First time in TUNISIA - Meeting locals in TUNIS, the capital تونس
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2022
- Hello everyone!
This is the start of a new series in which I explore Tunisia, the northernmost country in Africa. The series starts off with me exploring the capital city, Tunis, on my first day in Tunisia.
The goal on my first day was very much to orientate myself in the city, explore some markets, meet some locals and buy a Tunisian football jersey. I was particularly focused on meeting locals as there is no better way to really get to know a city than through the locals.
Before the start of the vlog, I asked a local man for directions to the Tunis medina, the vast market area where vendors try to sell some local and not-so-local merchandise.
As I walk towards the medina, I bump into this man again, who introduces himself to me as Abdul and self-appoints himself as my guide to the medina. He is quite the character as you will find out, taking me to various spots where vendors try to sell their merchandise. Trust me, you do not want to miss him taking me around the city!
After parting ways with Abdul, I stop for a Tunisian coffee at a local coffee shop, where I befriend a local man. He subsequently takes me to a vendor where I bargain in my attempt to buy a football jersey.
In the remainder of the vlog I provide insights and first impressions of the city.
Let's explore Tunisia! Please hit the like button on this video and, if you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel.
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Hi everyone! If you enjoy this video of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, then please give this video a LIKE and please SUBSCRIBE to my channel! It really helps this channel to grow and allows me to make more interesting videos for you to watch!
So happy to see people from South Africa visiting my country! When I was in high school (in La Marsa, a small town in Tunis suburbs), I had one of my closest friend than was from Durban :) Hopefully I'll visit South Africa one day !
Hi Zlizi! Thanks for taking the time to watch my videos and for leaving this comment! It was wonderful to visit Tunisia. I've only seen a small part of your beautiful country (i.e. the Northern parts around Tunis) but I would love to go back and visit other places in the South too. I also hope that you get the opportunity to visit South Africa one day. It is a big country with lots of places to consider, depending on your interests. I've only been to Durban once as a 15-year old so that is also a place that is on my to-do list!
أكتب بالفرنسيه ويزو متجوبير نتاعكم احنا هنا في تونس يا جبورة تحيا تونس الخضراء أرض الشهاداء والمجاهدين فريد من تونس العاصمه باب لقواس
Every country has an Abdul.
He was quite a character!
Man, Abdul is really excited about the panoramic view. Great video. Hope you enjoyed your stay in my wonderful home country.
Haha yes he was Sneezy! Cheers for watching my friend, I had a wonderful time in your beautiful home country :)
Willie, I had to come back and re-watch this video now that I've actually been to Tunisia! The first thing I have to say is that I also met Abdul! I spotted him on my first day in Tunis, roughly where he started talking to you. I recognised him straight away, not only from your video but also from someone else's Tunis TH-cam video. He didn't speak to me that day, but I was walking along the same stretch of road the next day when he approached me from behind. The first thing I said to him was that I knew who he was as I'd seen him on TH-cam! He looked confused at first but eventually realised what I was saying. He did, of course, want to take me to the same shop, but I'd actually been there the day before, I'd sought it out as I'd wanted to see the view. Once he figured out that he wouldn't be able to take me there and get any commission for anything I might buy, he left me alone and went off to find someone else to take to the shop. I'm afraid it's all a very choreographed and scripted routine, as I'm sure you're aware! I did actually buy a small painting in the shop, but I'd intended to buy a painting in Tunisia anyway, and by the time I'd called on the haggling skills I've picked up on my trips to Morocco, I paid next to nothing for it anyway. But you're right, their whole attitude changes if they think you don't intend to buy anything, and they can get quite aggressive!
I actually stayed in the Hotel Royal Victoria, the old British Embassy for many years. A wonderful place to stay, and great for diving into the medina, as well as being handy for escaping from it too when the mayhem got too much! That arch was the view from my bedroom window. 😊
Wow Andy thanks for sharing your experience with Abdul! What an amazing coincidence! (or not, as you described). They can get quite aggressive as you point out but it is important to stand your ground, otherwise they'll walk all over you. Hope you had a great time in Tunisia and I would love to hear more of your time there.
I have never seen anyone walk as fast as Abdul, wow, he was quick. Great first episode in this Tunisia series, Willie. The rooftop view was amazing. I just love the mosaic tiling in these countries. Worth sitting through a variety of rug presentations for that😂.
He was in a hurry wasn't he! I did have a good time with him and his friends though, presentations and all, as it gave me real insights into life in the capital. Buying the football jersey was very special too. Hope you enjoy this series Sheila, it was one of my favourite places to film so far!
@@willieexplore I think your interactions with the locals are my favourite parts. Too often we don't reach out to people enough but there is so much to learn. Football is clearly a universal language!
@@sheilam4525 they are special for me too. You get to see the real country through the local interactions. Football, coffee and ice cream!
Great hide out so that's where you are nice awesome video Willie and good induction for beginners who are learning about travelling thanks!
Great to hear from you Simon! Thanks for the kind comment, as always. Hopefully this series will give you and others great insights into the real Tunisia away from the package holiday resorts!
Another great video!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it :)
Great stuff Willie, your best videos (imo) are the ones where you hang out with the locals. You had a lot of patience there, I'd just be saying to Ahmed 'OK mate just cut to the chase and tell me what you're selling' 🤣 nice to hear about the South Africa AFCON win, that must be the year after winning the Rugby WC too, important time for the Rainbow Nation. Look forward to the rest of your Tunisia videos ✌️
Cheers for this valued feedback mate! I do tend to agree with you - history can always be looked up online whereas these interactions cannot. Yes one year after the RWC win in 1995. Yep I have a fair few more Tunisia videos coming in due course!
I really feal so happy dicovering your channel, your vlogs are very interesting and different from others.
welcome to my country
That is wonderful to hear Ghassan, thank you so much for your support! I try to make original, authentic vlogs - no fancy editing, just raw interactions and experiences. What a wonderful country Tunisia is!
So rich and spontaneous Vlog.. Welcome to Tunisia!
Thank you Salma! Appreciate you taking the time to comment on my videos. Cheers for supporting my channel :)
great stuff willie realy enjoyed the football shirt bit
Cheers Martyn thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you Armitages are staying warm up in Leeds!
@@willieexplore yes we are trying willie im overdosing on football im sure rene is enjoying it too!!!!
Sooo glad that you visited our dear Tunisia it's quite tough for tourists to go around knowing nothing but hope you enjoyed your exploration ❤️
You missed lots of amazing places though
Thank you so much Nouna! I had a wonderful time in the capital. And yes, I would have missed a lot of places on the first day. The highlight is always the people I meet and interact with, so it was a wonderful day of exploring :) Hope you get a chance to watch my other Tunisia videos too. Appreciate your support!
so beautiful carpet ...i'm tunisian and this the first time i know haw they made carpet and the color with naturel colors ..thanks for this tour
Thanks for watching Ghofrane! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Funny enough as a Tunisian French kid in that time my first memories of Tunisia team and my first memories of watching Africa cup on TV is also 1996 and I remember as you mentioned it the South Africa captain lifting the trophy wearing the Tunisia shirt. I also remember the rugby world cup 1995 and the semi final won by South Africa vs France under huge rain.
Yes my friend some wonderful sporting memories for South Africans there! That match against France was too close for comfort, on another day Benazzi would have scored
@@willieexplore Other sport memories related to South Africa, rugby world cup 2007, final was in the stadium near my neighbourhood (where we - French - won the football world cup 1998), and also I remember when Bafana Bafana beat les bleus in football world cup 2010
@@willieexplore As Tunisian i don't have other memories of games with South Africa, except the first stage in Africa cup 2006, I think it was 2-0 for us :)
@@helloahla239 I was in Paris for that 2007 final but not inside the stadium. Was a special evening seeing the Eiffel Tower in Green Gold lights after we won! I remember jumping into a random train carriage that day before the match, filled with English supporters who gave me a lot of banter!
I could not go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup as I was working in England but I also remember our opening game of the 1998 one against France which you won very comfortably. What a team you had. After reaching the final of the AFCON earlier that year, we had optimistic expectations of progressing beyond the group stage and also had a new coach, Frenchman Philippe Troussier, but ultimately had a poor tournament.
@@helloahla239 our football team has unfortunately never reached the heights of 1996 again.
i hope you enjoyed your stay !
I certainly did my friend! Thanks for watching!
Abdul is such an honest cutie ❤
He was quite the character
Welcome to Tunisia and thank you for those vidéos, im à Tunisian Who live in Canada and im visiting with you my country we enjoy too much your vidéos me and my wife 🇹🇳 🇿🇦
Cheers Nizar! Glad you enjoy my videos, your support is much appreciated!
@@willieexplore pleasure my freind 😊
Wellcom to our country Tunisia I liked your energie
Hi Amina! Thank you for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it! Merci :)
@@willieexplore Hi Willie . U r wellcom .such a wonderful Guy u r my Friend .
Have you been in Mosque Ez Zitouna it is the oldest university in the world established in 737 AD. You still have a lot to see :) but what a wonderful trip and you make feel nostalgic :) thank you
I haven't no, but like you say it is a building steeped in history. Thanks for watching my videos and providing commentary, I really value your input!
My pleasure and thank you for visiting and sharing your experience 😊
At 13:00 it is the most famous view of Tunis shown in many tourist pictures
That is a very nice view. Thanks for watching!
Welcome to Tunisia ❤❤
Thank you! I had a great time :) Hope you get a chance to watch my other Tunisia videos too!
Thanks for showing Tunis! You weren't tempted by that carpet? Could you fit it into that small backpack of yours?
Not in the slightest haha! I could do a lot of other stuff with 220 Euros. And no it wouldn't fit in a million years even if they cut it in half :)
Welcome to TUNISIA 🇹🇳💜❤️
Thank you my friend! Love Tunisia!
You are an amazing content creator 🥰🇹🇳🐪🌴⛵🏕️
That is a wonderful compliment to receive Salah! Thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying my content :)
welcome
Merci!
Very nice video . Really upsetting the first guy who showed you around was part of the hustle taking you shops where he knew people would overcharge and try to sell you stuff and ask if you brought them I'm glad you stood your ground and didn't ( they probly asked for money for their time ) . Then he asked you for a further 20 after you paid him , I understand there's poverty but sometimes can ruin the mood . But really liked this vlog I'm due to go over soon as will visit tunis too . Will visit some of the places you went too .
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment Andrew! Much appreciated. I guess those sellers and their "helpers" are just part of the deal when you go to Tunisia. I will be posting more videos of Tunisia in due course so make sure not to miss those! Happy to give you some tips / advice in relation to the country if you have any questions.
Im a tunisian and im really sorry that , this happned to you , but you know something , you would never be able to get that deeper in the medina without getting robbed if abdul didnt help you to get there , but stills 20 dinars was more than enough as 10 were okey . Well thank you for this great video your work is really great keep up !
@@hz6612 I Disagree brother I travel to Tunisia many times a year for the last 10 years atleast 30 times and yes a helper is good but the amount of helpers that are trying to make easy money is wrong . I'll give you a example the latest video if them 2 guys in kairouan where they said that it's the same as hajj to go to the great mosque 7times in kairouan we know it's a lie the guides alot of them make stuff up for easy money . I have seen this hustle and people claiming to be your chef from the hotel numerous times . I can guarantee you Willie agreed a price with Abdul and paid him and then he start asking for more at the end and acting distraught and upset maybe saying he's got family and kids to feed etc because he knows alot of foreigners are not use to this . But glad he stood his ground . We should all help make Tunisia better by talking to these people because it puts people off . Even things like youl have shops offer you a 3 dinar bracelet for 90 dinar and when you buy it for 10 dinar you think it's a bargain but still the shop keeper makes money . Imagine the ones paying 60 or 70 this is really stealing and picking on the honesty of tourist who are a guest to the country everyone should try to be a ambassador of the human race and Tunisia and just be honest . It's fine ask for money but not pushy and be honest .
@@hz6612 I was very grateful for Abdul showing me around including some areas - as you say - that are definitely off the beaten track. Thank you so much for your support and for watching my videos - it goes without saying that I really appreciate it!
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Thanks for watching!
the white shirt really suits you
Thank you :) A bit of Tunisia!
Woooooow Tunisiaa
Incredible place!
In Tunis if you went 50-100km more North around Bizerte you would have been in the most Northern point of the continent. And you have the most Southern point of the continent in South Africa (somewhere around Durban is it?)
My vlog on Bizerte will feature soon :) Southernmost point in Africa is Cape Agulhas - much closer to Cape Town than Durban
👍🇵🇱 Poland tnx
Thanks for watching!
i can feel the tension when there is nobody in the street except abdoul, i also started having bad ideas xDDD
Yep, sometimes you just get that feeling and you start questioning the situation. Thanks for watching! Really appreciate the support for my channel :)
It's good to take the shirt with 55 dinar am tunisian and I bought it with 75 dinar from ather shop hhhh he did gret price with you but also there's another shirt with less price around 25 dinar but not good quality
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment Safa, I appreciate it! Earlier on in the day, I asked the receptionist at my hotel what a fair price would be for a high quality Tunisia football shirt. He answered around 50 Dinars. So I did get a good price and I'm very happy with the quality :)
@@willieexplore This is why the coffee-man who had brought you to the shirt celler was a little upset when you said "It is a good deal" or smth like that, so he was like: "Yeah, good deal for him but not for me" ))) Obviously his aim was to make some commision as well but the price of 55 really left no chance for him =) I live in İstanbul/ Turkey and want to notice that all the places like Medina in Tunis or any kind of old towns in any eastern country do "work" just exactly the same way =)) Entering there is like accepting the terms of an unwritten contract. Due to which you are obliged to buy something and if not then it is a violation of the contract from your side and hence the aggression is the response. I don't try to justify it oh no but in their eyes it looks just the same as if you come to a restaurant, call the waiter, study the menu, ask about the ingredients of the dishes, take a couple of selfies and in the end say just "Well, I really liked everything, I'll come back another time, thanks" )) Anyways I believe you enjoyed your stay in this beautiful ancient country and thanks for sharing your adventures!
@@agsakkalsasa thanks Axellex. I disagree with the bit where you say you are obliged to buy anything - you are not and I don't want prospective tourists to Tunisia to feel pressured into buying stuff they don't want. An economic transaction involves two parties - a buyer and a seller - and it takes two to tango. If a buyer is unhappy with a deal then they can walk away; if a seller is unhappy with the price offered by the buyer they don't have to sell. I'm in a different position because I take videos of their shops so I do feel it is fair to buy something. Also, I was looking for a football jersey and knew what a fair price was to pay from the hotel I was staying (they mentioned about 50 Dinar). So hopefully the gentleman I met in the coffee shop got at least 5!
Where is that shop that sells oils?
Lol somewhere in Tunis, Abdul was too fast for me in those alleys!
What time of the year was this?? Not warm yet?
This was November/December time - not cold, but not warm!
did you visited more places in Tunisia behalf Tunis, and Hammamet? Sousse, Djerba, Monastir or Tabarka . coz Tunis is not a touristic City, Caos and dirt are everywhere
Hi Sammy, yes I visited Sidi Bou Said and the vlogs for these are already up on my channel. I also visited some places in the North that I will upload in due course :)
@@willieexplore i am waiting for you vid. like the way you made contact with the locals and got more informations from that country good luck Willie?
@@sammygarnaoui7907 thank you my friend :)
Hello willie is there any scholarship in Tunisia ?
Hello my friend, I have no idea sorry
@@willieexplore ok thank you for the reply
Lorsque vous venez en Tunisie je vous demande svp de parlé en français nous les tunisien notre langue officielle c'est le français salutations de Tunis Tunisie bab lakwess Farid
En as jy op my kanaal kom gesels met my moet jy Afrikaans praat, want my taal is Afrikaans. No brother, I don't need to speak French.
Did Abdul get angry when he got the 20 dinnars?
He definitely got angry. However, it could be because (i) he wanted more money or (ii) there were people directly behind him that seemed to hassle him or wanted to chat :) Either way, he asked for 20 more a few seconds later!
damn i felt so sorry for you because you thought that person actually trying to help you out out of the kindness of his heart , you can distinguish them and ovoid them for the future , some nice ppl will try to help you out but the pushy ones just want your money their entire jobs is just snipe tourists like you in the street , sorry you had to experience that in my country
No worries my friend! Thank you so much for watching my videos. I had a wonderful time in your beautiful country and would love to return one day. Have a good day!
I been here 10 years.. you not see anything..
I only had one day, not ten years! Lol
Il a pas peur de suivre quelqu'un dans la rue qu il ne connaît pas?
Non mon ami, je suis un vlogger à la recherche de contenu intéressant
Marchand de Tapis
Lovely carpets but too pricey for me
Yeah he ripped u off! Even your guide said mockingly “good for him, not for you!”
Nah don't worry, I was happy with the price I paid! :)
Never buy footballshirts from touristy destinations, they are all fake,low quality and overpriced. You should have insisted on the 40 dinar, that was already a good price for these shirts😅. If you want an original shirt you have to buy them either from a carrefour supermarket or a kappa store in Tunis.
Taken on face value, those are all fair comment Its, but remember I'm a vlogger looking for footage - therefore, it is more than simply the transaction for me! Chances were that buying one in a Carrefour would not have resulted in the interaction I had with the locals. Also, I was happy to pay anything less than £15, fake or not. I will explain in a future video that building a connection with locals is important when you travel, and any sports jersey of that country is a great way to achieve that :)
@@willieexplore Nice response.. showing a nice intention and positive thinking way!
@@salmafatnassi4410 I always try to stay positive and glass half full :)
i didn't complete the vedio i feeled like you are trying to to fix it and be away of that ABDU he is trying to get a tip from you im a tunisian and the people that he is taking you to its his freinds ! when you said every one knows every one he toled them to start to pretend and do not make me nervous im trying to work ! they trying to took your money nothink else ! just focus in 44:28 he is flowing you xD for me ! im very sorry for that and i hope that you didn't think that it's a horrible place ! it's more better then that just don't follow locals they are very smart and cheaters ! and hoppfully you can visit tunisia one another day i will be the guide for all of the day i have a car and all for me, included every think you want to buy ! for me for a day ! us an apologize
Don't worry my friend and please don't be sorry - I knew what I was getting myself into from the start :) Beautiful country with so much to see!
@@willieexplore in 44:28 he is folowing you hhhhhh xD
@@khairichargui733 haha wow I didn't realise, that is a great spot!
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It would have been better for u to visit tunisia in the summer, as you will find all the shops open, more traffic, and a wonderful atmosphere
Probably, but I still had a wonderful time :)
If your visit to tunisia is during the tourism season, which is the summer, none of the sellers will make an effort with u because they will have pressure, but unfortunately for u in the winter there are no tourists and good business, so you were the prey in front of them😂, but I congratulate you for your kindness and sportsmanship🤗
Thanks for watching and engaging my friend! I am sure the summer months have a different vibe about them :)