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Tunisia

After breakfast we walked outside the gates and in just a few minutes waiting for us were horse drawn carriages  to take us to explore the Tozeur oasis.   The city of Tozeur is located in an immense oasis whose palm grove is considered to be one of the largest in the world. Our guide explains to us about the oasis and the important fruit that is grown here.  That being the date trees.  Everywhere you look you see the dates hanging in bunches  on the trees growing.
Upon arrival one feels enchanted by the abundance of fruit and flowers growing in the shade of the palm trees, amidst the rays of light and the sounds of the flowing spring water, which a network of canals distributes throughout the oasis. It is explained to us as early as the 12th century, in fact, man intervened by setting up a functional irrigation system, which has enabled the palm grove to survive over the centuries, expand and guarantee a constant production of dates… the best in Tunisia!
As early as the 12th century, in fact, man intervened by setting up a functional irrigation system, which has enabled the palm grove to survive over the centuries, expand and guarantee a constant production of dates… the best in Tunisia!
The date palms are native to the Middle East and have been a part of the region's cuisine for thousands of years. Dates grow in large clusters, kind of like bunches of grapes, which hang higher than fifty feet off the ground.
Mohamed introduces to us a friend of his who has cared for these date palms all his working life practically.  Through translation we learn the care and work that goes into these date palms and the date crop.
Here he climbs the date palm in his bare feet.
He actually climbed without any restraints to the area of the fruit in his bare feet. You did not find any of us willing to try this. He climbs many trees this way daily we were told.
Returning to earth. It was nothing for him to do this. Easy.
Of course Mohamed had to try it too.  That is far as he got and with shoes too. A very interesting morning for all of us.
After learning about date farming we visited an area where bricks are made by hand. Talk about hard work.
This man was 62 years old and make about 1500 bricks daily.  He earns about $15 a day.
Bill looking at the kilm that is used to bake the bricks once they are made and dried in the sun.
View looking into the kiln. A kiln a thermally insulated chamber, is a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay into pottery, tiles and bricks.
As we were leaving I looked back at this hard working man. I don't know of anyone that would do this back breaking work for $15 dollars a day.  That is hard work.
Located close by are other people making bricks in the same way.
We drove back into the main town area where we found a produce market also selling dates right off the Date Palm trees.
Seeing these dates I wanted to discuss what I found out about salaries in Tunisia and similar in Algeria too.  The 62 year old brick maker making $15 dollars a day is similar to the man we met earlier at the Date Oasis.  He makes the equivalent of $15 a day for picking the whole tree in a day.  He climbs up about 40 trees a day pollinating date trees by hand. He earns 20% of the take on the trees and is a share cropper on the property. He does all the work.   A woman can earn $7 a day if lucky.   There is 40% unemployment in Tunisia.  Remember all the men we saw sitting around in the previous town of Souk Lahad. that was the reason.  No jobs.
Produce market
Walk through the Medina in Tozeur
A few items for sale walking through the Medina

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