Chawerma Chawerma

Again, Chawerma. I have more or less lived over it in Syria. Although I noted that chicken was by far more popular than meat in this front. It was like that of Lebanon, and didn't have fries

I have been captivated

I have just fallen in love with Syria. The people were just amazing and beautiful. It was nice to go around the country and would definitely like to go through experience that would make me relate to this country. I am actually thinking of supporting a movement to reunite Syria and Egypt again like they did in the years of Nasser. I just love this country, and must return to be a tourist here.

Company would have been great

I usually travel alone, and got used to this. However, since I was in lands as the guide says "you will leave with so many memories that will not be in your photo album" it would have been nice to be traveling with company. You can relate more to the memories when with someone.

Oh man, this is beautiful

Damascus was just beautiful, walking in the old city was so exciting. Especially outstanding was of course the Ummawy Mosque. It was just so interesting to be in so much history. Reminded me of the walk in old Islamic Cairo, but again it was not as lively and as crowded. I also went up Qasuoun Mountain and had a quick peak from atop on Al-sham. I had always thought Al-Sham was in reference to all the region, but now realized they use it to refer to Damascus, just like we call Cairo, Masr (or Egypt) back home. The people were also very friendly and nice. They were extremely approachable, and more so when they know me to be Egyptian. It was nice to be in this city. The hotel was also nice. I was in Sheraton Damascus, which although was not extremely expensive on international standards seemed to be upscale in Syria. It was a change from my usual cheap stay experience, and definitely on my return list if I am in Damascus again

Syria, a pleasant drive over

I had arranged for a taxi to take me across the Boarder to Damascus. I was waiting for a friend in Hamra st. the day before I was planning to leave, where a cab was parked and I chatted with him about making this arrangement. I guess he most probably thought I was just talking, especially that I had to bail abruptly when my friend came. However, when I returned to talk to him he was sure I was making an arrangement. He came in the morning, and only to my surprise (and it falls in line with the service they provide here and the details in doing it well) he was not planning to drive me there. He usually works nights and all he did was take me to another taxi whom he made an arrangement to provide the lift. He had slept at 6am, yet came to me at the 9am time we agreed upon. I guess just this gesture will make me call him if I am again in Beirut. I had driven through most of the road in Lebanon myself on my way to Baalbaek. He continued towards Damascus in the old American taxi car. It seemed to be the most popular type of car on this road. They just trust them; just like in Egypt we like Peugeot 405 cabs. It was close too, with all the formalities of crossing the boarder it took me short of 2 hours to be in central Damascus.

Lebanon's beauty is beyond Beirut

Beirut is a nice city, but the best parts of Lebanon are outside of this city. I got the chance to rent a car and go almost everywhere in Lebanon. The only locations I didn't go to were the liberated areas of 2000. It usually needed a police clearance which you can get away with as I was told. But they had recently discovered a spying network for Israel and a permit from the army was needed. I asked if going there would mean I would be turned back or turned in. I was told it was the later so I didn't go there. It was nice driving in Lebanon, and the scenery was great and people were very nice.

Traveling around in Lebanon

Lebanon is very small, I could drive all over it in one day. Although I might add that leaving the coastal road you hit the mountains. It takes much more than I expects to go up these mountains. I went to Teor in the south, Gizzrene, Ghasaniayeh, also Tripoli and Halba in the north and Akkar along with several other small towns. I also went to the Baalbaek area. It was an interesting trip, and I enjoyed using the map and just going in a rental. Reminded me of my skills of driving in North America.

Going to Prayer, don't go with luggage

I was suddenly in front of machine guns. I had a meeting on Friday morning and as I arrived to my car which was parked in the downtown I decided to catch Friday prayer in Alomary mosque in the downtown of Beirut. I walked in casually with my bad that had the laptop inside and was walking into the mosque. The army security at the door was in shock, at my behavior. I was walking into the mosque with a bag and with no care in the world. I was asked to have the bag inspected thoroughly. I almost missed the prayer time for him to check the bag. This was my first experience of the sort in a mosque, it was quite annoying, but understandable.

Warzone, you can still feel it

Well walking in many places in Lebanon you can just see remnants of the war that has been here for so long. Although you appreciate the huge effort to replace this image with a more plesent one, it still hits you. The Hamra Cinema is one of the buildings remaining in the downtown without renovation, or signs of firearms on buildings in several areas in Beirut or beyond just spell out the War times. It has been the first experience in such a place, although it is not very sharp.

Hell's valley

Well this is a valley in Akkar, north Lebanon, and as I said to Ahmed, if hell is like this I wouldn't mind going there. The place is absolutely beautiful, a valley with trees covering the mountains and a river running in the middle of it. In the background are the mountains of Lebanon where some mountain tops have snow year round. I was absolutely amazing to see.

Expensive, and you are being robbed and enjoying it

A Lebanese friend told me that in Lebanon, you get robbed and enjoy it. It was very true. I actually fell for the first trap in the book. I had taken a taxi from the airport and he charged me $25 for the trip. I later purchased the guide to Lebanon and Syria, and reading in it the first trick on arriving was just that. It said you will be charged $25 for the trip, but you should negotiate the price and get it for $10. However, I was not sad. You just feel at ease paying for things, even if they are over priced, because of the way they provide service. Things are expensive compared to what I am used too, even in Canada, and definitely so much compared to Egypt. I was wondering why I met foreigners who worked in gas stations, it seemed so unrewarding financially to go through all this trouble to an expensive place.

Nice city, service, but still Cairo remains a glamorous city indeed

Beirut is very nice, and as well all know the level of service is substantially different here. Lebanese are known for the way they do service. They present themselves very well, and it is apparent even in the city and in outings in Beirut. I have been to many areas especially the downtown, and it was nice in many aspects, if you are going for a morning coffee, lunch or an evening out on town. The people themselves look so different and take care of themselves. It somewhat reminded me of Montreal, with its French influence on how people present themselves. A stroll next to Alrawsha, or in the area next to AUB was nice. However, Cairo is still another league with respect to glamour. It is unmatched, even by Beirut. Of course, I didn't spend a lot of time living in the city to really evaluate this fairly, but the liveliness of Cairo all day and night is not there. However, Beirut is definitely more organized than Cairo, although the "un-orderly" attitude can be felt around.

Worldcup in Beirut

My best experience with the worldcup had been in 1998 in Waterloo. The game times were appropriate for watching with others in the graduate house. The diverse backgrounds of the graduate students made this a nice environment. Everyone cheered for his/her own colors and it was nice to be in the midst of this. However, being in Beirut, this took a different turn. The people here embrace the game and cheer for so many teams. It was as if I am within an international audience, and after a team wins you would find people honking horns and waving flags in the streets. The flag people must have made a fortune during this event in Lebanon. I also heard that the largest Brazilian flag outside of Brazil was hanging in Lebanon. It was captivating everyone around, girls and boys, young and old and people where cheering wholeheartedly. Especially amazing was in the Tunisia Spain game, which I watched in the downtown area, people were cheering Tunisia as it was winning, and I thought they will all be behind the team. When Spain scored some people started to cheer, and it grew as Spain took back the game. I was sitting under the Spanish Cultural Centre and they would get out in the balcony and celebrate with each goal. It was amazing. However, the superpowers of soccer remained the most popular (Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, England). I however would have not been surprised to find fans for Togo here.

Chawerma

Well I am in the land of Chawerma, Lebanon, and Syria. It was back to the version I know, although with a twist on using the bread sheets. I guess it is certainly the home of Chawerma, and was the best I have seen for a while in this front since leaving Egypt.

Everything is just so close

I had heard about so many places in Lebanon, mostly related to sad events like Sabrah and Shatellah. However, I never realized how close this can be to the city. It is actually in the middle of the city, contrary to my previous perception that it would be out of Beirut. You feel everything is so close, I even was thinking of making meetings in the South and North on the same day and would expect to make it to both without much trouble.

Beirut, you know it is different even before going

The moment I stepped into the airport in Amman on my way from Yemen to Lebanon, you can feel the difference. People looked so different, in a contrast to my recent experiences in Sudan and Yemen. The people, especially ladies, took care of details. I landed in the airport, and from the plane the view from the airport onto the sea looked nice. "An airport with a view". I got the visa at the airport, once I showed enough cash on me and was on my way to see Lebanon. It was a pleasant morning, and the drive was short to the hotel in Al-Hamra district. I was on my way to explore this country.

Beirut HERE I COME

Finally I visit Beirut, I had though of the trip to Lebanon and Syria back in the 90s with a friend, but it never happened. It was my opportunity to realize this trip.

World Cup: Argentina can go all the way

Well The world cup was underway, and games were starting to become exciting. I wasn't able to follow too much of the games, but the little I saw seemed to vote for Argentina to win it all. I am a fan of Brazil, but they didn't present a power to fear thus far. The only notable thing about the worldcup was that it seemed the world dropped everything to watch the action, amazing how this sport captures the interest of so many.

Chawerma, this time I didn't go for the test

I looked for a Cahwerma place in Sana'a, but I was unsuccessful. I guess I was not given the chance to explore Chawerma Ale La Yemenei style

Show me the bullets

Well I was entering the Language Centre, funded by the US Embassy. The security was high as expected and as usual. However, I was entering on the wrong day. It was the day or registration and thousands flock in on that day. I was directed to the centre a short while ago, and went directly to there. The man at the door didn't want to me to enter and asked me to call. I took my cell phone and started to try and reach the office inside. While I was waiting, a guy walked in the metal detector and it beeped. After a few trials the security guard told the guy to take of "Alrousass" which has two meanings, (i) bullets and (ii) lead. I couldn't imagine it was the first, so I assumed it was the later. I was mistaken, it turned out to be bullets. Combined with the Yemeni dagger that most people entertain, it made to a very "comfortable" situation with locals.

Glamour, I am still missing it

After North Africa, Sudan and Yemen, I was missing the glamour of cities. I was actually shocked to watch the promo ad of Yemen on TV, was this really the same place I am in? I guess the best of Yemen might be beyond Sana'a, but if this is any measure I think they need to pay the advertising company more money because they were so successful. Cairo was becoming more beautiful a city the more I stayed away. My next stop might be the first challenge to Cairo, I was going to Beirut :)

Airport, contrast

When I was arriving to Khartoum, I was very impressed with the airport. It was actually a clean spacious terminal, which was great. I was also happy for the first time to be traveling with an Egyptian passport, things were going very fast and well. I finished the passport control in under 10 mins and went to pick up my luggage. It had been a long trip, considering flying over night and I wanted to go to the hotel to sleep. Anxiously I waited for the luggage, it was taking a long time. I recalled a statement I heard from a friend many years ago about Africa. It goes "Everyone in the world is running after time, except in Africa THEY JUST HAVE IT", now I understood the meaning of that statement. I waited for over 2 hours for any sign of luggage from the flight to appear. After the third hour I was finally leaving with my luggage, vowing never again to come with luggage more than a carry on.

The sever shock was actually later, while leaving Sudan, the departure hall was just poor. It was a sharp contrast to what I saw coming in, a run down terminal which looked very plain. I guess I came to terms with reality of Africa.

Women drive here

Walking through Sana'a I was starting to recall my younger days in Jeddah. It looked so much like ti, and the attitude was somewhat similar. Although regarding the attire of women, Jeddah seemed more liberal back in the early nineties than what I was seeing. However, I was shocked. I saw a women driving a car. I asked, and apparently women are allowed to drive, although only very few exercise this privilege. Seems like Saudia Arabia is the only state in the world not to allow women to drive. I must add, that the examples of women driving have solidified my impression on their driving skills, I guess somethings are global

Mandy, and fried chicken

When in Rome do like the Romans do, and when in Yemen you need to try Mandy. I walked in a traditional restaurant after Friday prayer, and ordered Mandy, I did however use the "sort off" spoon to eat and not my hands, but it was a nice meal. I also tried fried chicken, which I haven't had for a long time and once I spotted it I remembered Jeddah and had a craving to check it out.

Building style

The building style is maintained within Sana'a, even new buildings hold the same building appearance of traditional styles in Yemen. It looks interesting for a little while, but I don't think this is a style I would like, but this is a personal choice.

Weather tricked me again

I guess I need to revisit my geography once more. After my Sudan experience I was embracing myself for a similar heat wave in Yemen. I was mistaken, the altitude of Sana'a gives it pleasant weather in the summer. Some days were challenging, but night times were cool.

Happy Yemen, what is it happy about? Is it the Kaat

They always refer to Yemen as Happy Yemen in Egypt. After visiting Sana'a I have no clue why they call it happy Yemen, it has no excitement what so ever. The men (I have no clue about women because they are all behind black covers from top to bottom) all entertain a mouth full of Kaat in the evening and I guess this is what makes them happy all day. I asked about the Kaat market, and the guy I asked offered to give me some to try. I did, didn't feel much but maybe I didn't get the right dose, or the right techniques. It felt like eating tree leaves more than anything else. I guess without Kaat these people would be in bad shape.

Shisha again, Momeam is THE outing

Shisha is illegal in Sudan, which is very impressive really. I found it the last night I was in Sudan at the hotel pool lounge. It was among the limited places that serve it in Khartoum. I guess the government has gone so far to keep it at bay, which is great. As for eat outs, I was told that the hotspot in town would be Momean, the Egyptian fast food chain. It is certainly not something I correlate with a fancy place to eat. I guess there is something that needs to change in this town.

Bills and Money

Well the bills in Libya were huge, they were very big. Sudan was a competition in this regard, but the most serious competition came from Yemen. Their bills are so big also. I might add that the people in Sudan refer to the 1000 bill as 10,000 and so all other bills. I guess people are used to using the Pound rather than that Dinar, which is 10 times bigger.

Sana'a Airport

Sana'a airport reminded me of Seinfield. The correlation being the episode Elian was invited to a wedding in India. The airport looked so similar, it was very very primitive and probably the worse I have seen thus far. The passport officers were taking ages to do anything, organization was not present and the service was slow.

Chawerma once more

Well I finally decided to test Chawerma in Sudan, the level of hygiene I was seeing was challenging, and if you know me well you can realize the magnitude of this problem right away. I finally got the guts and went about testing how they cook the Chawerma. First Beef was the major player, and hot peppers were into the mix. It tasted a little different than back home, but it sure lost the fries and look more like what I know.

Sudan, and the Nile

I didn't have time to be a tourist on my many visits, but I had promised myself one photo of each country to put a s a background on my desktop. Once in Sudan, the only thing that popped to mind was the Nile. I finished a meeting early and decided to talk a walk on the Nile (I was complaining of the heat and walking at 3pm, how can you be so strange). I spotted a big and wide location on the Nile at Touti Island, it was huge and I thought this was the perfect shoot, the widest location on the Nile I have witnessed. Well I was mistaken, I later purchased a map of the city and discovered that this was the Blue Nile, which although brings more water to Egypt, is smaller than the White Nile. Now that was significantly wider. I decided to go and take photos of it. I hired a cab after a meeting and asked him to take me to the two bridges that cross from Khartoum to Um Dourman to take photos of the Nile from there. He stopped at the first bridge and I crossed the road and took photos. I would add that my felling of how nice and kind Sudanese are made me leave my bag in the cab, which I would usually never do. We went to the other bridge, which was the older metal bridge, on the way back and after crossing to take photos of the bridge and the Nile I was hopping back into the cab. I noticed a sign, "Military zone no Photos". I hopped into the cab and after a few meters was stopped by the Police. They were horrible, and my mistake was to be patriotic about my roots and Arab origin and I told them I am Egyptian (I should have played ignorant and said I am Canadian). The guy was so silly and started fooling around with my digital camera, and out of fear he would spoil it I showed him how to delete photos and he went on deleting them. How stupid, what can photos of the Nile do to national security, didn't they hear about Satellite photos and Google Earth. He eventually erased all the photos and all I had left was the photos of the Blue Nile, so I thought they are good enough.

5Star hotel, Sudan Style

I booked a room in the Meridian, and it was pretty upscale in $s for me. I was preparing myself for a luxury stay, but oh my was I in for a surprise. The Meridian is no better than run down hotels in Downtown Montreal. It was something far away from my imagination, and was very primitive. I guess it was good I didn't try to take the adventure of finding a hotel once I arrive. The cab driver taking me from the airport was trying to convince me that this was a very expensive hotel and I should change it for a cheaper one, good that I didn't. Another interesting point was that I booked the hotel on the internet before boarding from Cairo, and when I called they said that the computer guy only comes in the morning to check the email. So I had to book over the phone, if you don't reply to emails don't give this service. I guess tourism in Sudan was not big at all, although they are currently building some hotels to change this scene, one by Algadafi and it looks something like Borg Elarab of Dubai. Hope the level of service is better than the Meriden

HEAT HEAT HEAT

HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT

Developing quickly

I was shocked to learn that the airport road not to long ago was a dirt road. It was only paved some 3 years ago, and so were all the roads in the city. The system seems so rundown, but amazingly you can also spot the development that is growing here. There is progress and I think it is leapfrogging into the 21st century, if left alone this can develop into something good. It was also amazing to notice the reverse migration back into Sudan, and from Khartoum back into the rural areas.

Nice people, very kind

Sudanese people were always stereotyped in Egypt as being kind, and lazy. I guess I came to terms with some of this on my visit. They are definitely very kind, and very comfortable to deal with. As for the lazy part, well I met some very interesting people who seemed to be anything but lazy, but I was shocked to learn banks close at 12:30, and things just slow down pretty fast. However, all in all these are nice people.

Where is the Glamour

I was starting to appreciate Cairo more and more as I visited the cities I have. Cairo is such a lively city and has so much glamour. I was starting to realize why it presents itself as a major city in this part of the world. Rabat was pretty plain, and it presented limited options for an interesting city. I guess the administrative nature of this capital added to this feeling. I was told that Caza was a more lively city. I was unable to really assess this for myself. I was allowed only a very limited time in Caza on my way to the airport that I used to watch part of the opening match of the world cup, but it didn't spell out excitement when I was there, although I was in the major downtown of Caza.

The Chinese are coming

I was shocked to see Chinese in Algiers. Not only are they present subtlety they manage shops and have companies operating in Algeria. The building of a ministry right next to Sofitel is currently being observed by a Chinese company. Frightening thought on how competitive the Chinese are with all the overheads they have to go through to bring work to Algeria they are still competitive compared to regional bodies. The Chinese are coming, The Chinese are coming.

Less and less Shisha

I guess the Shisha age has not yet come to this part of North Africa. It was practically impossible to find a place in Algeria and very very difficult in Morocco. The culture was picking up, but it was no where close to how it is in Egypt. I take this as a positive note, although maybe a few years down the road, I would feel like home when Shisha is everywhere.

Back in the 50s

I guess Rabat gave me the impression of Cairo back in the fifties, minus so much people. The buildings and streets seemed to coincide with the pictures I had of Cairo's downtown when it was called Paris on the Nile. Although the downtown area still honors this name, I don't think it does live to it. The movie theaters seemed to be primitive, as if they were from the fifties. The old town seemed to be very plain. I would however add that it was organized and people seemed to follow some rules, unlike Cairo (although you learn to like it, but never can love it). Add some of Cairo's glamour in the new millennium and this can be a great blend.

I spotted a Mc Donald's

I had not bumped into this icon of American Capitalism for sometime now. I was walking in downtown Rabat and suddenly saw one. I was not overly excited to see it, and even somewhat felt sad that it appeared. I have been happy to see local businesses in the food sector, and thought of Mcdonalds as an untasteful option for food in such a rich culture. I had been eating in a local restaurant in the old city which catered local Moroccan food. The soup, which is somewhat similar to that of all North Africa, was very tasteful, and was a meal in itself. I think that I should revive my cooking experience, and work on making some of it.

Scenery is nice here

The scenery of mountains touching with the Mediterranean was a change from what I was used too. Mainland Egypt is flat, and Ontario is also very much flat. The mountains covered with trees were nice to see, and it presented a nice environment on the city. I however, was not able to go further south, where desert and heat kick in. The weather in Algiers was cool, and I was looking for suitable cloths for this weather. I had set myself for a very hot trip and seemed to be missing the fact. The nice scenery continued in Morocco. Riding the train from Mohamed V airport to Rabat took me through farm lands tat over looked the Atlantic ocean. It was a pleasant train ride, and I certainly enjoyed the scenery looking out the window. It added so much to my passion for trains

I asked for heat, well here it comes

I was complaining of the weather not living to my expectation of heat. I guess I spoke too soon, and oh my it just hit hard. The humidity and hot weather just came flying at me in Morocco. It was quite challenging to stay comfortable in this weather, and I was flying through my garments very very quickly. Luckily I had a stop in Cairo very soon to do the laundry 

They like Egyptians

Till now, my experience with the countries I visited have been very positive with respect to Egyptians. People like Egyptians, and since my dialect gives me away in no time, it is always a talking point. Many look to Egyptians as very friendly people and try to help as much as they can to make my time pleasant. I guess it is nice to be in this position. I guess the only place my accent wasn't giving me away was in Algeria, where people didn't notice it since they were not exposed too much to the media. However, in Algeria the moment I was known to be Egyptian people immediately associated me with Orascom, I guess the huge influx of Egyptians through the major projects on Orascom is quite impressive. Nice to know that there is a success of such a company in a country like Algeria.

Chawerma again

Well my test of Chawerma continues, and it took a different twist here. When it lost the fries, it also lost the whole essence of cooking it on a rotating stick. This was more like a fajita on a sandwich then anything else. Reminded me of how an Egyptain restaurant (or so it claimed) in Waterloo, ON used to cook what they called Chawerma. Occasionally I would find a Chawerma place that cooked it on a stick, and fries jumped back in play and it tasted very differently.

God, Cairo is POLLUTED

Visiting 4 different capital cities in North Africa gets you to terms with how polluted Cairo is. The skies are much clearer and the weather much more pleasant. Although a city like Algiers would be excepted to suffer more from pollution given its topology of mountains. It was not the case, I guess we need to make a larger effort to reduce pollution in Cairo. The more profound pollution in Cairo is the noise. How have we become so loud. I guess the sheer numbers just make living in Cairo a very difficult thing to do

My next stop, Morocco

I had come with several conflicting impressions from friends and family about Morocco. My mother, who visited Morocco many years ago, seemed to picture a nice place. A friend from Canada had visited Morocco, and 1 day into the trip decided to bail and went to Spain instead. She complained it was not exactly clean, and since she lived in Egypt for a couple of years it was hard to imagine what I was to expect. I guess Rabat is a relatively ok city, especially in the main areas of downtown. I was shocked to see so much poverty in underdeveloped areas, and a lot of people were living a difficult life. It was a contrast I was not used to see. Although Cairo has its fair share of a spectrum of living standards, I don’t think it is so contrasting. I guess the sheer volume in Cairo also allows more tolerance to accept this spectrum.

What language is this?

I thought I can manage understanding Arabic in Algeria with my command of Tunisian dialect, I was mistaken. The mixed up language is a blend of Arabic, French, Barbar, Amazeey and many other things I don't know. It was really hard to communicate. Younger people were a little better, since they received Arabic language education. Women were even more, since they watched TV which promoted Egyptian culture and language. The older generation was another story. I had long been impressed with the French presence in Egypt, since it had a remarkable effect on the heritage and discoveries of many treasures. I lost this admiration, and felt the huge effect on wiping the culture and identity of people in Algeria. The older generation only know French, and it was hard to reach out to them

Algiers is a POOR city

Well I stepped into the airport and I was stunned. I was very shabby and poor. Nothing there really, Could this be the airport of the capital of Algeria. This was worse then the old airport in Cairo many years back, and even Addis Ababa had a better airport. On the way back I was promised a better service in the departure terminal, that was not true. Even the duty free was practically empty. I guess this town doesn't cater for many tourist. (I have to add that I was informed later that there is a new terminal that should be active in July 2006, it looked much better from the outside, maybe I can have another visit and check it out)

I had taken the time to walk a little in town the morning after I arrived. The city was not much better than the airport really, very shabby and poor. I was expecting more from this city. I went to the Kasbah market, a popular souk in Algiers, and it was like the popular places in Cairo, but a little less crowded and cleaner. It was surprising though that it was crowded at this time of the day, people are supposed to be working. Actually traffic jams were everywhere, compared to the clear strrets in Cairo between 10am and noon this was surprising. All this seemed to put the fact that everyone on the plane from Tunisia was packed with at least two duty free bags in perspective.

5star hotel, not my style at all

I ended in a five start hotel in Algerias, the Sofitel. It was a nice hotel, and seemed to be a top notch hotel in town. This was definitely not my style, but out of lack of options and information I had to settle for this. I had asked for the help of a friend who frequented Algeirs and this was the option I got. The price was pretty upscale considering the timing of my trip coincided with the motor show. The room was very comfortable and the swimming pool and fitness centre was nice. Although I still retain my backpacker nature, I could do some more of this from time to time.

I was being robbed, and agreed

Well I was standing in the airport waiting for a shuttle pickup, and these guys kept on coming to me asking me if I wanted a taxi or if I needed change. I was in bad need for change, especially that the airport in Algeria didn't have a change bureau like I imagined. I was reluctant to use their service, but eventually did. I guess I felt guilty on what foreigners experience in Egypt with haggling from people all over the place. I was feeling I am being robbed at the exchange rate, and with lack of information the feeling was stronger. I discovered that I had a lousy exchange rate in the end, but agreed to change money none the less.

Where has the heat gone?

Well I left Cairo and it was HOT, and since I was traveling in May-June I expected everywhere I go it would be hot. I didn't even pack sleeved shirts for that matter. I was surprised at the cold spell I was in, it even rained in Tunisia when I was there. I would be more prepared going to next segment of my trip.

The world of policing

I guess I entered the world or police. Police are everywhere in Tunisia. Last time around I was here, the ratio of Police to people was a little more significant given the WSIS. However, they were still very present in the downtown area. Sometimes there presence was very uncomforting. All they need is a newspaper with a hole in the middle and they would be exactly like the mokhber in Egypt :).

Algeria, well if I was uncomfortable in Tunisia, was another story really. Cops and police checkpoints where everywhere. It was disturbing, but I guess the events of the 90s have made them a bit edgy. I also saw police checking cars at the hotel, which was a drill I was used too, but checking under the hood too, that was new. Who in his right mind would put things under the hood.

Extremely intelligent

I walked into Carthaga airport, and saw the sign of internet access, so I popped open my laptop. I was complaining about the internet access at Cairo Airport being free, I guess it wasn't the same in Tunisia. That was more reasonable. However, I surfed into the site (I had to make some intelligent choices as the information was only in French) and came to the part where I have to pay. It gave me three choices, using a Tunisian bank account (didn't have one), using a credit card which I was not planning to do, or buy a prepaid card. I saw the Tunisian post icon on that third choice, so I assumed that is where I should go get it. I went to the post office at the airport and the guys there had no clue what I was talking about. I opened the site and showed the guy the site. He read through it and then started to inquire about this. He came with the conclusion that there is a card but they don't have it at the airport. So how intelligent can that be, you give a service and the people providing it have no clue about it and the card isn't available at the airport where it should be, Very intelligent mind you.

Chawerma with fries

I went for a standard meal, Chawerma, in Tripoli, Tunnisia, and Algeirs. Well I guess in every country it tastes different. I figure I got acquainted to the taste in Egypt and in Canada, which were very similar mind you. However, When has fries been a major part of the sandwich. Fries seem to creep INSIDE the sandwich in Libya, evolve more in Tunisia and become a major component in Algeria. I am wondering would I ask for Chawerma in Morocco and get a sandwich of fries and some chawerma as a side order. I will have to wait on that one.

Leave the main avenue and you are in another world

Well I was based in the city centre in Tunisia. The main avenue, Habib Borgeba which is now called 7 November, is a nice place. However, just leave it and you are in another world. The districts are poor (I might add they are relatively clean) and the streets are very narrow. Quite the contrast to the main avenue. I guess the cost of living is pretty challenging to most in the capital. I learned that there are other parts of town that are more upscale, but never was able to make it there. My unplanned schedule seemed to deter any efforts to really get a move around.

Everything has a price, INFORMATION remains priceless

I guess I discovered the great value of information when I came to Tunisia. Probably my limited interaction with government officials in Libya made Tunisia more striking then what I was used too. Is it because I am not Tunisian, I guess that might be adding too it. The government has too much control of everything, and when I chatted with anyone during my meetings I had the sense there was a preset scenario and everyone was watching what they were saying. Gave me the feeling I am like a CIA agent or something. When I talked to someone he would always direct me to the top guy in the organization, just to make sure he is clear from trouble. Compare this to Egypt where everyone looks for credit to himself, or the more relaxed Canada this was new to me. Mind you I was not asking about confidential information. It would take me about 5mins in the place and I can get most of the information I was asking about. Only the finer details would be missing. Add this to both the cops story and the closed internet, and you have a very uncomforting visit.

Al-Jazeera, it must be a very frightening station

Over the years I had heard about the fear of Al-jazeera in the Middleast, but I never really knew its extent. Now I know. I entered into a space providing internet access to students. It was in the municipality premises, but open to the public. The guy at the desk didn't get a word that I was coming and he was very skeptical. I was trying not to make him uncomfortable, that was very difficult indeed. When I was asking to take photos of the place he totally refused, he said how would I know you are not a reporter for Al-jazeera and that you will put information on the air and it would cause him problems. The guy pointed out to the posters and pictures in the surroundings which all referred to the president and governing party. How would taking photos of a public place be such an issue, and more so why especially Al-jazeera. I guess Al-jazeera has become an icon of open information people don't like to make in these countries. After this incident I am tempted to send this blog to Al-jazeera.