As most people will know i've just come back for my second visit to Tunisia here is my story...........

Myself and my wife have been waiting since the end of July to come back and explore as the last time we were in Tunisia we had our family with us so we didnt get out and about much,but not this time!!!

As we sat in the airport waiting for our flight with great beaming smiles on our faces we discused what we were going to do.......

The Thompson flight was poor but it was cheap...

We landed at Monastir with no visa's handed out onboard,got into the airport and i couldnt believe how many people didnt know they had to fill in a visa....we queued for about 20 mins and through we went to get our cases,on leaving the airport just as i was about to tell a porter that we were fine and didnt need any help out popped my friend Adel,a few arabic words and the porter walked away mumbleing under his breath...it was so good to see our good friend again...he had surprised us as he was supposed to have been working...we jumped in a taxi and off to the holel we went.

As we drew up to the hotel we thought it looked quite good it was small and homely i suppose,we were ushered straight to the resteraunt as it was closing soon...now i think i was spoiled in the summer when we stayed at the Thallassa village as far as food was concerned so much choice it was a shock when i saw the size of the restaurant and the how little the choice of meals there was but it was fine for what we needed..so we had our meal and then checked in to our room.

The room was basic but very clean,the view we had looked out over towards the Thallassa village and to the right the beach and sea,perfect!!! so we unpacked our clothes and we went for a wander about the hotel and its grounds,as we walked about it was quiet we thought this will do us as it was quiet with no screaming kids just what the doctor ordered...we had a few drinks at the bar as we waited for our friend to finish work..the staff were friendly and copied my scottish accent when i ordered..we had to go to the hotel over the road for a drink as after 12 our bar was closed...

I was woken at 4am with cockadoodaldoooooo,god they've got chickens!!! i closed the patio door and returned to my bed....

We got up at 8am and had a light breakfast we had a walk about the pool and down to the beach,we had a coffee and decided to go to Sousse for the morning...

Sousse was amazing,we walked all around Sousse we went to the ribat and we climbed to the top of the tower and what a view we had out over Sousse.We bought some presents for our family then headed back to the hotel..we lounged about till tea then we went into Monastir to meet up with our friend Adel.Whilst we walk arround Tunisia my wife gets stared at a bit because she has bright red hair!!!!!!!

We had a walk about Monastir then we went for a coffee,we chatted till 3am in a cafe out side,can you imagine doing that in the UK without large amounts of alcohol involved and no coats on!!

We spent the next day by the pool relaxing,no need to get up early to put towles out as the hotel was quite quiet as its getting to the end of the season,why why do european men wear skimpy speedos god they should be banned but they do make us laugh these blokes with big bellies and tiny shorts..at night there was a storm with loads of lightning.

We had to be up at 4am to geat ready to leave for 5am to go to Matmata..my friend and his brother had borrowed a car so we could go to Matmata for the day...what a shock i got the car must have been 25-30 years old,i thought to my self it will never make it!!!!!! so we set off for Matmata via Mahdia,Chebba,Sfax,Gabes..that drive will live with us for ever ,7hrs!! i just wish we could have stopped longer at these places but maybe next time..it was getting hotter and hotter..

We arrived in Matmata at about 1,there are very little signs for what we were looking for(Luke skywalkers home) but we found it and took loads of photo's and then had a sneaky lunch there as we hadnt eaten or drank anything in front of our friends as we didnt want to offend them...then it was home time,some of the sights on the way there and back were out of this world and it just makes us more determined to come back and explore more...on our way back we stopped off at our friends family home in Ksour Essaf..what a welcome
we got and the meal was to die for we realy have made friends for life in Tunisia...and yet agian it was time to go again.As we got closer to Mahdia i could see clouds and lightning in the distance,whilst in Mahdia it started to rain!! and rain and rain...as we went through Teboulba and Ksibet El Mediouni the streets were flooding it was an amazing sight,then the rain got so bad we couldnt see the road ahead so we had to stop,after the rain eased off the car wouldnt start again!! we had to get out and push it to get it going again(we got soaked) we arrived at the hotel at about 12ish,aparently it had been lightning for 30hrs.We were told the next day that the hotel had had water running through the halls while we had been away,looks like we had picked the best day to go south..

We spent the next day by the pool and relaxed in the sun and the next day i couldnt leave the room!!! i spent most of the next day and a half in the loo(stay away from the eggs).

We visited Monastir again at night on our last night and had a coffee with Adel...it was sad that our time had gone so fast,but we had seen so much..

At the airport my good friend Adel met us and took us to the staff restaurant where we had a coffee and watched Tunisian version of 'Deal or No Deal'...our time had been so short but it time was time to leave....we will miss our friends greatly and the sights and smells of Tunisia.

Myself and my wife had the most wonderful week and we cant wait to go back...................................