Hotel les Zianides Tlemcen

Algeria seems untouched by the mass tourism which has overrun parts of Morocco, Tunisia and other countries around the Med. My main question remains as to whether the country is safe for Americans. I don't allow terrorism to deter me from my travels but any insight is appreciated.

... hindered by one small problem...I tore my ACL my 1st friggin day in Chamonix, France :( real bummer! This almost brought the journey to a screeching halt? Yet I decided no small ligament in my knee was going to stop the adventure! So I held up in a Swiss Chalet for a bit and then gimped back on down to Italy for a few MRI's, xray's etc... docs said surgery is needed but can wait a while... so onward Gretta and I go! Diagonally northwest up through ...

... sink and crumbs on our beds and nut shells under the beds. We got to have our first experience in a public shower house that a lot of Moroccans use. I was the only girl in sight so I got a towel put over my door so no men could look through. We bought our really expensive ferry tickets to Spain´s mainland here (over 60 Euro each one way) and just wandered. The whole city is built on a huge lagoon and the locals wander down by it in the evening.

... on a beach in your 2 piece and being watched by men that carry automatic weapons. The lonely planet mentioned the vast beautiful beaches but neglected to mention the GUNS. The Algerian Border is around 40 kms away and I imagine they are looking for illegal immigrants. Morocco and Algeria are not the greatest of buddies and the fully manned military posts makes that apparent. As you continue your drive ...

... towns. There again I was surprised to see the diversity of beautiful places. When this country opens fully to tourism, I will return. And, the well-known muslim hospitality is definitely to be found in this region. The proximity with Morocco and Spain also made this part of Algeria a little bit more "liberal", although the religious precepts are still not to be questionned. As in many countries, the poverty and lack of ...

... After a clear hot day the night was cold and Yoong had to wrap the table-cloth around herself. We got back well after midnight and had to wake up the hotel manager to let us in. He hadn't joined the rest of the town at the kasbah. Before the show tonight a tout succeeded in getting us into his shop, which, of course, he called a "factory". At first it was just "shop with your eyeses (sic)" but soon became a ...

... Yoong's coffee at Martil. (The waiter kindly replaced it.) I'm getting clumsier than ever. We have running water in our room - V whether we want it or not. It can't be turned off! At least it's a small silent stream rather than a dripping tap. I pointed it out to the hotel manager when I first saw the room his answer was "No problem." And it really isn't. He also showed me two identical bathrooms ...

... where all the action is, but we settled on Hotel Ibisa, across the road from where I left Yoong as it is more convenient to the bus station and very cheap. We negotiated 150 DH for three nights, including our first hot shower. You couldn't get one night anywhere in France or Spain for that price. We walked all over the old town, full of beautiful blue and white buildings, all very photogenic. It's a pity we don't have a camera. There are crowds of people, especially ...