Day Three in Algeria

“From the abyss to the Ibis” was one of my Constantine guide’s favorite phrases. Ibis, the central hotel I was staying at, is said as “ee-bis” in this part of the world, and Constantine is built on a massive canyon, with parts of the city at lower altitudes and others up on the cliff. There’s a public elevator between the two, but it costs 5 dinars to ride it, so some people take the steps. Not me, I’d had plenty of walking since getting to Algeria four days ago.

Badr the guide and Nibaj the driver put me into the abyss more than a few times as we traversed seven bridges, the canyon itself, two museums, and various sights I would never have looked at on my own. But “on my own” wasn’t really on the table in Algeria. I could have used hotels to get my visa support letters, and used a taxi on arrival, but this was one of those situations where to get the visa, the budget hotels, and the guide when I needed one, it was just easier to go with Fancyellow, the most appealing of the options I found online.

Day Two in Algeria

Day Two, Sunday. Constantine, Algeria.

I flew from Algiers to Constantine last night, arriving at 7:35pm, and I was in my hotel by 8:30.

“Is there a hotel restaurant?” I asked the Ibis receptionist.

“No, but the Novotel next door has one.”

I dropped off my bag and headed to the Novotel, where there was a buffet for $30. I’m one medium-sized human and I definitely didn’t need a $30 buffet, though I was pretty hungry.

After a complex series of negotiations involved my limited French and Arabic, and a cashier’s limited English, we established that he’d let me take one plate from the hot food area for ten dollars. Simple—a small bit of chicken, veggies, rice, and potatoes. What more could I ask for?

The Ibis itself has seen better days, namely whenever it was built. Ibis is like the IKEA of hotels—imagine cheap laminated shelves looking great for a while but wearing out in time, and then add grungy walls needing a paint job and stained hallway carpets. Still, IKEA really hits the spot in some ways, and the Ibis is in the Constantine center, the shower was hot, the toilet worked, breakfast was included, and the wifi wasn’t godawful. I call that a win, especially since Algeria isn’t known for its fabulous lodging.

I walked more than 22,000 steps yesterday, so I slept well in my little Ibis room. Breakfast was a plentiful (excessive, really) variety of bread products, scrambled eggs with optional processed Vienna sausage type meat (I did not opt), a sadly struggling automated coffee dispenser, some delicious yogurt, and a slice of local pomegranate. I regretted the pomegranate when I realized I had no elegant way of extracting the seeds with my little breakfast plate and a fork. The guide, Badro, fetched me at 9, and we drove out of Constantine to a smooth, new highway that took us to Setif over two hours.

Algiers Walking Tour (and the metro, too)

Day One: I took a city tour, guided by a young college-age Algerian woman. She'd clearly watched a lot of YouTube propaganda, but she was also kind of aware of the wider world. Just a little. She had some really bizarre ideas about a certain country--I tried to reason her out of them, but she was pretty far down the conspiracy path. 

In the evening, my local guides picked me up and drove me to the airport, for my short flight from Algiers to Constantine.

In Algiers

I'm repeatedly pulling back the dusty sheer curtain over the balcony door as I try to get some air in this stuffy hotel room, three flights up, hoping the pigeons stay on the balcony and not try to visit me in the room. 

Seagulls call to each other over the rusting satellite dishes, perched on the cracked painted 1930s concrete so many call home. Feral kittens play and occasionally yowl on the street below. The smell of diesel mixes with the whiff of cigarette smoke. 

Remember cigarettes? They still live here, right off the Mediterranean. 

Where the Mediterranean diet means something different. A local hotel breakfast buffet offers croissants, pain au chocolat, sliced white bread, brown muffins, vanilla muffins, French bread, pastries, and cookies. I’ve never seen so many carbs...

Except of course when I traveled to the Middle East and North Africa. Hard-boiled egg, a container of yogurt, cheese in a foil triangle, and eight types of bread. 

 I haven’t missed it. 

I feel a pang of nostalgia for simpler times when eating bread didn’t equal regret. 

Good thing I took so many packets of peanuts from work.

Kind of Like Pizza Hat

Some reputable shops in this part of the world!

I'm at the combination Domino's McDonald's taco stand!

Arrival in Algiers Airport

Algiers. I have arrived.

Work and Fun in One Trip

Packed for both Algeria AND Sweden. I had to buy a new bag, my carry-on can only deal with one climate at a time.

Why Sweden? A convention! And I never go to a convention overseas without checking out a destination on my own either before or after. This time, it's Algeria before Stockholm Con.

And I received this in a newsletter today! How timely. 

Fist Full of Dinars

I got my visa for Algeria! Woo!

Everyone else: "We didn't know you were applying for an Algerian visa."

True. The idea is I am going to Stockholm Con in early November, so I'll fly to Europe a week early and go see some Roman ruins and stuff.

I'm not going south, don't worry. Perfectly safe. I'll fly LAX-LHR Wed-Thurs, then stay overnight by the airport, then fly to Algiers on Friday morning, returning from Constantine to Marseille.