First sights of Algeria

The buildings here are encrusted with satellite dishes like ships with barnacles. There is only one state-owned station with one channel so to see anything worthwhile you need a dish. I have better TV here than at home, and I mean US home. I'm watching BBC Prime and ignoring all those books I carried here for an exorbitant heavy-load surcharge.

The streets are crawling with blue-uniformed cops carrying automatic rifles. May 17th was an election and there was a bombing the night before, so they are on alert for trouble. Coming in from the airport we were pulled over at a police barricade where they asked a lot of questions about what cosmetics I was carrying but let us go. Walking around Thursday police repeatedly called out "Bonjour." How friendly I said. No, Don corrected, they want to hear your accent to figure out if you are a danger or not. Internationals are not a problem.

Strict security measures are in place at the embassy's suggestion. I will be allowed to walk around the neighborhood alone in daytime after a while but for now I walk with others or use a driver. Political violence and street crimes are the issue. As in Kampala I don't wear jewelry and I don't use my cell phone on the streets. This invites muggers. Don says he has been hit by guys after his phone twice, but fought them off. I like walking with him and with Delroy, another international consultant, who is 6-foot-5.

Taxis are out. I thought this was for security but it's something here. Here, you don't say to a taxi driver you want to go to such and such place. Instead you have to find a taxi going to the place you want. This can take a while and sometimes lines get very very long. Drivers will just say, no I'm not going there. This may not be as odd as it seems at first glance. In a poor country, putting many people in a car at once is a way to get business with volume. Cabbies figure where the most people want to go and then charge a little from each of them they pack in.