Today is the day we have been waiting for for over a year! Star Wars Day! We decided to buy Star Wars shirts (a tragedy that we did not already own Star Wars shirts, but now this sad situation has been rectified forevermore) so that we could be properly attired and give the occasion the respect and consideration it deserves. If anything is meritious of a new shirt, it is definitely visiting Star Wars sights of Tunisia. This is way cooler than sitting on top of a pyramid in Guatemala that was in Star Wars for about 3 seconds while some x-wing fighters flew over the top of it.

First stop: Tataouine! They just changed the spelling to Tatooine in the movies, but it is the inspiration for the birthplace of Anakin Skywalker! Future Darth Vader!  I think the name is the only Star Wars draw because that’s all we did there–stop at the city limit sign for pictures.  The guide said that we were making a quick stop for anyone interested. I was the first one off the bus, having raced down the aisle shouting ME! He’s talking about ME! As far as road signs go, this one is pretty epic! We did go into town and walk around a bit. I bought a cute leather purse for only 35 Dinars ($11.06). I probably should have bought the made in China pencil pouch that said Tataouine, but I did not.

Next stop was some non Star Wars sights. Who cares, right? I guess I’ll tell you anyways. Chenini is an old (mostly abandoned) Berber village built into the side of a mountain. It is quite impressive and picturesque.  But enough about that.

For lunch, we went to Ksar Hedada, where scenes from Phantom Menace were filmed in 1997. It is the town of Mos Espa on the planet of Tatooine in the movie.   So that one with Anakin Skywalker as a kid and Jar Jar Binks. We ate lunch in a little restaurant, and then only had a few minutes afterward to get some pictures. They have actually converted some of the rooms to hotel rooms. Too bad we didn’t stay there! The rooms are literally just a bed. There’s a public toilet and shower for your bathroom needs. 

They do charge 2 Dinars entrance if you just want to go and walk around. Honestly, they are not living up to their full potential. They had a broken R2D2 cement statue, and my sister found 2 Darth Vader masks for us to pose with, but that’s all the Star Wars they had! No souvenirs. No cardboard cutouts of Chewbaca. No storm troopers patrolling the grounds. It was anticlimactic. That did not stop us from getting all the pictures, but it could have been so much more. Just imagine hiding from Storm Troopers while trying to get the perfect photos. That would be exhilarating. Clearly, I need to take over their marketing and entertainment. The ideas in my head are brilliant and astonishing.

The next stop was actually just a potty stop, but it  is the Holy Grail of all the Star Wars sights! No, not the Millennium Falcon–the home of Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru! Yes! That house where Luke told Uncle Owen the new R2 unit was broken and talking about Obi Wan Kenobi. AND WE WERE THERE! RIGHT IN THE COURTYARD OF UNCLE OWEN AND AUNT BERU! It is in the Tunisian village of Matmâta in a traditional adobe home that is actually a hotel. We could have slept in Luke Skywalker’s home! I think our tour company really messed up on this!

Like I said, it is a hotel. I didn’t see any rooms, but  I am sure that they are just as basic (meaning bed only) as the rooms at The Phantom Menace place. For those of you planning your epic Star Wars vacation, it is called Hotel Sidi Driss. It still has elements from the movie set, and they do play the Star Wars music as you walk into the courtyard. They also have a Storm Trooper costume laying in one of the rooms and paintings of the characters all around.  And a pet cat named Chewbaca! However, it’s now set up as a bar and the hotel restaurant.  But again, it could be so much more. I recommend that you take your own light sabers with you because the ones that they dug up for me and my sister to have an epic light saber battle with did not light up anymore.

We did find magnets outside with a picture of the courtyard for only 5 Dinars. Unfortunately, he only had 4 of them, and we did not have time for the shop owner to go rummaging through the entire store to find more.

Our last stop of the day was another non Star Wars stop. Disappointing, I know.  However, I think it would make a great movie location for a future Star Wars movie. It was a troglodyte home–really cool looking. Really, troglodyte is a cool sounding word. It is a Berber home, with multiple rooms built into soft rock and cliffs. Fascinating, really.

Well, I think I have seen too much to remember anything, so that is all. Time for a new day and a new adventure!

May The Force Be With You

or in Español, Que la fuerza te acompañe

thetwinsontour