Matmata on the way back to Djerba

One last shot before leaving Oasis





















Camel crossing sign...and there for a good reason!


















Stopping at another nice cafe for some coffee... Our tour guide who was up all night and seemed to be still a bit inebriated and hung over, really needed this break...We were happy that he was not in our vehicle!
















Troglodyte building near Matmata built on a slope. These date back 500 years. Troglodytes, are Tunisian cave people who live in houses dug vertically into the ground or on steep slopes, sometimes a couple of stories deep, complete with doors and staircases, but no windows. Typically they were built by excavating 50ft circular pits, and carving out rooms; these were cool in summer and warm in winter, though prone to flooding. Some are still inhabited by local families.

One, the Hotel Sidi Driss, had been used in the filming of Star Wars and this was our next stop.



































Walking in...I believe Sidi Driss was the underground home of Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen and Aunt B.


























Everyone taking shots...

















































Next we visited a local house, still inhabited...Note the hand over the entry way to an inhabited house. This is the "Fatima" hand print and combined with the fish drawing, promises wealth, health, and general prosperity

















Grinding wheat...we actually got to taste some fire cooked bread with olive oil...nice appetizer prior to heading out for our lunch stop.




Large "desert rose" in lobby of hotel where we stopped for lunch...


















...and yes, there is mountain biking in Tunisia!























Boat ride back to Djerba. This was a sweet shot...the mother was very proud of her son and they were both pleased with the attention from this strange tourist...



















Goodbye shot of girls with Ali, our driver. Overall this 2 day trip was a great excursion...Most impressive for me was the hundreds of miles of voluminous, unadulterated, rippling sand. That's a picture that I'll keep with me for life. I wonder if the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado are anything like this...