El Jem

Today started with an early morning to watch the UFC. It was a big card with two Aussies running the co-main event. Everything started off great when Rob Whittaker scraped by in a win vs. Paulo Costa, putting him back in contention for the title. But, to ruin my day before it started, Volkanovski got knocked out in the second round by Ilia Topuria. It is gutting. He has been the undisputed champion for years, and I didn't want to see his reign come to an end. After composing myself, I eventually dragged myself to the train station where I would board to El Jem, a significant reason for my visit to Tunisia. It was a long and uncomfortable train journey, and this ignores the fact that I managed to sneak into first class. When I disembarked the train, I was shocked at the sight of the enourmas amphitheatre instantly standing out along the city scape. I say the city scape, but it is something much more reminiscent of a tiny desert town as opposed to a city. It was amazing to witness, though. The quaint rural town was very eye-opening to walk through. Tiny markets and cafes line the whole main road that takes you straight to the entrance to the Tunisian colloseum. The town does not match the grandure elicited by the monument in its centre. Yet, despite the first impressions, this was once an emourmas bustling city of the Roman Empire. It even fostered an emperor. As you approach, the size only grows and grows until you look up the 30m tall ancient ruin. It's an emposing structure on an otherwise quite humble town. I did a full lap of the outside to take it all in before stopping for a coffee and eventually continuing inside. When inside you were blown away by the condition it had managed to find itself in, the outside facade still has the Corinthian columns. It had its original stairs (in some places), arches, and walkways, all despite being 2000 years old. Unrestricted access meant that you could walk through the old halls, wander the underground sections, and even climb the buildings' ancient walls. After I had done my rounds of all the different sections, I sat in the sun along the modern stairs and enjoyed some sun while taking in the view. After some time, I continued to the next site. It was a small town, but there was a museum that seemed worth exploring. This was much more informative than the amphitheatre and gave a much better backstory to the city. I explored the beautiful mosaics, saw the ancient statues, and then wandered through the streets of the former residents of the city. It was well worth the money. As I headed out, I stopped at the final site, the original amphitheatre that stood many centuries before the one previously visited. But, when I arrived I was bitterly disappointed. It was nothing more than rubble and a place for locals to dump their rubbish. As such, as I began to enter, a very rough stray dog began to bark, as though protecting his land, and I submitted and went to the train station. It may have been a blessing in disguise, however, as when I arrived, I learned that there was only one train going back today, and it left in about half an hour. I bought my ticket, grabbed a quick feed, and waited for the train. When it arrived. It was well and truly full already, but there were another 50 individuals looking to board. As such, I got stuck standing in the smoker's section of the train for well over an hour. My lungs hurt as much as my knees in the end. But eventually, I arrived and could finally get my legs moving a bit. As such, I explored the town of Sousse some more before heading back and enjoying the last bit of sun for the day while I read my book.Read more