New Year 2004/2005

The story · 6 days

Crew: Carlo 66 years old Driver Tina 64 years old Navigator/Interpreter Principessa 18 years old Persian cat Schizzo 14 years old European cat Motorhome: Mobilvetta Euroyact 180/X

This year, in June/July, we went to the North Cape, a destination coveted by many motorhomers but one I had never managed to reach; in my youth I had tried by car and tent, without success. After that trip, tired of Europe, we looked for farther and more adventurous destinations. On the internet I found a tour of Libya with an itinerary that fascinated me straight away; I contacted the agency, asked about the cost (€ ) and booked. The cats have always been with us, they have roamed far and wide all over Europe, so they could come to Africa too; for them we paid the crossing by ship (€ ) since they could not stay in the motorhome locked in the hold.

After loading the motorhome to an absurd degree with food, even though we had been told there would be no supply problems, the only advice was: don't bring alcohol or cured meats since it's a Muslim country; we would later discover that there were no problems with wine, you could bring it, you just had to avoid having it found at customs. Another tip was to bring an additional mounted spare wheel and various filters.

Day 120 Dec 2004

Majano – Florence – Autogrill – km. 0/394

Gaberoun lake: palms and reeds before sandy dunes

Day 221 Dec 2004

Naples – Autogrill – Km. 454/848

Man standing on sand dune beside eroded volcanic rocks in the Sahara

Day 322 Dec 2004

Salerno – Port parking – km. 60/908

We arrived in the morning and went straight to the port, we were the first, then during the day all the others arrived, along the avenue leading to the center we refilled our water before boarding around 8.00 pm on the ship "Eurostar Valencia". Among the participants in the trip we met a couple from Tarcento (UD), a town 20 km from where we live, they too are not Friulians: we from Milan, they from Treviso.

After boarding and settling the campers, the problem of the cats arose, each placed in its own little cage, we should have housed them on the deck in cages next to dogs, not having the courage to abandon them in the cold and with unsociable neighbors, we tried to bring them into the cabin, found a very accommodating ship's officer who gave us permission, we immediately went to the cabin laden like refugees: with the little cages, the litter box for their needs, the little kennels for the cats to sleep in, the bags for us and with the provisions for the cats, the camera bag and various clothing. The four-bed cabin (two fold-down) with bathroom and shower is very comfortable, after dinner everyone to bed, the sea is calm, the crossing will be smooth.

Five tourists posing among rocks in front of desert rocky mountain, blue sky

Day 423 Dec 2004

Tunis port of "La Golette" – Parking in city center - km. 56/964

Quiet night, the cats a bit agitated but they didn't disturb, breakfast, a tour of the ship, a card game, lunch and then disembarkation at 4.00 pm. Tunisian customs chaotic and very disorganized, our guide who had already done this itinerary other times was not able to instruct us properly and many went astray, we paid 20+1 dinars in various taxes, a problem were the CB radios, forbidden in Tunisia, they were well hidden, but no one thought to remove the antennas, it was all resolved by an officer who requested all the devices put in a sack sealing it and registering it on a passport, we would retrieve them at the exit from Tunisia. Diesel refueling right after customs and a stop for the night in a nice parking lot.

Roman theatre of Leptis Magna, stone seats and columns by the sea

Day 524 Dec 2004

Gabes – Youth village – km. 360/1324

Once out of Tunis we take the highway (1.50 + 1.90 dinars), then on ordinary roads, we begin to see landscapes very different from those we are used to, unfortunately we also notice a lot of dirt and when you stop swarms of children surround you asking for "bonbons" and the elderly chase them away even rudely so that they don't bother us, but they run off on one side only to come back on the other. In Gabes we don't find the place to stay for the night, a traffic officer on a motorcycle, very kind, accompanies us through the alleys of the town until we reach this Youth Village, settled in the courtyard under palm trees we manage to get water too.

It's Christmas Eve and even though here they don't celebrate since they are predominantly Muslim, someone asks to be able to go to a restaurant to spend this holiday of ours in company, the policeman himself calls and books dinner for all of us and goes further, he gets us the taxis that will take us to the restaurant and back (12 dinars). The restaurant was closed, they opened it only for us, it wasn't heated, everyone had dinner with jackets and windbreakers, all the same we ate well (50 dinars), in their way of course, they even offered us a cake with "Buon Natale" written on it in French.