pictures or movie. It’s only sand as far as I can see. Then the best part of the journey was started. On the desert where no other living creature was seen and we felt that we were the only ones exist on the vast sea of sand, Sa’if suddenly drove the Landcruiser climbed one of the high sand dunes and stopped at the top. Only seconds later the car accelerates down the hill with blazing speed. As my adrenalin rose, so was my excitement. Screaming is recommended, the louder the better. It didn’t stop there; before I fully calmed myself, the car has yet climbed another sand dune, only this time it was higher. Then again suddenly we landed at the bottom of the hill. And this was repeated couple of times. It’s definitely the best part of the trip to me.

The last place to visit in Sahara was a ghost town once used as set for filming the very famous movie in the world, “La Guerre des Étoiles”. If you never heard about it before, then you’re not alone. It didn’t ring a bell when I was first told until I realized that it was French translation of Star Wars. I watched all Star Wars episodes but I can’t tell which one used this set. If you’re a Star Wars enthusiast maybe you can inform me. The ghost town lies just in the middle of nowhere and felt like it just suddenly appeared from nothing.

Considering the road (can I call it road?) condition, It will need a capable 4×4 car to reach this location, just like the one we rent. But, wait, is that true? Wrong. To my surprise, came a man closing in with a very unlikely transportation means for the desert: an apparently old small-engine motorcycle with pedals! See the picture on the left. He sold souvenirs like bracelet and pendant in traditional motif. I bought some for my daughter back home, she would love it.
After taking a rest in a shade (it was very hot) once again we hit the road going back to Tozeur. One night stayed in Tozeur and left on Sunday early morning by train to Tunis.

Here are some other pictures of Sahara.

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