With some sketchy notes culled from the Lonely Planet guide and some online detective work, I have a rough idea of the whereabouts of two more Star Wars locations.  Whether I find them or not this will by my last Star Wars day. I leave a very happy Christi to upload a huge backlog of photos to Picasa at a fast internet cafe and set off for the town of Ajim.

Ajim is a small fishing port 20 km southwest of Houmt Souq that George Lucas used for a couple of scenes from the original version of Star Wars. As usual the most convenient way to get there is by louage. It’s a 30-minute ride with some very surprised locals. I don’t think Ajim is a popular tourist destination, apart that is from the odd people like myself who are fascinated by Star Wars. And I can’t even tell you why I’m fascinated. It’s not as if I travel the world to visit movie locations, but I do feel a frisson of excitement as we pull into the bus station. Perhaps it’s nostalgia for a more innocent time.

I find the large central roundabout and clock tower in Ajim. My research says turn left and walk 200 yards down a slightly dubious looking alley. As the road opens up there is a classic dome-shaped building. It is rather dilapidated now, disused and unappreciated except for the rare appearance of someone like myself who can reignite its former glory.  It’s even possible to see where the Star Wars set builders added an entranceway onto the structure.  This location was used to film exterior shots of the Mos Eisley Cantina. Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi enter the cantina in search of passage off the desert planet of Tatooine. In reality, Luke and Ben never entered the building and the interior cantina sequences were filmed at Pinewood studios in London.  I receive many curious looks as I photograph the ageing edifice and relive a slice of Star Wars history.  

The second Star Wars site is much harder to find. My notes say head west out of town and look for a sign stating ‘Sidi Jemour 10 km to the north’.  Follow the track for 700m and the house used for the exterior shots of Ben’s home is on the left.  In the movie the backdrop in a dune sea; in reality it is the Mediterranean sea. I actually find the sign fairly easy and the road north runs beside the Mediterranean sea, but the location of the house is 2.5km up the road not 70om.  Much like the cantina, the  building has been largely abandoned, although local fishermen apparently store equipment there occasionally. Again I’m gripped with a sense of excitement and pride that I managed to find this long-forgotten place; a place that still has an imprint of the Star Wars legend.  Maybe in some small way I, too, am now part of that legend. 

With a successful mornings exploration accomplished I return via louage to Houmt Souq. I collect Christi from the internet cafe and after a quick lunch in the souq, we taxi to the Zona Touristique.  There are literally dozens of hotels all adjacent to one another beside an admittedly pleasant beach.  We have ceased to be in Tunisia or Africa, though: poolside bars, loud Western music, topless bathing, and Western food make for a bland vacation experience that could be anywhere, but which is very definitely not Africa.  Christi and I walk along the beach for a while past endless sunbathers. For the first time since we arrived in Africa Western tourists are in the majority, but it’s a depressing experience and we do not linger. In a weird way the Mos Eisley Cantina and the Zona Touristique are not that different!

Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.

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