We have all seen in the news the huge numbers of people pouring over the Tunisian border due to the horrific situation in Libya. Anyone due to go out to Tunisia in the near future may like to consider the message below, from the Support for Tunisia page on Facebook. I cannot give a link as it is not an 'open' site, membership being by invitation only to avoid infiltration by those who do not have the true interests of the people at heart:

"HELP FOR REFUGEES - CROISSANT ROUGE (the equivalent of our Red Cross)

The Tunisian people have been extraordinarily generous in the face of this tragedy, and they are giving food, toilet articles such as soap and shampoo, cleaning items such as bleach and disinfectant, warm clothes etc. and they are doing this quietly, with no publicity. Some people whose jobs have disappeared due to the aftermath of the revolution, and some people who have very little themselves are all participating in this gigantic effort to help.

URGENT NEEDS : money (for purchasing medicines, blankets etc) blankets, toilet paper, kitchen rolls, non-perishable foods (jam, biscuits, chamia, tuna fish, cheese, milk and water in small bottles) If you are able to, please give. Also men's clothes, even very old. There is a Croissant Rouge near you. Thank you."

I know most of us have enough difficulty as it is to stay within the weight limits of the airlines but anything would be much appreciated. I've asked my sons to see what clothes they can give me to take. If you need an address for a Croissant Rouge in the area you will be staying I will do my best to get it for you.

found 'Tunisian Tales'
yes if you have address for Sousse area (Marhaba Hotel) I will be happy to contribute whilst ove there this April 2011

Thanks Neil. The following is copied from their Facebook site. I will try to find out exactly where it is as I don't know what the PTT is. I presume they mean the boys high school but I'm sure someone local would be able to help you find it.

"The local Red Crescent in Sousse is at 2 Rue d'alexandria behind the PTT in the city center near the high school boy. It is open, time of crisis, from 15h to 17h daily and Sunday from 10am to 13pm."

no problem will certainly find it there i know the area roughly around there I will have a potter on an ovecast day of which am sure there will be one but ONLY ONE please (am sure the weather gods will be kind)

Sounds as though you are another fairly regular visitor Neil. I've been going for the past 11 years now so it's almost my second home, but I can still get lost. Anyway, I've just asked for clearer directions so hopefully I'll know more soon. Now I'm going to get off the computer for a while and get some ironing done.

i think its my 5th or 6th to the area and few trips to Djerba aswell enjoy the ironing

Now I'm going to get off the computer for a while and get some ironing done.

Will I send you some more to do

Not sure what is happening with all the flights at the moment, I presume the demand is not ther for flight from regional airports so they are cancellig flights until tourists are more confident in bookinh Tunisia again as a holiday destination.

I did mention before that I thought there would problems in getting tourists back, this is not good for Tunisia they need tourists to return

Tunisia does need the tourists and the tour operators don't seem to be helping. I know Neil and one or two others have been quoted good prices but when I looked for September/October they had certainly gone up since last year.

Another thing, word doesn't seem to have spread about Enfidha. I had a look on Opodo and a couple more such sites and they say there are no flights to there from Stansted, whereas both TC and Thomsons are covering this route from May though at around £250 which is far too expensive for me.

PS Thanks for your offer but you can do your own ironing (if Sally will let you)

i have only done it once few years ago now but maybe ?????
go via Luqa, Malta flight onto Carthage, Tunis or there used to be a ferry across not sure if still is though

My most convenient route is Stansted to Monastir and that has been with TC since Nouvelair Tunisie pulled out. This summer TC and Thomson are both flying to Enfidha according to their websites. I don't mind Gatwick into Tunis if BA have cheap enough flights, as their baggage allowance is so much better, and that is what I'm doing on 18th, transfer to Sousse booked with A2B.

go via Luqa, Malta flight onto Carthage

Oooh that would never work for me, I would get off in Malta and just stay there

Thos Cook are really messing me about - call them and they say the flights from Glasgow are ok, and at the same time getting facebook email messages telling me the midweek flights are cancelled for the summer.....however we are not allowed to do anything until we have been "formally" told by their operations dept. And now of course there are no alternatives left. Another person has emailed me to say her midweek Glasgow flight was cancelled last November, before there was any trouble - and this was for a July departure. How can the tour operators get away with treating people like this. We had always been independent travellers until we went to Tunisia as the package deal was too goo. After this experience I will give them a very wide berth. Aslemma do you know who else flies into Monastir from UK?
I know its the wrong Board!

TC are a pain in the a***. They never seem to know what they are doing and I've had battles with them in the past. On doing a quick check it seems that there are no mid-week flights from Glasgow but Thomson have Sunday flights to Enfidha in July at a whopping £393 :yikes. You might like to have a look at Cheapflights on the link below:

http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/Zine-El-Abidine-Ben-Ali/Glasgow/

Don't bother checking Opodo - they and some of the other companies didn't even seem to have heard of Enfidha when I looked a couple of days ago.
I've just had a thought - another friend of mine has an apartment in Sousse and flies out regularly from Glasgow so I'll pick her brains for you.

Thanks Aslemma- in limbo right now as They won't officially confirm cancellatio and we can't cancel - supposed to be flying 10 weeks today!

I had that once before but I did know for certain that the flights were cancelled and as it was just for for me and not too expensive I was able to re-book, even though it officially left me with two flights on the same day for a while. I don't think these companies live in the real world.

Hope they give you official confirmation one way or the other soon and in the meantime I will make inquiries for you.

OHHHHHH spanish strike will tunis get the over spill ????
fingers crossed the spending for the local economy but maybe not the same mentality ????

I've just heard from someone on another site that the Marhaba Salem is closed and guests are being moved to the Royal Salem, which is the hotel I was at in October but was coming up too expensive this time. The person who posted only found out when she got there but it might explain why there was no answer when I tried ringing the hotel this afternoon to check they had my reservation.

Re the PTT. Is that not the Post Office?

You could be right dorra - poste tunisienne something or other!