Part Three: Africa Is The Fastest Route To Europe

Epic Adventure

Kyle Taylor – gaytravel.com Blogger

Our plane touches down in the 72-degree warmth of inviting Tunisia, which while not necessarily a gay and lesbian travel destination is still worth the trip. As the jet comes to stop, the five of us let out a collective cheer. We’re no longer in Dubai. We are a rag-tag bunch of foreigners, united in crisis and excited by adventure. We’re like the A-team.

First there is Adam (nickname: Andy because that’s what I called him the first day we were slobbing around the hotel). He’s a son of Oz living in London and working as a Sports Coordinator for nearly twenty schools. Built like a nuclear bomb shelter, he has taken the role of quiet enforcer.

Second, we’ve got Charlie (nickname: Squirrel because she forages for food at every opportunity, constantly offering us suckers, candy, and Frosted Flakes). Living in South Africa but headed home to England for a wedding, her laugh is contagious and she keeps the energy levels up.

Next we have Emma (nickname: Laura because that’s what Charlie thought her name was for several days). From London and living in London, she takes on 26 three and four-year-olds every day of the week, prompting her to label this trek “a piece of cake.” She’s got a sharp wit, and she was the first to frolic in the Tunis fountain. Good on ya!

Then there’s Dave (nickname: Snap, Crackle, and Pop to identify his three distinct anger levels, which elevate without warning). Our resident Kiwi, he lives in London and works as a digital strategy consultant. He’s an absolute character, and you can’t help but wait with bated breath to hear the next great line.

Finally, me – I’m Kyle (nickname: Plow because that’s what Dave actively believed my name to be since, “you know, Americans name their kids really weird things like Stephanie”). I’m just happy to be getting to Europe and I’m willing to fill the role of typical American.

We managed to get Adam into the country despite VISA requirements, grabbed our bags, and got in a cab to see the city before moving onward to Spain. Our driver managed to get us to agree to some astronomical price before we could figure out the exchange rate, then proceeded to offer us a “very nice three hours driving tour around Tunis for a very good deal.” We managed to resist so unfortunately I didn’t have time to compile one of my classic gay and lesbian travel guides.

Bags dropped, it was into the city to explore the Mosques, squares, and markets of this not-quite Cairo, more than Marrakech city. We wandered stalls, ran through fountains, and even managed to meet the real-life, self-proclaimed Tunisian “Tom” Cruise, who only works the market on the weekends since he is a college professor of Political Economics during the week.

Some lamb kebob, kitschy souvenirs, and public arguments later, we were whisked away by the same driver to get a move on back to Europe. No worse for wear. Somehow, our flight even manages to depart 20 minutes early. With things looking up, we can’t help but wonder what might go wrong next.

The really wild part is how well we were getting along. Remember, we only met a few days ago and only banded together because of a volcano called Eyjafjallajökull and a desperate desire to travel to the gay destination that is London. Charlie noted that, “anyone who met us would just think we’re a group of old friends on holiday” and I couldn’t agree more. It really is true that times of crisis bring people who were total strangers just 48 hours earlier so close together. Our personalities mesh, the inside jokes roll, and we each fill a unique roll that has transformed us from five travelers into a genuine team of rag-tag go-getters. These will be friendships for life. At the moment, however, we’re all just over the moon about the free coca-cola we’re getting on the plane. Maybe, just maybe, travelling to the gay and lesbian travel hotspot that is London won’t be so bad.