Fifth Journey Day 168: The Fruit That Fell Twice

Date: October 23, 2025
Location: Tozeur, Tunisia

In Tozeur, Tunisia, an oasis city skirting the Sahara and the salt flats of Chott el Jerid, desert light threads through date palms and patterned brickwork. Today unfolded in that clarity and dry wind, and the day’s piece, “The Fruit That Fell Twice,” grew from these traces.

Built from Air and Memory

This morning started in silence — not the kind of silence that feels empty, but a silent pause. Tozeur feels like it was built from air and memory. The streets are narrow, and the brickwork shows the marks from people who shaped it centuries ago. I walked without knowing where I was going until I reached a place with palm trees, where the light was different — not so bright, and with more color.

Dates on the Ground, Music in the Heat

The ground was covered with fallen dates that were soft and fermenting. The smell reminded me of old tea that had been left overnight. It was thick and sweet. Each palm seemed to move at its own pace, and the sound of their leaves was like fabric brushing against stone. A man on a donkey passed by. His radio was on, playing something melodic, but it was hard to hear over the heat.

Where the Desert Begins

I walked until the trees and bushes became sparse and the land level — that faint shimmer where the desert begins. The horizon here doesn't separate the sky from the land; it merges them. I stopped and stood still for a long time. The air seemed to hold itself, as if listening.

Threaded Shadows, Partial Lines

When I returned, the town felt half-asleep. I sat near a doorway and sketched small pieces of the scene: a shadow made of threads, a step that had cracked, and a bird's path covered in dust. It's not complete — only traces remain. I think that's what this place teaches: that everything survives as a partial memory.

Quiet Enough to See

Tonight, I feel empty but clear. The desert doesn't offer beauty easily; it waits for you to quiet down.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Clear desert light; 31°C at noon. A dry wind threaded the palms; toward evening the air thinned — faintly cool and dust-sweet.
• Scents: Fermenting dates with a note like overnight tea; sun-warmed brick; clean dust at dusk.
• Sounds: Palm fronds brushing like fabric on stone; distant, melodic radio from a passing donkey; the hush of wide horizon.
• Reflection: Tozeur offers fragments — shadows, cracks, tracks — teaching that memory is partial and that stillness sharpens what remains.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy lingering with the coastal quiet of Café Chronicles from Sidi Bou Said, or drift into another night of oasis light in Moonlit Oasis.