Monday, 17 May
Today was the first day of our vacation, and boy was it a rough start. We got up at 4:30 in the morning to leave the house by 5:30 because our
plane was flying out of Dusseldorf at 7:40. Everything was just fine at first. We made it to the airport at about 6:30, Olaf and Gunther dropped us off and then went to park the cars, and Esther and I went to the check-in counter to get us all checked in for our flight. That’s when the problems started. I got myself checked in just fine, and then went to go stand with the kids while Esther finished with everything else, but there was a problem. There was a weight limit of 20 kg for the luggage, and at least 2 of their 4 pieces of luggage were over the limit. So Esther was frantically trying to take things out that they could carry onto the plane, and rearrange things so that they didn’t have to pay an extra 10 Euro per kilo. I wish I had known earlier that their luggage was too heavy, because my bag only weighed 15 kg. When I told Esther this she tried explaining it to the girl at the counter, but her boss was standing behind her telling Esther that since Olaf booked my vacation seperately from theirs, they couldn’t count the extra weight of Esther’s bag toward the weight of mine. Olaf was still parking the car, and Esther was getting really frustrated and stressed, and she started crying. Eventually Olaf showed up at the counter and they took enough stuff out to make it work, and we went to the security check point.Now comes problem number 2. In order to make the luggage lighter, Esther took the toiletries kit out of the suitcase. So now she has a handbag full of liquids (shampoo, deodorant, conditioner, sunblock, makeup, etc.) that she’s trying to take onto the plane. They told her she either needed to throw everything away or go back and check the bag. She started crying again, and went back to check the bag while Olaf took the kids to the gate and I waited for Esther at security. She came back crying, which meant that luggage check for our flight was closed and she had to throw everything away. Then she set off the metal detector because she forgot to take off her belt, so they had to use the wand to check her, and then they made her open her bag again to show them what was in it. When we finally got to the gate it was 7:25, the plane was leaving at 7:40, and poor Esther was an absolute wreck. Luckily they boarded the plane late, so it hadn’t left the gate or closed the doors or anything like that.
We got on the plane and the rest of the morning went just fine. At the airport in Djerba we boarded a bus to take us to the hotel. Gustav was very impatient and kept asking when the bus was going to leave. He didn’t seem to understand that the bus couldn’t leave until everyone who was supposed to be on it had been accounted for. Once the bus left the airport, it was about half an hour until we got to our hotel. We were greeted at the door with sparkling apple juice, got ourselves checked in, and headed to our bungalows.
Esther and Olaf and the kids have a family suite, which means 2 rooms that are connected by a door. My room is directly above the kids, and it is awesome! Since I’m here alone, I have a double room that’s arranged for one person, which means a king sized bed, a sofa, a balcony, and a lot of space. Plus, the best part, my balcony looks straight out at the ocean. The view is absolutely amazing! The water is a beautiful turquoise color, and I can leave my door open and hear the waves. I seriously ended up with the best room I could hope for.When we arrived in Derba, I tried to turn on my cell phone only to realize that I had forgotten the PIN to unlock my SIM card. Then, once we arrived at the hotel, I learned that there is no internet in the rooms and there’s a charge for internet in the lobby. Not something I was expecting. So I’m actually writing this entry (end every entry for the next few days) in my room on MS Works so that I can post it to my blog later. That way I don’t waste money and internet time in writing. I’m not gonna lie, it was very upsetting when I first discovered that I had no way of talking to Lee or my family while I’
m here. I had promised a phone call or text message when I arrived, and I had no way of doing that, and it turns out that I can’t even just pull out my computer and jump on Skype or send an email. It was a very isolated feeling, and I actually felt a little bummed about it for the rest of the day. But everything was fine when the family and I went to dinner at 7. The theme of the evening was Tunisian, so the décor and the food all fit with this concept. There was so much to eat. There was couscous with various types of meat (I had lamb), stuffed vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant and peppers), all sorts of salads and cheeses and desserts. It was ridiculous, and delicious. After dinner we went to the pool to watch the kids from the Flipper Club do their nightly dance routine to signify the end of the day, and then everybody went to bed because we’re all so tired.Tuesday, May 18
What a wonderfully lazy day!! It didn't start out lazy, which is good, because if I start the day lazy then I sleep until noon. Today I got up at 7 to go running on the beach. The sun comes up super early, so it was sunny outside already, but it wasn't too hot. It reminded me of when I was still at UCSD and I used to occasionally run on the beach. Ah, memories. Anyway, after my run I took a shower to get myself cleaned up and met the family at 9 for breakfast, which is going to be our
ritual for the next week. It's a good time because you don't feel like you're getting up too early, and at the same time you're not really sleeping in. That's important.After breakfast I headed back to my room to put on a swimsuit, then to the boutique to buy some sunscreen before meeting Esther and Olaf at the beach. Esther was taking the kids to the Flipper Club for the morning and then we were going to pick them up between 12:30 and 1 for lunch. When I got to the beach, both of the kids were there. Apparently when they got to the Flipper Club, Gustav almost immediately started crying because he didn't want to be there, even though he went last year and enjoyed himself, and he's been talking about going back to the Flipper Club for weeks now. So he started making a scene, and that caused Pauline to start crying. She was so hysterical that Esther couldn't just leave her there, and she had to take both of the kids with her. If the kids don't get over this, it could be a miserable vacation for poor Esther.
Anyway, we all headed to the beach, which is basically where we spent the rest of the day. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a bit of a breeze so it wasn't too hot. Some people were saying that it was cold, but that's only because some people can't tell the difference between cold and windy. It was so nice to be able to just relax on the beach, looking out at the turquoise water and listening to the waves as they crashed against the white sand. I've never been a fan of the desert before, but water makes
everything better. In a way it made me miss San Diego and all the things I never took the time to enjoy while I was living there, though the beach here is way more beautiful, I think. The water is warmer, too. It was a little colder than I had expected it to be, but still warm. The kids didn't play in the water too much because they're still at the age where the ocean is a little bit scary, but I got Gustav to lay on his belly in the sand with me and let the waves wash up over his back. He got a kick out of that. We also dug giant holes, of course. What else do you do at the beach? Also, one of the photographers working with the club was walking around taking pictures of guests (which you can look at later in the lobby and buy if you like them) and he took like a million pictures of me, which I'm going to have to take a look at. It felt a little weird to have someone photographing me, but whatever.At around 4:30 in the afternoon Esther and I left Olaf and the kids at the beach so we could go to the sauna. Ah, the joys of all-inclusive! I stayed a little bit longer than Esther because I wanted to stay for the Aufguss at 6 but she needed to help Olaf get the kids ready to have dinner at 7. The Aufguss is the best part about the sauna, though, so I didn't want to miss it. People kept asking me what it's called in English, but I don't know if we have a name for it. It's when someone who works there comes in and does a ritual that involves pouring scented water on the stones and using a towel to circulate the air. It gets really hot, smells really good, and you sweat like a horse. Anyway, this was the first time that I've been in a sauna during an Aufguss (not surprising, since it's only my second time going to a sauna) and I loved it.
Wednesday, 19 May
I did not have the energy to get up and go for a run this morning, but for a very good reason. I woke up at about a quarter to 3 to the sound of a
mosquito buzzing in my ear. Awesome, right? I tried to kill it or get it to go away, but that didn’t work. So I turned on the light and sat up so that I could see it, and then kill it. That’s when I discovered that what I thought was 1 or 2 mosquitoes was actually more like 20. They were all over my room! So I sat there for about half an hour, killing them one by one as they came near me, but it was futile. After I destroyed about 10 or so I just turned out the light, covered my whole body (including my head, of course) with the bedspread, and went to sleep. That helped with the mosquitoes, but it’s a little too warm here to be sleeping under the covers like that. Anyway, I eventually got some sleep, but it definitely wasn’t enough for me to be able to get up at 7 to go running. That just wasn’t happening. When I did wake up, I was covered in bug bites. There are 12 of them just on my face, and over 50 on my left arm. Those bastards are seriously eating me alive!
After I had breakfast with the family in the main restaurant, I went back to my room to put on a swimsuit and head to the pool. Esther was going to an aerobics class and Olaf had the pleasure of trying to take the kids to the Flipper Club, so I decided to go to the pool instead of the beach for a little while. It was quieter, there were less people, and I could just relax with my iPod and a cocktail. It was quite pleasant. I learned later in the afternoon that Olaf didn't have any luck getting Pauline to stay in the Flipper Club again this morning, so she was at the beach with them the whole day. It was definitely more peaceful at the pool than it would've been at the beach.
I
was going to meet up with the family at 1 in the beach restaurant for lunch, but Olaf came and got me a little early because they were grilling lamb and he didn’t want to miss out. We had grilled lamb, zucchini, and eggplant, which I could eat all day. The food here is so delicious!! The kids, however, are on an ice cream diet. Either way, we’re all enjoying our meals.After lunch we went to the beach for a few hours, and then I went to the sauna again at around 5. I love going to the sauna, which is surprising, considering how much I hate heat. After the sauna it
was back to the room to take a shower, at which time an excessively friendly kitty followed me into my room and made itself at home on my bed. This cat is such a love!! Since the cats here at the club are pretty well cared for, and it’s not dirty of mangy or anything, it doesn’t upset me that there’s a “stray” kitty in my bed. And it’s so happy to just hang out and be loved. All it wants to do is cuddle. I don’t have the heart to throw it out, because it seems to have attached itself to me, so we’ll see what happens when I try to go to sleep. Hopefully the mosquitoes won’t be a problem, either.Thursday, May 20
Gustav was so freaking adorable this morning! Normally I either meet the family downstairs at their room for breakfast at 9, or the kids come running up to get me in my room. This morning I got a phone call, from Gustav. He told me that they were almost ready and that soon we would be going to breakfast, but that he would come upstairs to get me first. His little voice was so cute over the phone! It was too precious for words. I love him so much.
Since the kids still aren't willing to go to the Flipper Club, the family stayed at the pool all day because it's more fun for the kids. I went running after breakfast since I didn't get up early enough to do it before, and then I spent the day at the beach because it was just too beautiful to be at the pool all day. Once again, it was just a lazy day of sitting in the sun, enjoying the sounds and the view. But I experienced my first adventure of the trip: parasailing! It was so much fun. I wasn't really alone because one of the guys who works with the company went with me to steer the parachute, but I kinda wish that I had been alone because then no one would've been trying to talk 
to me the whole time. It's hard to fully enjoy the scenery when you're focusing on trying to understand someone else's broken German, especially when you yourself only speak a form of broken German. Nonetheless, it was beautiful from up there and I'm so glad that I did it. I went to the sauna again, too, of course. I also had to make a quick stop by the doctor this afternoon about my mosquito bites. They're out of control. He gave 2 prescriptions; there's a pill I need to take for the next 4 days before I go to bed and a cream that I need to put on twice a day. Stupid mosquitoes!The theme of the dinner this evening was the Gala Abend, which means black and white dress. I had coincidentally bought the perfect dress for this shortly before we left for the trip, so I was kind of excited to wear my new dress. Once again the photographer took a million pictures of me at the restaurant. It was kind of fun getting a little bit dressed up for the evening. Afterward I headed into town with some locals for a little bit, but when they tried to charge 7 dinar for a can of Coke it the club it was time to go home. I stopped by the disco at Aldiana on my way to my room to see if anyone interesting was there, but it was pretty dead. I was tired, anyway.
Friday, May 21
Today was adventure #2. We got up a little earlier than usual to go to breakfast because we were meeting in the lobby at 10 to take a horse carriage into the town of Midoun. We were going to see
the market, and the animal market. It's not very far away, and it only costs about 3 dinar to take a taxi, but it was more interesting to take the carriage.The animal market was kind of interesting. There was one area where people were selling horses and donkeys, and then a separate area for livestock, and the street was lined with huge stacks of hay and straw bales. In a way it made me kind of sad because I wanted to pet all of the animals, especially the calves and baby goats, but it's not a petting zoo and you're not allowed to touch the animals.
The main market was pretty much exactly what you would imagine when
you think of a third-world market. It was almost like walking into a scene from Aladdin, except slightly more modern. It was actually really cool to see all the people selling grains and spices and things. It's not like anything you would see back home in the US, that's for sure. The kids and I got a couple of bracelets with our names inscribed on them and Olaf bought a kilo of apricots, but that was it. I probably would have done a little more shopping had I been by myself, but it was really hectic and I was trying to help keep track of the kids, who couldn't keep up because they were too easily distracted and yet refused to hold your hand or let you carry them. It definitely was not the place for kids.When we returned from the market there was a little bit of time to relax before heading back to the sauna and then to dinner with the family. After dinner I went to the Blue Dolphin, the disco at the resort, to hang out with some of the people who were working there. I didn't really know anybody, and I wasn't sure who was going to be there, but I figured it was worthwhile to check it out. I ended up having a really great time. I don't even know what time it was when I finally left, but I crashed once I went to sleep.
Saturday, May 22
Needless to say, I did not go running again this morning. I was way too tired to get up that early, or expend that much energy. I didn't do a whole lot in the morning, either, because I was having m
y 3rd adventure at 11:30 and didn't want to get too involved or too comfortable doing something else. Instead I sat at the pool for a little bit before heading into the lobby to meet up with a couple who was also staying at the club to go ride quads. It was pretty cool. I had never ridden a quad before, so it was a little awkward at first. I don't really care for the thumb-push accelerator, and I forgot a few key things in the beginning, like steering. It wasn't so much that I forgot to steer as it was that I tried to steer it like a motorcycle, and it doesn't exactly work the same way. I figured it out really quick, though, don't worry. It's not exactly easy to take pictures while you're driving a quad, so I only have a few and 
they're not very good. We made a couple stops, though. The first was because the couple that was on the quad behind me disappeared during this one part where we went kind of fast through a series of turns, and the guy who was leading us had to go back and find them. He was making fun of them later because he thought the guy was scared and that's why he was driving so slow, whereas I was able to keep up with him. We made our second stop at a little cafe to drink some tea and a coke, and then we made our third stop at the edge of the water in this bay. That was gorgeous. I really can't describe how clear and wonderful the water is here.After dinner a huge group of people shuffled into the theater to watch the soccer game. Bayern Munich was playing Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final. It unfortunately wasn't a very good game. Munich played kinda crappy and ended up losing 2-0, which you could imagine was very disappointing to the majority of the people there. After the game there were more activities going on at the pool. The animators were dressed up and there were a series of carnival-type games there. The idea was to play each game once and get as many points as you could, and the winner was going to get a prize at the end. I played 3 games and didn't get a single point. Yeah, I'm pretty awesome. I was going to see if I could play all of the games without getting any points but in the end I think I ended up with 70. The winner had 280, as a comparison. Then it was back to the disco for another night of hanging out and enjoying the company before heading to bed.
Sunday, May 23
My last day on vacation in a beach paradise and . . . it rained. It figures that I would travel to the Sahara Desert (though technically it's just north of the Sahara) and bring the rain with me. Not
that I'm complaining, I just think it's funny. It didn't rain the whole day, though, and it was still really warm and, in my opinion, pleasant.I spent the first part of the day just hanging out at the beach. I laid out a little bit, talked to some people, watched a couple rounds of beach volleyball, but nothing too spectacular. I was still tired from the previous 2 nights and I had intended to take it easy at the end of my trip anyway.
After having lunch with the family at the beach restaurant (as we did every day) I ran into the DJ at the pool and he invited me to go with him to check out the old Aldiana club, where he used to work, because he was taking their new DJ some music. I didn't have
anything in particular that I wanted to do at the time, so I went with him for a little while. Then we went back to the club to grab some money before we headed over to the crocodile farm to meet up with the Flipper Club to watch the feeding. The little guys weren't there (both because it was the older division of the Flipper Club and because Gustav and Pauline were still refusing to go) but I think Esther and Olaf will take the kids next year to check out the crocodiles. The feeding wasn't nearly as much of a frenzy as you'd think. It's probably because they feed the crocs 3 times a week, which is way more often than they eat in the wild, so they know that in the very least they can eat again in a few days. It's not exactly life or death, so there's no real hurry or violence involved. We got to see some baby crocodiles, too, which I've always thought were simply adorable. I wish I could've had the opportunity to touch one.Dinner tonight was a little bit special. Esther and Olaf took the kids to the Flipper Club to eat with the other kids there because the 3 of us were going to be eating a fancy dinner at the beach restaurant. Pauline refused to stay at the Flipper Club when she was done eating (of course) but Gustav wanted to stay for the evening, until Olaf had to pick him up at 9. The dinner was absolutely fantastic, though. It was a full on 5-course meal with wine and everything, but it was way too much food. Of course we ate it all, though.
Once dinner was over, Esther and Olaf took the kids to bed and I headed into the theater to see the show. Tonight they were doing We Will Rock You, and I had been looking forward to seeing it since I talked to some of the cast members about it a few days before. They did a pretty good job, honestly. Afterward, it was back to the disco for one last night of fun. I figured, since it was my last night there, I might as well make the best of it. It was also the last night there for one of the animators, so it was a pretty big party. It really sucks knowing that I have to leave so soon.
So now, here I am back in Königsdorf. I slept in a little bit on Monday morning because I didn't go to bed until I think around 6 in the morning (like I said, it was a big night at the disco) so I missed breakfast. Aside from throwing all my stuff in the suitcase and paying off my balances at the hotel to check out, I basically spent the day sitting at the pool with the family and saying bye to some of the people that I had met there. Esther and Olaf went to their room briefly to get some of the kids' stuff for me to bring home with me, and when they came back Pauline had a big tear on her cheek. Apparently the kids had been crying because I was leaving. Poor things! It makes me so happy that they love me so much. Anyway, I had to leave the hotel at 4 to head for the airport, and by the time I got back home here it was almost midnight, so it was a pretty long day. I've spent the past 2 and a half days in bed because I came home with a cold, and now tomorrow morning I have to drive back to Düsseldorf to pick up the family at 11:45. Not looking forward to the drive, but it shouldn't be too bad.
