Sfax Flights

"Why don't you take the train?" suggested the man at reception. Yes, I thought, why don't I take the train? I had yet to experience a Tunisian train, and was assured it was more comfortable than louages. The advantages were that I would know when exactly I would leave, and roughly when I would arrive, and I would be able to see a few sights on the way (El Jem, Soussa, etc...). All started off well, with a ticket containing a seat number handed to me with little fuss...1pm, I was told, so I went off back to Sfax medina for a last coffee at Cafe Diwan.

I thought I'd be early, just in case it was similar to a Sudanese train, where there are no seats and everybody fights for a bit of floor space. But surely this couldn't be like that, in Tunisia? "Oh no", said the little man at reception, "our trains are excellent, no sitting on floor, haha, oh no".

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I boarded the train an hour before departure. Every seat contained one and a half bodies, my reserved seat counted for nothing, and most of the floor space had already been bagged. I managed to park my bum in the doorway between a group of students, and we looked on fascinated as yet more passengers threw themselves in the door and exclaimed "no seats!" and still pushed their way through anyway.

It was punctual though, trundling out of Sfax a little after 1. We might have passed the amphitheatre of El Jem, we might have afforded amazing views over the coast near Soussa, but I couldn't tell you....my view was of the toilet door and somebody's backside. The situation was not helped by the arrival of a refreshments trolley too big for the already overcrowded aisle, and just when you got semi comfortable, one of the seated passengers would come in and make us all stand up because he wanted to smoke a cigarette. Finally got a seat after Soussa, but many others were not so lucky. Was this a special day? or are all trains like that here?

Still...it got me to Tunis in 4 hours, so i can't really complain...much.