The Rest of My Holiday in Full
And so the intrepid Keele-ite did return from the land of the Arab-ites unto Brit-ain, where he did rest much after a packed week. For in the land of the Berber-ites he did witness their manufacture of carpets and sample local delicacies round and about the tent in which he stayed.
Yes, folks, I'm back. I believe I left off on Thursday, so that is where I shall resume the tale. In honesty, we didn't do much owing to the fact that my sister had contracted food poisoning. We believed it was some squid she'd eaten at a local harbour-side cafe, so there was a limit on what we could actually do as a family. Still, we determined to make the best of it.
My father and I decided to try the shisha pipe on Friday. That is an experience never to be forgotten. We went to a local cafe, very near to the hotel on the advice of our tour rep and asked for a pipe with apple-flavoured tobacco. Thus the pipe was brought, the main chamber standing about 2-3 feet high, and placed on the ground between us. The pipe itself is interesting, with a water bowl at the bottom which is heated by charcoals on the top and the tobacco is placed in the middle. One drags on the pipe before allowing the mouth to fill with smoke and then one exhales. The feeling is exhilarating and one can spend at least an hour sharing a pipe between two people. After this, with my sister still unwell, Dad and I hit the pool where I did most of the sunbathing, as Dad was still running up and down to and from my room where Mum was looking after my sister.
Saturday dawned and my sister was feeling better, after on Friday Dad and I took yet another turn round the port in search of a bag for the carpet he and Mum had bought direct from a factory in Hammamet. Finding one and picking up some medication for my sister we returned. We were also given nutritional advice from the tour rep and so that is why on Saturday my sister had made a near-complete recovery. We spent some of that day packing and that night went to the Golf Brau (see previous entry). Dad and I stayed awhile, as my sister wanted to return to the room and sleep. It was then that, after discussing Bukha consumption on Wednesday, we decided to try some. Bukha is a liquor on the same lines as Sambucca except made from figs. It is pleasant enough neat, but one should really have it with a mixer.
Sunday isn't worth reporting. We were out of the hotel by 2 that afternoon and home by 9 that night. We were slightly early getting into Manchester and as we left passport control, we saw our bags already on the retrieval carousel as we descended the stairs, much to our surprise.
Thus concludes our second holiday in Tunisia, which although not as enjoyable as last year, was nevertheless pleasant enough. Next time, I intend to go to the Hannibal Palace at Port el-Kantaoui.
Therefore, I wish you all a belated Happy Easter and (for the Keele-tes) a restful vacation.