"Farther along, we'll find our way, through all of the darkness today. The Sun of Reality has dawned above eternity. Now, even the desert will bloom."
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1974
A long time ago in a country far, far away from Bulgaria. . . . It's the period of Jimmy Carter. Oakland Raiders, striking from a Rose Bowl, have won their first victory against the evil Minnesota Vikings. And during the Spring of 1977, three months shy of the death of Elvis Presley, my dad polished up his navy blue Cadillac Eldorado convertible, and took me and my baby brother Jamie to see a film that changed my life forever. As the house lights went down at the AMC Theaters at Landover Mall shopping center in Landover — a suburb of Washington, D.C., I recall not really knowing what to expect. My folks had taken me to the cinema many times before, but on this particular occasion everyone in attendance seemed far more excited than usual, including my dad, who was always too cool to conga.
After seeing Star Wars, my all-time favorite film that really needs no introduction, it magically brought out the inner artist in me — more so than any other visual art piece. Six years on, after two successful follow-ups, including 1980's sequel of all sequels The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars trilogy was now more than just mere entertainment. Now, I certainly don't consider myself a spiritual person, but the films' storyline consisting of good overcoming evil symbolized a way of living and became something of a personal religion for me.
The secret of Star Wars' impact is owed to creator and writer George Lucas, my hero and biggest art inspiration, who opted against using the usual Hollywood back studio lot location for the film's fictional planet known as Tatooine. Instead, Lucas and set designer, the late great John Barry, sought out distant, exotic destinations, eventually discovering the otherworldly terrain of the Sahara Desert region of Tunisia.
I can still recall being astounded by the introduction of Luke Skywalker, the film's main character, as he stood — with one hand on his knee and the other on his hip — in front of an igloo-like desert home dreaming of someday becoming a Jedi and traveling to distant planets. The certain dystopian nature of the mise en scene not only transported this six year old kid to 'a galaxy far, far away,' it was the prototype that sparked the traveler in me. In fact, the scene was so influential that in every photograph from that period, I'm striking an identical pose. With this in mind, fast forward 35 years later; Princess Sarah and I take an unexpected journey to the northern most region of the Motherland in search of Luke Skywalker's home. During our quest, we happen upon a wise man who would be our only hope in surviving the recent revolutionary ridden streets of Tunis, as well as a death defying drag race through the Sahara Desert, and later on, he ultimately rescues the Princess, who mysteriously vanished inside the creepy catacombs of Sousse. Read on, you must . . .
"Diamond Girl
You sure do shine
Glad I found you
Glad you're mine"
— James Seals and Dash Crofts, 1973
THERE'S REALLY NO PLACE LIKE HOME. AND over the past holiday season, I did just what the doctor ordered and returned to the good ol' U-S of A for some needed R-E-S. and T. Usually, after a wonderful and relaxing visit, catching up with friends, family, New York City and my Bad Boy, it's easy to fall back into an old routine, which makes it difficult to return to the Sunflower Capital of the World.
This time around, though, I was pretty anxious to get back. You see, days before our Stateside return, Sarah signed us up for a Bulgarian-based charter tour to Albania, a south western Balkan country that had been on the top of my most sought after destination's list since first arriving in Bulgaria over three years ago now.
Unfortunately, my dream destination was put on hold. On the night before the departure, the agency canceled, due to a lack of ticket sales. Having been psychologically prepared and physically packed, Sarah wasn't placing the trip on the old back burner. Like a panic seller in fear of a stock market crash, my girl from the north country scrambled for an alternative tour to Albania.
Yoda, the Jedi Master would say, "the dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is." Because, after a couple of hours glued to her MacBook Pro — world's best computer, Sarah purchased at my insistence — she was unsuccessful in locating an alternate route to Albania, but lucked out and found the only two remaining seats on a super-discounted tour of Tunisia. Hey, nothing against Albania, of course, but as previously stated, due to my allegiance to Star Wars, Tunisia had special meaning since 1977. So without further delay, Princess Sarah punched purchase and presto, I was on my way to a dream quest for Luke Skywalker's home.
"See the curtains hangin' in the window,
In the evenin' on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin' through the window
Lets me know everything is alright."
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1972
"IN A DARK PLACE we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights the way," Yoda wisely said. So, other than my brother Thad and his wife Dawn once visiting in the late 80s, beforehand, my knowledge of Tunisian culture and geography was pretty dim. With that said, a couple of hours after rebooking, I took a Google quickie crash course to shed light on the subject. And like Yoda, I always pass on what I have learned . . .
Equal to the size of Wisconsin, The Republic of Tunisia's population contains 3 million more than Bulgaria's 7 million and is located about 1,000 miles southwest of the Sunflower Capital. It borders Libya to the southeast, Algeria to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Because of the latter, the northern most region of Tunisia experiences a Mediterranean type weather pattern, consisting of hot summers and rainy winters — whereas, the southern most part is dominated by desert.
Despite the two different terrain and temperatures, a major majority of Tunisia's population speaks Arabic and follow the Islamic faith, while a tiny percent abide by Christianity and Judaism. From my observation, a majority of older women wore traditional head-scarfs, and the older male population were often decked out in dark three piece suits — even during scorching hot days. Furthermore, Tunisians, who proudly claim soccer their national sport and enjoy a traditional diet of yummy couscous and delicious dates, were quite beautiful people — inside and out — and often made me and Sarah feel right at home.
Two years shy of the quest for Luke's Home, a revolution resulted in the dethroning of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Although the country has since started its first free elections — with no chance of reverting to authoritarianism — there was still a sense of unstableness. Due to our American status, Sarah and I were also strongly cautioned against traveling about the country on our own and advised to stay with the tour group. Seasoned and stubborn, we weren't at all thrilled about the idea. But a solution, we stumbled on. . .
"Like Columbus in the olden days
We must gather all our courage
Sail our ships out on the open seas
Cast away our fears"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1973
AT THE START OF our quest, Yanitsa, a highly recommended tour guide for Astral Holidays — the oldest chartered tour in Bulgaria — cheerfully greeted us at the doors of Sofia National Airport. After a two hour flight on Bulgarian Air Charter, we arrived in Tunis, the capital and largest city of Tunisia, where we took a short bus ride from the Tunis-Carthage National Airport to our castle like coastal accommodation. Due to the hotel's humongous size and to protect the identities of the innocent, I shall refer to it as the Death Star.
Not at all liken to Darth Vader, the Death Star was operated by an abundantly welcoming Tunisian entrepreneur named Hedi, which brings to mind my ever-so-present celebrity status, once again. You may recall my first time in North Africa was a solo adventure to Egypt, a country where I could easily pass for a native. With this in mind, although the typical Tunisian hair-type is straighter than the general curly locks of an Egyptian, my tall, slender frame and caramel colored complexion made it easy to blend into the Tunisian canvas. However, like me on a daily basis in Bulgaria, Sarah, with her blonde locks and nordic skin tones, was the big star in Tunisia.
In the mouth, never look a gift horse. Because whatever the case was, the celebrity situation would get challenging. After Sarah or I would reveal our American status, Tunisians from all walks of life would seemingly treat us like royalty. However, when perusing any Third World country, the toughest part is trying to determine who's cool because they're genuinely happy to meet an American or who's kind because they're simply out to get something in return. For example, an outgoing Tunisian chef named Amen was the toughest in determining this.
Soon after I arrived, Amen took a huge liking to me, so much so, that during the Death Star's free dinner hour — which was part of the Astral Holiday tour package and consisted of a yummy all-you-can-eat style buffet — he'd cook a meal exclusively for me that wasn't on the menu! As scrumptious as it was, when folks, including Hedi, started to take notice, the situation became unbearably embarrassing and I even feared for Amen possibly losing his job.
One night after dinner, while politely trying to get Amen to take a chill pill on the extra frills, he simply refused and offered an additional invitation for me and Sarah to join him on his uncle's Yacht. In fact, this seemingly apprehensive request occurred every night during the duration of the quest. Okay, I know what you're thinking, but hold that thought — I'll revisit the subject in a moment. But first, on to that only hope I mentioned earlier. . .
"Strong is the light of unity
It can light the world for you and for me
So why don't we reach out
and be one planet, one people, please?"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1980
WITHOUT WATER AT MY BEDSIDE, SLEEP I cannot. You see, in hopes that customers will break the seal on the high-priced mini-bar, most hotels frown upon bringing in a stash of H2O — an unwritten rule I often break. Well, besides drinking it, this little habit finally paid off. You see, while trying to smuggle in a record number of 8 super-sized bottles, Sarah and I were promptly revealed and stopped at the entrance of the Death Star. Salem, a tall, good-looking Tunisian hotel security guard — or in this case, Stormtrooper — in his early 40s, who spoke perfect English, escorted us to the main office for questioning — so we thought.
Once inside, Salem, who expeditiously dropped the usual tough officer demeanor and adopted the disposition of the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi, warned us that "the hotel forbids more than one bottle of water" and solemnly promised to deliver the rest to our room during the night. After graciously thanking him, Seasoned Sarah, who was more bummed-out about traveling the country with a tour group than I was, curiously asked questions regarding exploring Tunis on our own. Particularly, with regards to catching a bus to the city center. With a worried brow, Salem warned of the possible difficulties, then advised hiring a personal guide to safely escort us there. After agreeing, Sarah requested information on obtaining one, when Salem interrupted to offer his own personal services. With an immediate sense of trust, Sarah and I quickly took him up on his proposal. Hotel workers offering this type of service is strictly forbidden. So the next morning, after covertly maneuvering around the Death Star's security office, Salem met us at a nearby bus stop, where we started our quest.
After cabbing through the most dangerous driving and crazy congestion imaginable, some of the many attractions visited were Al-Zaytuna Mosque, the captivating Carthage, Kasbah Square, the roofs, souks, and alley ways of medina open-air market, Avenue Habib Bourguiba and Bab el Bhar Gate — the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe of Tunis respectively — and last but certainly not least, the stunning Bardo National Museum, which featured a mountain of magnificent mosaics that made Sarah's mouth melt.
"So let your sweet rain fall on me,
for I am dying
We're desert people and we're in pain,
but were still trying
We've been down so long,
we are dry, we are thirsty
So you see the rain we must have,
is the tears you shed long ago"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1974
EXHAUSTIVE, THE CITY TOUR WAS, WHEN Salem helped locate a Tunisian football jersey I'd been hankering since the start of the quest. And later in the evening, the three of us relaxed and sipped on tasty tea inside a cafe where we got personally acquainted. Next to learning that we were both fans of Kojak (yeah, I too was surprised the gritty detective series aired in Tunisia during the 70s), Salem gave us the 411 on his country and even cautioned against accepting Amen's yachting invitation. Ironically, not long after his stern warning, he'd hit us up with a request we'd both been fearing since meeting the wise gentleman.
Well, remember I told you that it wasn't easy determining honest Tunisians from insincere ones? We'll, that just got extra complicated. After Salem relayed heartbreaking stories of family struggles and hardships, he spoke of an only hope for survival; a son, who was currently attending university. After Sarah and I released a relieving sigh, Salem, however, spoke of one obstacle that could hinder his son's chances for graduation; a computer that had recently broken.
As sincere as Salem's plea was, afterwards Sarah and I admitted to not being certain if we were being taken for ride. Sure, had we known if Salem's story was legit, we would have probably bought him a computer on the spot. But how can one be sure in these types of situations? So, instead of handing Salem cold hard cash, Sarah, who was cool under pressure like only a princess could be, eased a potential awkward situation of rejection. Since she had just purchased that new MacBook Pro, it was a no-brainer to simply offer Salem her older PC unit.
However, after deducing that sending a computer over a possible corrupt Third World postal system may result in theft, the idea was like water under the bridge. But before completely giving up, we exchanged addresses in case a solution came to mind.
"... But there's always
Some mighty friendly faces
Waitin' to greet you at the door"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1974
ANYBODY OUT there speak Russian? Because this is where I mention after signing up for a two-day Sahara Desert tour in hopes of locating Luke's home, we'd discovered that the tour was given in Russian. Due to this nature, besides meeting some cool Bulgarians; Nelly, Evilena and Radoslava, we got well acquainted with a host of remarkable Russians studying to become Tunisian guides, which included Lyuba, Max, Sergey and my boy Demi, who would be liken to Skywalker's ace in the hole — Han Solo — on our quest for Luke's Home.
After relaying the search to Demi over lunch at a delicious date palm themed shop and restaurant, the hopeful Russian guide was quite eager to join in. So, naturally, we began our quest by first asking Muhammed, the Sahara tour guide who spoke a little English. Like nearly every Tunisian we'd encountered, he knew nothing of Star Wars, let alone Luke's home. Since I'd once visited North Africa, I should have known better, as there was an absence of general pop culture knowledge in Egypt. On the other hand, although Tunisians hadn't heard of the world's most popular film — which was mostly shot in Tunisia — I was pretty thrilled to know that they were quite familiar with the King of Pop, who's posters were plastered on many walls throughout the city.
At this juncture, though I had yet to locate Luke's home, the tour took a pleasure ride on dewbacks and tauntauns... uh, sorry, correction... I mean, camels and horses through the Sahara and later stopped off at Tunis Zoo, which featured many exotic African animals, where I climbed to the top of a date tree. In the evening, we put the camels to rest and, on foot, explored Sarah's favorite great Mosque of Kairouan, one of the most important mosques in Tunisia, located in the small town of Kairouan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kairouan also boasted a unique Tunisian style graveyard, which quenched this Jedi's cemetery searching thirst.
However, the Astral Holiday's highlight was a death defying, daredevil jumping, jeep drag race through the Sahara, where we explored many original Star Wars' film sets. Because the majority of my readers are not Star Wars fans, without going into glorified geek detail, the tour included quite a few natural locations like Yardangs, Juntland Wastes, Sith Infiltrator landing site, and Lars Homestead (the interior shot of Luke's home), which is now used as a hotel in Matmatta.
Surprisingly, some Lucas-made locations were left behind as well. Iconic Star Wars locales such as Watto's Shop, Sebulba's Cafe, and the market place in the town of Mos Espa were purely surreal to see simply hanging out in the middle of the desert. With this in mind, although Tunisians have never seen or heard of Star Wars, they do understand the profit of tourism, as they left the props standing for value's sake. On that note, if you are a huge Star Wars fan, get there soon before Tunisians, or some other uncontrollable entity, change their minds.
Understanding that all great artists are hopeless thieves at heart, the original concept for Tatooine and the Jedi Knight's robe were simply filched. You see, Lucas pinched the name and cloak idea after roaming around Tataouine, a cave dwelling town where one can easily spot friendly Tunisian men known as Tuareg People, donning dark colored hooded wizard-like gowns.
Though these robed Tuareg men may be sporting beards and carrying a long dagger, don't be fooled into thinking they're one of those silly Star Wars freaks — ruining it for subtle fans — dressed up for a premiere or comic convention. No, they're simply wearing a traditional North African burnous, which was around long before Lucas was born. That said, though quite pricey, I purchased one as a souvenir and ended up becoming a celebrity after all in Tunisia, as many tourist often requested photographs taken with me.
Although I located the interior of Luke's home, I wasn't satisfied until I'd found his little igloo that captivated me as a child. So, now it was time to start the real search. Because the tour was off in the morning, Sarah slept in our temporary hotel accommodation, while Demi and I stayed up hours through the night in search of Luke's home. Like Solo, Demi was excellent at wheeling and dealing top dollar to bounty hunters... uh, correction again... I meant to say, Tunisian cab drivers, who were willing to help locate the igloo.
Though Demi tried his best, in the end, I wistfully came up empty handed. Muhammed explained, "due to the igloo's tiny size, it would be nearly impossible to locate in the Sahara — especially during the night." However, he and another helpful Tunisian from the hotel, were more than certain that Luke's home was near the salt pans, flat expanses of ground covered with minerals, which would be our final stop in the Sahara. This location was a fact that I had previously researched.
Unfortunately, it was just a short pause; leaving only a minimal amount of minutes to implement a thorough search of the salty surface that seemed to run for miles. Alas, with no other choice in the matter, I simply handed Princess Sarah the camera, walked out as far as time permitted, and struck that iconic Skywalker pose that I often imitated as a child. Although the little igloo was no where in plain sight, knowing that it was somewhere nearby warmed my heart.
"It's gotta be soon
So let it cool awhile
Slow down, easy style
And you'll be doin' alright,
'cause you love"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1972
AFTER A COZY coach ride back, gazing out at the final flashes of the Sahara while listening to the musical sounds of Seals and Crofts on my little R2-D2... sorry, I did it again, correction... I meant, Little Silver — my trusty iPod, the next stop explored was the town of El Djem (pronounced like 'Jim'), located in Mahdia Governorate and Thysdrus, home of the most stunning Roman amphitheater I'd seen since Italy's Colosseum. Luckily the tour arrived super early, which resulted in us having the usual tourist heavy stadium all to ourselves, giving us plenty of time and space for picture taking.
As the tour neared its end, we hooked back up with my boy Salem for one last adventure and headed for a small city south of Tunisia called Sousse. Upon arrival, we visited the Archaeological Museum, the world's second largest mosaic gallery ever after Bardo, which made Princess Sarah's mouth melt once more. Though the mosaics were impressive, we both agreed that the most memorable aspect of Sousse was its infamous catacombs. Initially, the curator showed us a small section permitted for tourists, as the deeper part, which included the serious artifacts, was under construction and considered hazardous.
This, of course didn't satisfy the Princess. So, to Salem's and my surprise, she did some heavy flirting (and backsheesh-ing apparently) and presto, the museum curator took us deeper inside the dark pits of catacombs where the atmosphere got quite frightening. Thankfully, after coaxing Salem, who usually waited outside during our tours of museums, he agreed to join us. Even luckier for the Princess. Because during the curator's excellent exploration, Sarah, who, like her dad, tends to wander off when exploring museums and landmarks — possibly to get more out of the experience — mysteriously vanished inside one of the gaping tunnels.
I'm not going to lie. After calling out her name several times, I panicked like C-3PO during a Stormtrooper raid. However, Salem, who was, after all, a security officer, put those Kojak watching skills to good use. You see, before entering the catacomb's dark menacing maze, he'd taken careful notice of items that had been dropped on the surface, which trailed back to the entrance. Using these skills, he somehow managed to locate my Princess from the north country hanging out studying various artifacts in a dark corridor. After Sousse, we headed back to the Death Star and bidded a final fond farewell to our friend Salem and his beautiful country. But with one hour left, before leaving for our flight, Sarah and I took a lovely walk on the captivating coast of Tunis and reminisced over our quest, and afterwards stopping off ate a tasty Tunisian style pizza joint on the boardwalk.
"'Cause you make me feel like I'm more than a friend
Like I'm the journey and you're the journey's end
I may never pass this way again
that's why I want it with you"
— James Seals and
Dash Crofts, 1973
YODA SAID, "MANY TRUTHS WE CLING on to depend on our point of view." A few months after the quest for Luke's home, Sarah and I received a heavily stamped, handwritten letter in the post box. It was a short note from our friend Salem, who was basically apologizing if his plea for the PC seemed to have come off as dishonest. He wrote: Dear Owen and Sarah, How are you? Hope you are well and healthy. Hope also that your family and friends are okay. You start work? [Is] everything okay? About me here; I'm [doing] some work [at the] same place. No news, only [that] the Summer [has started] and [there are] so many guests and [it's] so sunny. I [thought] a lot before I [wrote] you. Because maybe you think it is for the PC, [and] not for friendship, [which] is why I [took] a lot of time thinking. Hope you understand. Many greetings from me and all my family and [especially] my kids. Thanks. — Salem.
With regards to Salem's request, Sarah and I had been thinking long and hard, too. And not only did we have a change of heart, the timing of the letter was perfect. You see, a week before the letter's arrival, we had been seeking ways of safely delivering the PC and recently came up with the best possible solution. During a lunch outing, Sarah had mentioned our terrific Tunisian quest to our good friend and fellow ex-pat Elana, whom you might recall from a couple of episodes back, when we enjoyed a night at Circus Balkanski. Elana, a fellow adventurer who, like Sarah, is a former Fulbright Scholar and works closely with Bulgarian-Roma relations, graciously took us up on our advice to visit Tunisia. And upon learning that we had been attempting to deliver a computer to our friend, Elana enthusiastically offered up her services and personally hand delivered the PC to Salem.
During her visit, Elana got the same warm presence from Salem that Sarah and I felt and later relayed his deepest gratitude back to us. A sentiment, which was certainly expressed on both sides. Today, when I think of Salem and our great times in Tunisia — moments of which I'll cherish for the rest of my life — I remain hopeful that he and his family are managing through the struggle and poverty. Now, I certainly don't consider myself a spiritual person, but whenever I start to worry over my friend's situation, there's really only a few words that can ease my mind. . . . May the Force be with him, always. Be seeing you. O
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