Leaving Algeria: Not any easy task


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Africa » Algeria » South » Ghardaia
May 14th 2011
Published: May 15th 2011
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I know I never want to leave when we are travelling, but I don't think any of us wanted to leave the Sahara or Algeria. Sure the red grit in your teeth was a little tiresome, but we fell in love with this part of the world. Maybe the universe could feel our sadness to leave and worked to make it difficult...literally!
We raced to the airport. Told our guides goodbye. Went through security and heard the whispers of foreign chatter that periodically included "Americans." Yeah, we did not move through this part of the world without being noticed and quickly realized that the community was aware there were Americans visiting. At the security check points in the airport, the high ranking security guard literally grabbed my arm and pulled us through security without having to show documents while others were being asked questions and producing documents. Nice!
We faced the sandstorm conditions on the tarmac to identify our luggage and boarded the plane. We had already discussed what it might be like to fly in a tiny prop plane in the heavy winds and blowing sands. Dad suggested we "get righteous."
Our plane began taxiing and we drove in a
Another one kicks the bucket...Another one kicks the bucket...Another one kicks the bucket...

...bucket list that is! I have been dying to drink camel milk (not available in USA due to pasteurization issues) and had it on my bucket list. Not anymore! Found some in this man's shop. It was pasteurized and I hope to find it fresh in Southern Tunisia. It tasted like cow's milk, but with a strange after taste.
full circle only to find our plane parking right where it started. Oh great. After sitting for a bit, we deboarded and returned to the one-room airport. We discovered there were mechanical errors and spent several hours while they worked on the plane. With a flurry of excitement we were all back on the tarmac being beaten by sand only to be turned back to the airport before we could even board the plane. Third time's a charm, right? Yes.

Funny Algerian moments: While sitting in a hotel lobby in Algiers, a guy approached dad and was convinced dad was Alec Baldwin!! He was so embarrassed that he was wrong.

Kyle thought it would be fun to snowboard down the sand dunes. We engaged in a conversation that went something like this:
Kyle: "The only thing keeping me from doing it is a snowboard."
Valeri: "Yeah, that is the only thing."
Kyle: "What else am I missing?"
Roy: "Maybe logic!"

Algerian Food Observations:
Not uncommon to serve salads at the end of the meal because it is believed to help with digestion.
Tried a local cola and it tasted like bananas (not good).
Outside of fancy hotels, there is no alcohol to be found. Our guides described how some people make their own alcohol (moonshine style).
Algerians eat a lot of meat. Pretty much every meal was meat heavy.
The Algerians also love their fresh fruit juice. Not surprising with the wonderfully juicey fruit we have been eating.
Lunch is usually eaten around 1:30 pm and dinner not until 8:30 pm.
Nowhere in the entire country is there a McDonalds or any other American restaurant chain.
Mint tea is served at every gathering and meal. The mint is picked fresh before each pot of tea is made. The amount of sugar used per pot is not for the faint of heart!

Wondering about dad's WWII shell? We are sad to say it did not leave Algeria. We went to Fed Ex to ship it home and the customs guy decided it was an antique that could not leave the country. What crap! We had taken it through several airports without problem, but did not feel like putting in the energy to deal with Algerian customs. It gave us some good photos and stories. As we boarded the first flight with it, we were on the tarmac
Responsible shoppingResponsible shoppingResponsible shopping

We did some gift shopping at this school that teaches rural women how to create handicrafts and how to sew while also teaching them business ideas. The day we were there, they were learning how to establish a webpage in three languages.
waiting to identify our luggage. The bag with the shell was missing and the security guards sent us back to sit on the bus. Dad was sure it had to do with the shell and it was going to be his "Munich" moment, but the airline had just misplaced our luggage!

Language issues:
We rarely found anyone who spoke English in Algeria. The Arabic dialect was unusual in that French was used for time and numbers and the occassional random word. Kyle' French continued to improve as our trip went along. He has been doing a fantastic job of commuunicating with everyone. It is interesting to see how relieved people are when he speaks French. At our meals in the southern parts of Algeria it was common to have people speaking English, French, two dialects of Arabic and the occassional comments in Spanish!


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Looking good in the SaharaLooking good in the Sahara
Looking good in the Sahara

Just hanging with my new Tuareg friends. This is how we keep the sand out of our ears and teeth.


15th May 2011

Architecture
The architecture of Algeria reminds me of the style used in Mali - Have you thought of adding this lovely country to your bucket list? Thanks for sharing your notes!!!
15th May 2011

PS - Snow
While you are enjoying drifting sand, I am watching snow fall in Divide, CO!!!! (May 15, 2011)
17th May 2011

Roy Crenshaw = Alec Baldwin
Roy, I recommend that you follow the advice of your alter ego Jack Donaghy for your flight home. Never sleep on planes to reduce the risk of getting incepted. You are welcome.
19th October 2011

https://profiles.google.com/sarafpankaj143/about
Thanxs for share,,it's very useful for us

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