North Africa ‘Plus’ Travel Diary

2011

 

Today was a big day for travelling.  First we had to drive the 270 kilometres from Sfax to Tunis, and then we had the 626 kilometre flight from Tunis to Algiers.  In between these two long journeys, we had a great time meeting with Li Po Chun UWC’s pioneer student from Tunisia, Maroua.

We left Sfax shortly before 8 am, and because the road - an expressway with tolls costing just a couple of dollars - was so good, we managed to reach the main railway station in Tunis at about 10:45am.  Upon reaching the station, we met Maroua and her father, and we proceeded to the old section of Tunis (the ‘medina’.

It was great meeting with Maroua (and learning about her progress doing her EE, ToK essay, World Lit assignment, and so on), and it was also wonderful to meet with her father, Mourad.  Mourad was a journalist, and as we walked towards the medina along Avenue de France, the told us about the revolution that had taken place in that same street half a year previously, a revolution that he had covered from that same location.  Although everything was now clearly calm and orderly in Tunis, there was a still a military presence at one roundabout on Avenue de France, with armed soldiers and camouflaged vehicles surrounded by very sharp, very shiny barbed wire.

It was unfortunate that we had so little time to explore the medina in Tunis.  We entered the medina from the Place de la Victoire through the Bab Bhar, and walked along Rue Jemaa Zaytounaa, a narrow laneway lined with shops, until we reached the Zaytouna (or Great) Mosque.

The mosque has a long history in the Islamic world, dating from 734 AD, and it represented an oasis of calm compared with the crowded, bustling souks outside.  As non-Muslims, we were only allowed to enter as far as the courtyard, but this still gave us a deep appreciation of the building and its grandeur.

There was, of course, much more to explore in the medina, but it was already time to head back to the car and drive to the airport if we were to catch our flight to Algiers.  Maroua and her father kindly accompanied us to the airport, where we returned the rental car and checked in for our flight, noting that at both the Tunisair check-in counter and the Avis desk, we were treated with (how do I express this nicely?) a maximum of cheerful friendliness but a somewhat lower level of efficiency.

Our flight with Tunisair was running late, and as our departure gate had been changed at the last minute, I can only presume there was an issue with the aircraft originally allocated to operate the flight that required a different plane to be substituted.  Our Airbus A320 was clearly a very early model.  I checked, and found that the plane (TS-IMB) was delivered in 1990, making it the oldest aircraft in Tunisair’s fleet, and it showed, being long overdue for some cosmetic (and perhaps other) maintenance.  We arrived safely, but I would rate the flight generously as barely a 2-star experience (on a scale of 5).

Algiers Airport was a surprisingly large and modern facility, and after collecting our luggage, we were met by Badjou, who will be our “driver cum guide” for much of our time in Algeria.  It is a requirement that foreigners travelling in Algeria be accompanied by a local person, and Badjou is that person for Tim and my travels.

We arrived at our hotel in central Algiers at about 5:45 pm, having negotiated the city’s afternoon rush hour bustle.  The architecture of central Algiers reflects Algeria’s French colonial history, and our hotel (the Hôtel Albert 1) is an example of this.  Although labelled as a top-range hotel, it is sadly deteriorating and desperately needs some work done in the painting and plumbing departments.  The Lonely Planet Guide to Algeria describes the hotel in these words: “rooms are worn, water is erratic and street noise can be bad, even late at night, but this is still one of the most interesting places to stay in town.”  I agree with this assessment, to which I would add that the internet is even more erratic than the water.  Nonetheless, the superb view from our tiny balcony across the Place de la Grande Poste and the Jardin de l’horloge  more than compensated for any inconvenience and the lack of maintenance, and I am really looking forward to starting our Algerian explorations from this beautiful landmark.

Day 10 - Sfax Tunisia to Algiers Algeria

Wednesday

22 June 2011

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