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.
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.
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