Toilet Paper and Traffic

This week there is not a lot of news except the snow that has cripple the country in the mountain regions. The mountain areas of course received much more snow that we did here and many people are without the basic necessities of life. Many deaths have occurred because of roads, harsh conditions, and asphyxiation. Airlifts of food were made to some, but we continue to have employees who can not make work.

But now for some fun thing. I have talked a lot about the markets. Shopping is an experience like no other. I always wondered who would buy food from Amazon.com, well now I know! Toilet paper is amazing. I know why they kiss cheek to cheek here. They do not have toilet paper in most restrooms. Then there is no soap or paper towels to clean with afterward. I would not want to shake hands either! If you find toilet paper (yes you can buy it) it is interesting. It come in 3 basic varieties, too thin, to stiff and not perforated. We choose the not perforated and have become quite adept at tearing paper. Now don't get the wrong idea, there is some ordinary paper but it is not the norm!

Then there is traffic to get to market. There is 2-3 million people who live here in Algiers. There are an equal number of people who drive. Streets are crowded. There are no sidewalks. But the biggest thing is there are NO STOP SIGNS OR TRAFFIC LIGHTS! It is orchestrated chaos! There are no lines on the road so there are no real lanes, they merge and maneuver and appear to cut people off but there is no road rage and they are polite, they use their turn signal before cutting in!!!! Street signs consist of no parking, and they alternate the side to the street you may park on based on the day of the month. Now just imagine your city or town without and traffic controls. Yikes! You would have to see it to believe it. Needless to say I have no desire to drive and will let my feet and motor pool do the rest.

Another week

I realize several weeks have passed and I have not written. I'm sure that means I am settling into some type of routine. Well I am attempting to learn how to navigate the bureaucracy. It is a daily challange. These are the pictures from our mountain trip last week end.

These are a few pictures that I took in the Atlas Mountains above  Blida. They parallel the Mediterranean coast and on the other side is the Sahara Desert. We spent the day exploring with our armed guarded escorts. 



Enjoyed the view from the cable car.

 Strolling through the wood on the mountain. If you look on the right in front you will see one of our local police guards. They carry large guns and escort us everywhere we go. Interesting way to hike!

This was the scene Feb 3, 2012. It had sleeted most of the day before but overnight it turned to snow. It was lovely! This is a path that I walk sometimes on my way to work. The palm trees were all laden with the weight of the snow.