How's this for a tale of two countries and how not to win friends and influence people.

Earlier this year I went on holiday to Tunisia for a week's break in early summer sunshine. This was my first time in Africa and I did not know what to expect but I was looking forward to the break. The hotel was fine and the people in general quite friendly. The overt pushy sales technique of the shopkeepers I had anticipated. On the whole I learnt to put up with it so it did not spoil the holiday. However, on a trip to Monastir, a nice place in its own right, everything turned a tad sour.