The first leg of our fall break trip of October 2021 was a day trip to Utica and Raf Raf. We started early for Utica from Tunis and reached there in 1 hour. We toured the Utica ruins and met up with Aiden’s school friend, Elena. She was there with her family and we talked for 10-15 minutes. Aiden had fun walking around and even taking nice pictures with our DSLR camera. After 90 minutes of touring Utica, we went to Raf Raf which was another hour away. We parked right next to the beach and walked to a cafe to relax while Aiden was playing games with the waves which were quite strong. Very clean beach with not too many tourists at all since it’s no longer peak season. We spent 1 hour at Raf Raf and then headed back to Tunis. A nice day trip seeing the ruins and a cool beach.

This trip was quite an adventure for one day. We left around 9 and 45 minutes into the trip, we got a flat tire. It was on the highway and I was preparing to install the spare when Sona flagged down a mechanic who took over and changed the tire. He and his daughter then asked us to follow them to a tire store in the following town to replace the tire. We spend around an hour at the tire place while they changed and rotated our tires. We then proceeded to go to Bulla Regia and spend almost 2 hours there touring the ruins. Unfortunately, Aiden got stung with bees so we cut the tour short and went straight to lunch. We ran into some Embassy colleagues and chatted for a bit. The fish lunch was great and then we headed back home. A decent place to visit with underground rooms and impressive mosaics. Luckily everything worked out at the end!

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Tabarka was the highlight of the trip! We had an awesome drive from Ain Draham to Tabarka and got there around 1 PM. Our hotel was La Cigale which had all the amenities for us and Aiden including two indoor swimming pools and bars to hang out in. We also did some sightseeing to see a fort and the three fingers sticking out of the water. The hydrotherapy experience was fun and Aiden enjoyed the swimming pool playing Marco Polo. He also ate well and did a lot of walking along the paths and around the hotel. Nice relaxing stay and we might be back soon!

The second leg of our spring break 2021 trip was Ain Draham which was breathtaking trip from Dougga to a cabin Ann found in the woods. We went up and down several mountains before finally finding the place. The cabin was rustic with two levels, fireplace, and nice view from the balcony. During our two day stay, we rode donkeys, hiked almost 2 hours, played card games, and drank. We arranged dinner and breakfast and the food was quite good and well prepared. It was definitely memorable and something different even though the shower pressure was low, one of our windows broke, and it was quite cold at times!

During Spring Break 2021, we decided to take a week long vacation through the Western and Northern part of Tunisia. So Aiden could have company, we invited Lorenzo and Julian along with their Moms to go with us. We left on Monday and went direct to Dougga to look at the ruins. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and were able to get some great pictures along with the kids running around and playing hide and seek and rock climbing. Our guide was informative and we spent close to 3 hours there hiking. Magnificent site and well preserved!

On December 30, 2020, we decided to go on a trip to Sousse which is around a 2 hour drive from Tunis. We used our Marriot points to book at Pearl Marriot Resort and Spa which is right next to the beach. The hotel was fantastic and the service was outstanding with an indoor pool, spa, and a couple of restaurants. We received a complimentary upgrade to a suite and also free snacks because of our Gold Elite status I believe. For lunch, we went to Gourmandaise and had burgers and pasta before playing with Aiden on the beach.

After snacking, we went swimming in the indoor pool and then did a sauna for 20 minutes. Came back to the hotel room and read to Aiden before he slept around 8:15.

Day 2 we decided to go to El Jem which has an amphitheater. It took around two hours to get there from Sousse and it was quite impressive. Gladiator was filmed there and Sona/Aiden took a camel ride. We toured the place for 2 hours and took a lot of pictures. On the way back, we decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe where he had fajitas and drinks to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Returned around 4 and hung out at hotel until dinner at 8 where we went to the hotel restaurant for a buffet. Went to be bed around 11 but hard to sleep since AC wasn’t working right.

Day 3 was touring Ribat and the Medina. Ribat was amazing and we were the only ones at the fort. Climbed up the 100 or so steps to the top and got a fantastic view of central Sousse. We ate at an authentic Tunisian place and had couscous while Aiden had spaghetti. Sona booked a massage for us at 4 so we retuned early to get ready for that. The massage was divine and we hired a babysitter to watch Aiden.

Dinner was the Asian Fusion place at the hotel and the food was so-so. Sushi was okay but the pad thai noodles wasn’t authentic along with the Tom Yum soup.

The next morning we checked out around 10 to head to Friguia Park which is a zoo on the way back to Tunis. Saw some unique animals like the White Tiger and White Lion and Aiden fed some lemurs which was cool. Perfect weather to walk but the animals were kind of lazy and not in the mood to engage with people. We got back home around 4:30 and the Sousse adventure is complete. We will definitely go back in the summer and probably stay at the same hotel since the customer service was outstanding!

We decided to check out the ruins in Carthage during my annual leave on November 1, 2020. Used our GPS to first head to the ruins next to the Cathedral. It was mighty impressive and the scope of what we saw was amazing. We were basically the only ones there and walked around for about an hour viewing the Punic town area and statues of Carthage leaders with most of their heads gone. There were also pillars all over the place and of course the usual number of cats.

The second ruin was 10 minutes away and was even more impressive. These were the baths of Antonin and it was more preserved and bigger. A lot more walking and Aiden and I even played hide and seek. I really enjoyed the history and will read more about the Carthage civilization to learn how they lived.

We paid for more attractions but Aiden was tired after walking two of the ruins so we decided to go home. All in all, a great day soaking in history and teaching Aiden about Tunisian history!

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Our first road trip in Tunis! We decided to head to the beach and I made all the arranagements including car rental and booking the resort which was called LTI Les Oranges. Aiden had baseball in the morning so we left around 11:30 from our place following Rico and his family. The trip too around 1 hour and we paid toll along the way which was only 4 to 5 TND. The line was long though since I think a lot of people were headed to the beach.

We arrived around 12:30 and checked in. First thing was lunch where we ran into more Embassy people. It was okay and then I took Aiden into the water where fortunately Cici brough a inflatable boat where him and Julian could rest on. Aiden and Julian were playing the whole weekend and I was mainly watching them both in the ocean and pool. Food was pretty good and the layout of the resort was nice. Aiden had a great time and we just were parents. Alcohol was all-inclusive so I had some mojitos and beer.

We checked out next day around 2 and drove to a mall on the way back called Azur City. Had smoothie and Sona bought some makeup and bags. It was a nice weekend getaway and at least something different to see. I think we’ll be back at some point later this year!

We arrived in Tunis and immediately went into quarantine. Sona and Aiden got stomach bugs and one day we had to ask Rico to find us a pharmacy to get medicine. Other than that, I was teleworking and getting used to the routine. We definitely need to learn French though. I’m trying to take classes every day time wiling. Rico, Kenton, and Intissar were great helping us and came by several times with food and toys for Aiden. On Friday, August 21 we moved to our new place in LAC 2. We like the place and it’s in a nice area. Walking distance to the Embassy, the lake, and several restaurants. We also found out about Bolt which is the Tunisian Uber and also Founa which delivers all types of merchandise including bottled water. Our UAB came on August 22 and we’ve started organizing our place. We went to a sports store called Decathlon to buy Aiden a basketball hoop and a ball dart board. On, August 29, we went to the DCM house for a cookout and met some new Embassy folks. Today, we went swimming and also had a nice breakfast at a Turkish restaurant. Enjoying it so far and hoping to keep on learning and making new memories. Aiden seems to enjoy ACST and he’s finished one week as a Kingergartner taking the bus and making friends. But he is hitting now which isn’t good. We’re planning a beach trip next week so I will write another blog about that.

On August 6, we started our journey to Tunis. The flight started at Dulles and then JFK followed by a three hour layover before we boarded our next flight to Paris. This was an overnight journey and I only got around 3 hours of rest with us having our masks on the whole time. In Paris, we had a 4 hour layover before we took our final leg to Tunis. The flight to Tunis was packed and Aiden slept the whole time. We were met at the airport by the expeditor and the CLO. On the plane were 4 other Embassy families and I introduced us to a couple. Our temporary house is in La Marsa which was around 20 minutes from the airport. Kenton met us and helped us with our bags and gave me my phone and laptop along with showing us stuff around the house. It’s a nice place and we’ve already started settling in. Aiden seems to be fine except for some skin rashes. He adjusts everywhere he goes. I’ll start my check-in process tomorrow and do some work while in quarantine. We’ll also venture out this week to explore a little bit. Tunis!