Tulsa Topics

The above title refers to my Google query of "How far is it from Tulsa, Oklahoma USA to Sfax El-Maou?". The answer was generously provided by the FindLocalWeather.com's "How far is it?" service. I find myself Googling a lot of questions these days.

The precise answer that was returned was: The straight line distance between Tulsa and Sfax El-Maou is approximately 5646 miles or 9087 kilometers. So by now, if anyone is actually reading Tulsa Topics, you may be asking yourself.... Where in the world is Sfax El-Mauo? To save you the trouble of Googling it, Sfax El-Maou is located in North Africa and is one of the larger cities in the country of Tunisia.

So far this year, I've had the opportunity to work in Tunisia for two months commissioning some power generators and natural gas compressors.  I just returned from my second trip to Tunisia on Wednesday of this week and I’m still a wee bit jet-lagged.  The trip was very successful, but the job will probably require one more trip to actually put the equipment into service.

This particular job has proven to be both challenging, interesting, rewarding, and tiring for a number of reasons -  the major one being the location which is the Island of Kerkennah located off the coast of Tunisia.  5646 miles breaks down to three flight segments, a train ride, a ferry ride, and a few automobile rides thrown in for good measure.  Time wise it is somewhere between a 24 to 30 hour journey.

I have taken many pictures, gotten to know some of the people, explored the cities of Tunis, Carthage, Sfax and the Island of Kerkennah, and have been a visitor in their midst.  I find the culture and history of Tunisia fascinating and would like to put down some of my thoughts about the country in future posts which will be forthcoming.  Here’s a “teaser” of what’s to come:

On my first trip to Tunisia, I was just beginning my journey back home to Tulsa.  This required me to take a ferry from Sidi Youssef to Sfax which takes approximately one and half hours.  I was then transported to the train station where I boarded the train bound for Tunis.  One of the stops along the way was a town called El Jem.  A Brit that was on holiday told me there was a nice amphitheater in El Jem.  Being from Tulsa, I’m envisioning something like our River Parks Amphitheater.  Imagine my surprise when I looked out the train window and saw this before my eyes…..

The amphitheater was actually the Roman Coliseum but in El Jem.  To put the size of the structure into perspective….. The new BOK Center is Tulsa’s state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue with a 18,041 seat capacity.   The coliseum was constructed between 230 and 238 AD by the command of the Imperial official Gordian. It's believed to have given room for as much as 30,000 spectators, some estimates set it at 45,000.  Cesar Pelli, eat your heart out…….

More to come……