He says: It's hilarious how afraid most of the people on our ship were of Africa. I think it had a lot to do with the fear-mongering from some of the tour staff. Rumours of "lots of pickpockets" and "It can be unsafe" were abound.

However, the only two things Tunisia turned out to be was one of our best days on the trip and ridiculously hot. The entire day, it felt like we had been placed in a pre-heated oven and were being cooked for Thanksgiving. The temperature hovered around 40 degrees Celsius.

As our ship was docking, we witnessed a parade of camels walking slowly, and a marching band welcoming us to the port. It was a unique display of hospitality and the perfect start to our day.

Shauna and I hired a really nice cab driver who took us to four different stops. He spoke French, so we were able to communicate and joke around throughout our time with him. Our first stop was the downtown market. We got out of the taxi and were approached a friendly man who offered, for 15 Euro, to provide "protection" for us while we walked around. We declined. The market had shop after shop of the same camel stuffed animals, hand crafted metal plates, and houkas for sale. We didn't buy anything (because we only have two bags each), and walked around the centre of the city for a bit. Tunis had come a long way from a year ago, when it was quite unstable, as the citizens threw out the old government in favour of a new leader. The downtown was a great mix of buildings, and the square was bustling - full of life.

Next, we visited some ancient ruins that dated back to 875 BC. I have to say, that after this trip I think I've reached my ancient ruin quota for a while. Although they never fail to be interesting, I think I've now seen my fair share.

Our next stop were more ancient ruins, this time of the Roman bath variety. They were remarkably well preserved, and looked like the very first YMCA ever built.

By this time we were both drenched with sweat and seeking relief from the sun, so we packed up and headed for a small town (I'm blanking on the name right now), that is modeled after Santorini. It overlooks the Mediterranean and all the buildings are white with blue roofs. It was a great place to explore. After some fierce negotiating, I managed to get a vendor to sell me a huge amber necklace for Shauna for 60 euro, rather than the original 500 starting price.

After consuming 7.5 litres of water between us throughout the day, our final stop was the beach. It couldn't have come at a better time. On our way we drove along the stunning coastline and took in the view. The beach was great (except for the dirty diapers that were present) and swimming in the water was refreshing.

Upon our return to the port, Shauna got a 75 minute massage treatment, and we bought some human food to feed the local cats that were hanging outside a restaurant.

I would definitely like to return to Tunisia for a future visit. They have some incredibly luxurious hotels along the sea for only $60/night. Talk about value!