Mos Epsa & Ong Jemal (Tozeur, Tunisia)

[Author's Note: I arrived in Tunis on September 10^th, 2010 and left two months later. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia on December 18^th, 2010, a day after the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi. I missed the festivities by about a month or so. Some would say I dodged a bullet but I cannot help feeling like I missed the boat. How often do you have the chance to watch history unfold from the front row? It is interesting for me to go back and read about my experiences at the time. Yes, I could almost taste repression in the air but if you told me the powder keg was about to ignite I would have been incredulous in the extreme. Yet, there it was boiling just beneath the surface. Keep this in mind when reading my Tunisia posts. It makes for a fascinating subtext.]

Nov 6^th, 2010 - Me, Leslie, and a father/son Dutch duo packed into a Landcrusier (it came equipped with a driver) and headed to Ong Jemal or 'Neck of the Camel'. This area apparently trumps the nearby 'Ass of the Hedgehog' which is not nearly as inspiring. Ong Jemal is named for an elevated rock formation overlooking a barren plain closely resembling Chott El Jerid. 

The route out to the 'Neck' involved a bit of sand-duning a la 4WD (I am afraid my doubts about the Punto's sand dune prowess were on the mark).While getting a closer look at the 'Neck' I tried to stand on the 'Head' but was rebuffed by my 'Driver'. Not exactly sure what he was afraid of (it seemed stable) but I suspect if every Tom, Dick, and Harry went crawling all over the outcrop perhaps it might become 'Headless'. Astute movie-goers might recognize scenery from both Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and The English Patient in the photos. Not too hard to see the area's popularity with directors. In fact, on the way out there we saw an Italian movie set off in the distance.