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Saturday 20 October 2012

Libya


Day 1– 15/10/12
Clearly it is still not normal for western/foreigners to enter Libya overland. Still, our business visas passed muster! There were some questions about our sponsor, so we showed the email from Libya travel with the details and all that passed quickly.
Getting the carnet stamped was another matter. Maybe we should not have bothered. Still, after a bit of a wait it was completed, unfortunately the customs officer took both the entry and exit portion. So we will see what happens on exit.
We had read about the Libyan drivers, but nothing could prepare you for the actual event. There is a divided road, 4 lane highway from the border. That did not stop folks driving on the wrong side! They drive super fast and only need 1 mm to squeeze past a slightly slower vehicle in a passing manoeuvre. That 1 mm includes allowing for the oncoming traffic to break hard and swerve to avoid a fatal crash. Actually, they are probably not as good as  they think they are, as along the road side there were a great number of burnt out wrecks.
We decided to stay at Sabratha for the night. We asked directions from a chap at the side of the road and he brought a fluent English speaker – very broad Irish accent! They shut their shop and jumped in their car to show us the way. Then at the well known Roman site we asked about accommodation.  This chap also hopped into his car to show us the way. He was the curator of the site. The Youth Hostel appeared to be closed. We went to another hotel, but could not find any staff to show us a room, so with the assistance of our guide, we went on to another hotel. Avril checked this out, but it definitely did not pass her scrutiny. So, unfortunately we had to go for the 5 star resort down the road – bugger. The Hotel Tellel Complex was very nice. It cost Dinar 180 for dinner, bed & breakfast. 
The beach looked quite solid and folks a little more adventurous than us could well camp nearby.

Ray driving; 429 km; 10 hrs; N 320 48’ 59.3’’ E 0120 22’ 42.6’’Day 1– 15/10/12

Day  2– 16/10/12
Find a Bank. Roman ruins. After a leisurely breakfast, we filled up the main fuel tank in the car. As promised it was A$ 0.10/l! The manager of the hotel had told us there was an ATM in town. And so there was, in fact a few ATMs and a very nice man went out of his way to guide us (via car) to the various places. Unfortunately, none would accept our credit card. So, we went in search of a bank to change money, but they do not seem to do that in Libya. So, we went searching for a money changer – but no luck. So we gave up and went to visit the Sabratha Roman ruins.
The ruins are very impressive and as the guide book says, the location on the coast adds to the appeal. The theatre is exceptional and the mausoleum notable. Most of the site it yet to be excavated, but there are still a lot of temples, columns, mosaics etc that kept us occupied for a couple of hours.
We then drove to Tripoli, searching for banks along the way. We stopped at a number of banks, but none had operating ATMs or could change money. We (OK, Ray) were starting to worry a little. Then, Amen bank to the rescue. They had a number of operating ATMs and a few vehicles with mobile ATMs. Unfortunately, the machine snapped one of Ray’s cards, but we managed to get it out and withdraw with another card (lesson: you can never have too many cards). We withdrew the money just before the start of the Tripoli ring road, so we avoided the city center and used the ring road all the way to the east of the city. We can accurately report that the city drivers are as bad as the country drivers. Very scary, the speed and overtaking manoeuvres.
We stopped on the way to fill the reserve tank. After filling, Ray had a senior moment and left the key on the pump – and only found out much later. Fortunately, we have a spare (lesson: you can never have too many keys).
Our final stop for the day was the exceptional Leptis Magna ruins. For once the World Heritage stamp meant something. The ruins are vast with much still in place. This was the home town of local boy, Septimius Severus, made good – all the way to Emperor. So, lots had been done to make the city impressive. The Arch of Septimius Severus at the entrance just being a taste of the great ruins: baths, nymphaeum, colonnaded street, forum (old and new), Severan Basilica, more temples, churches, arches, an amphitheatre etc. we wandered around for a few hours – no one else was at the site.
We camped at a clearly marked place to camp, with ordinary facilities near the entrance to the ruins.

Avril driving; 223 km; N 320 37’ 54.2’’ E 0140 17’ 23.6’’

Day 3– 17/10/12
A very long day. The Libyan love affair with octane and cars did not end until the early hours of the morning; hence we had a very poor sleep. We got up early to start our long drive.
The landscape in southern Tunisia and in Libya is quite flat and uninteresting to monotonous. So, the drive is a bit of a task. The Libyan drivers kept us very focussed on the road – driving is akin to a session in a simulator with all sorts of obstacles etc appearing in weird locations. A hard aspect for us was to predict passing distances with the oncoming traffic approaching at + 160 km/hr. The roads are in fairly good nick; however an interesting obstacle is the complex arrangement of single and dual carriage ways. At times we needed to drive on the “wrong” side of the dual carriage way, but it was not clear when this was necessary/appropriate. In general, we just followed the vehicles in front.
There were many road blocks and we were stopped a few times. On one occasion the young militiaman was a bit agro. The local Libyans quickly came to our aid and we passed on quickly.
There is not too much evidence of the war, apart from the large number of armoured vehicles along the road -those at the road blocks presumable as trophies. Some of the others show the impact of an air strike on a vehicle – best not to be in the vehicle we would guess.
We arrived in Benghazi on dusk and with no assistance found our way to the recommended hotel, only to find it was full. They directed us to sister hotel, Juliana Hotel, a couple of hundred meters down the road but it also was full. We asked the chaps at the desk to assist and ring another hotel in town. They started to do this, but did not want us to go into the middle of town, so gave us a suite at a reduced rate, LD 220, still expensive but it was late.
Along the way today we noticed that the rear, right tyre had developed a bubble on the outside. We nursed it to the hotel and after check-in Ray changed the tyre. Still this is very annoying, a new tyre! This is the 2nd time that BFGoodrich tyres have done this on our vehicle. No other tyre has done it.

Ray driving; 882 km; 11 hrs; N 320 05’ 03.5’’ E 0200 02’ 46.1’’

Day 4– 18/10/12
After getting a bit bamboozled by Benghazi traffic, we made our way to Cyrene. Some of the journey was marked green on the Michelin map. There were some small, rolling hills, but maybe the green was out of sympathy as these were only non flat bits we have seen thus far.
Cyrene was originally a Greek city before the Romans took it over. It is a vast site and justly rates a World Heritage stamp. We spent a couple of hours wandering the site – again we were the only tourists on the site. We are a bit “Romaned out”, so probably did not give the site its full due. We did look at the all the ruins mentioned in the guide book, but this site probably needs much more.
From Cyrene we drove to the sea. The drive from Appoloninana/Marsa Susah to Darman along the ocean was wonderful and fully deserved its Michelin green. We had a nice picnic overlooking the ocean. Along the way we needed to ask directions; an English speaker seeing we were asking questions, drove out of his way to check we were alright.
Then we drove to Tobruk, stopping at the Knightsbridge Commonwealth Cemetery to honour the soldiers there.
We stayed at the Al Masira hotel (LD 135) the best in town apparently. Again, we found the place with the help of folks we asked on the road.

Avril driving;   485 km; 9 hrs; N 320 04’ 20.1’’ E 0230 58’ 03.4’’

Day 5– 19/10/12
A disappointing start to the day. When Ray went out to start packing he found that the 2 side doors of the accommodation box had been forced. Fortunately only a torch and 2 (new) BBQ lighters were stolen. Still, this is the 1st time our vehicle had been targeted. AND, we parked beside the security hut to try and be safe.
On the way out of town we visited the Tobruk War Cemetery. This is the main Australian cemetery. It is always sobering to visit a war cemetery and reflect on the sacrifices made and the grief and sorrow of those left behind. Whilst the cemetery is in quite good nick, it was in need of some gardening and there was litter around.
We then drove to the Libyan border. Immigration was competed in less than 60 secs. Getting the Carnet stamped took 60 min! This is probably because they had not seen one before and did not have the stamp at the outgoing border post.

Libya Summary
The Libyans we met were friendly and super generous. They invariably went out of their way to assist us in any way. That said, they are the world’s worst drivers, total maniacs.
We did not feel there were any security issues and we always felt safe. However, we stayed in hotels or secure areas at night and did not wander after dark. This added to the cost. It would have been possible to camp in a number of places, if we had have been assured of the security situation.
Folks in Tunisia had been concerned about the availability of fresh food in Libya, so we had stocked up in advance. This was not needed. There were excellent fruit & veg markets across Libya.
We saw the main tourist sites in the north in the time we had. However, if the reported security situation was not so bad, we would have probably spent a few days more. There are some wonderful beaches and coast. The security situation prevented a trip to the desert in the south. The roads on the route we took were in good condition.
We obtained business visas at Tunis with the assistance of Jill at contact@libyatravelandtours.com. There was a mix up with fax/reference numbers for Avril’s visa. That took a couple of days to sort out. With the correct reference number, it is a straight forward process and takes 1 – 2 hours. Note, the application form needs to be completed in Arabic.
Libya seems to have a proper functioning economy, with civic works underway, clean and well presented shops (including diet coke and beer in some places). Apart from the destroyed armoured vehicles and tanks beside the road, there is little in any evidence of the conflict. After the drivers, litter is a huge problem.

Monday 15 October 2012

Tunisia


Day 1 – 9/10/12
Crossing into Tunisia took a bit of time. We managed to get our visa on entry, but did not realise until later they had only given us 7 days. We had to explain about the carnet to the Tunisia customs people, but they were OK with it and after a bit of time stamped us in. We had to pay €20 for 8 days car insurance.
Then, the real delay started. A film crew was on site to film the customs entrance process and we could not proceed until they had finished. The poor folks in the 2 vehicles in front of us got a real working over; 100% inspection. Fortunately the customs chap who had assisted us got us through without too much fuss.
The pleasant drive continued, though we noticed almost immediately that the road condition was not as good as Algeria and that the volume of rubbish was much greater, which is a pity. It was not like that in the past.

We drove through to Bizerte where we had booked a hotel room for the night. We then made a side trip to Cape Blanc, the most northerly point in Africa. We have been to the most southerly point, Cape Agullus, some time ago. When we were in the west we did not think of this, so will not be able to complete the east – west.

Ray driving; N 370 17’ 42.9’’ E 0090 52’ 18.7’’

Day 2 – 10/10/12
We got up early to try and get to the Libyan embassy in Tunis early. Unfortunately there were bridge works on the way out of Bizerte, with only one lane operating. So we were delayed ~ 20 min.
On the way into Tunis we got stuck in a major traffic situation. There is probably too much traffic for the road system; however the situation does not seem to be helped by the driving habits of the local folks. In order to maintain optionality, drivers try to occupy as many lanes as possible. To a large degree this is done by sitting in on a lane marker. To counter this, other people form additional lanes. So, if the “freeway” has 3 lanes they will try and make 5 lanes, squeezing in between other vehicles. Then, there are the lane changers, like flies trying to move in and out of any space, or perceived space in order to get one car further advanced. Then, Avril’s biggest hate; those who use an exit lane or such to get to the front of a line and then make their way into the traffic flow. The police assist the traffic confusion/congestion by ignoring the engineered traffic signals and deciding to direct against red lights etc. The police do not seem to have much of an impact, as drivers will turn against their hand signals and just wave as they break the law.
With some sense of irony or maybe just plain sarcasm, the GPS asked; “do you want to swap to pedestrian mode”.
We managed to get to the Libyan embassy. Unlike in previous times we have visited Tunis, there is a lot of army around the streets in Tunis. We asked the soldiers in front of the British Council if we could park there and they let us – which was very helpful.
Access to the Libyan embassy is via 3 steps to a barred window. In front of the steps there was a reasonably large crowd, and in African style, queuing is not a natural instinct. However, Avril soon had them sorted out. When we got to the window - it turned out that Ray’s visa was waiting, but not Avril’s. Bugger. So, after some liaison with the folks in Tripoli who organised the visas (US$400 per person plus 45 dinars each!!), we decided to get Ray’s and they would work on Avril’s overnight. More queuing to get to ask for Ray’s visa. Then it took some time to get the folks in the embassy to understand that we only wanted Ray’s visa. After completing the form in English and handing it in, we were told it had to be in Arabic!  A helpful chap, also queuing, completed the form in Arabic for us. Then, we queued again to hand the form in. Finally + 4 hours later, much of it in the sun, Ray had his visa. In addition we had made some new friends and Avril had at least got some African people to understand that when western people are about, queuing should be practiced!!

We the managed to find our way to the Kasbah to meet up with Steve (our nephew) and his family. Virginie is undertaking research in Tunis for her PhD. We had a nice lunch and went to have a look at where they are staying. They have 2 children – Nina (5) and Eliot (7 months) who are both very cute and well-behaved ( their parents and grandparents will be reading this!!).
Then we found our way to Sidi Bou Said. Mike & Caroline Rees (head of the local BG operations) had kindly asked us to stay. They have a marvellous house with pool etc. We had a very pleasant evening chatting over a delicious dinner and a few beers. Thanks.

Avril driving; N 360 52’ 12.4’’ E 0100 20’ 74.7’’

Day 3 – 11/10/12
After a good sleep in and practising patience, we got word from the agency in Tripoli that Avril’s visa should be available at the Libyan Embassy. Apparently the Tripoli agency had sent us an incorrect reference/fax number. So, we quickly grabbed a taxi and arranged for Steve (nephew) to join us there and translate our visa application into Arabic. Unfortunately we got there a tad late. The folks at the window were very apologetic, but the visa section closed an hour earlier this day.
We went back to Steve’s place for a bit to eat and then a visit to a shopping centre with his family and also to buy Nina a belated birthday present. It is always wonderful to spend time with family.

Day 4 – 12/10/12
We got an early lift into the city with Mike (who is always early to work!) and then on to the embassy. We wanted to be 1st in line to avoid queuing and hence miss the time bell again -  we managed to achieve that KPI. Again, the folks in the window were helpful. When it looked like the visa section could not find Avril’s fax, the chap from the window grabbed her passport and went upstairs to search for it himself. The fax was there and some comparatively short time later we had Avril’s visa.
We offered the window man some cash as a thankyou, but he rejected this.
We then spent the rest of the day catching up on chores, emails etc.

Day 5 – 13/10/12
 A very lazy day. We caught up with Steve, Virginie, Nina & Eliot for the afternoon. In the evening we went to a very nice restaurant with Mike & Caroline and their “other” guests, Fiona and Ben.  With the menu, wine list and fashions, you would not have thought we were in a Muslim country.

Day 6 – 14/10/12
Mike got up to make us breakfast and then we were on our way. He had kindly arranged for us to stay at the BG village near Sfax. We were lucky to catch up with Paul Bartlett, a work colleague of Ray’s from days past.
We drove into Sfax for a quick look see, actually to find the Carrefour supermarket. The fruit & veg were not the best! We then had dinner (and a few beers) with Paul and some of his workmates in the dining-room, while watching English soccer and rugby!

Avril driving; 449 km; 5 hrs; N 340 40’ 49.8’’ E 0100 38’ 52.2’’

Day 7– 15/10/12
We got up very early and made the border in ~ 5 hours; 315 km. The road post Sfax is tar, but has seen better days.
Ben Guerdane, the town nearest the border has a real wild west feel. Black- market fuel is openly on sale (from Libya where is costs $ 0.10/l), there were people on the road waving wads of money (we changed the last of our Tunisia Dinars and some UK £), the stalls along the road had a very temporary look about them etc.
The exit from Tunisia was completed without any real delay. Customs wanted to know about our declaration for camera, computer, but we were not required to fill one in on entry.

Tunisia Summary
We were very fortunate to stay with Mike and Caroline, many thanks. It was also great to catch up with family.
We had travelled around Tunisia in the past, so really did not feel the need to revisit sights etc.
Chatting to folks seemed to reveal that the revolution is still a work in progress. We were disappointed to see the level of litter - this is a downward step for the country. Still, Tunisia remains a very low hassle country and super easy to travel around.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Algeria


Day 1 – 28/9/12
After a very smooth Mediterranean crossing we arrived in Oran either on time at 07:00 or 1 hour later at 08:00. We were thoroughly confused by the time zone and much to Avril’s chagrin, got up an hour early. Turns out it is the same as UK summer time.
Algerian immigration was completed very quickly at the vehicle on the docks. One of the Immigration officials took us into his care and got everything done poste haste. Customs took a bit longer. We may well have been the 1st Australian registered vehicle to enter Algeria/Oran in a long time. Also, they normally deal with the French style “Carte Griese” (?). We have a Carnet de Passage and this took some time to work through the various officials. The good news is that everyone was trying to be helpful and they were all friendly: apologising for the delay as they got the paperwork in order. All in all the whole process was less than 2 hours, so well below our longest wait.

Given all the security and other warnings about Algeria, we decided to be very cautious and organised a guide to accompany us all the way. Our guide, Safia was in the customs hall ensuring that there were no problems. We then checked into the Sheraton hotel (points!) and set out on a city tour. The views from the mountain overlooking the city were spectacular. We saw the main civil and religious buildings and passed by the WWII Operation Torch landing areas. We had delicious paella for lunch – the chef said it was due to the fresh fish. This area had been occupied by Spain for some time a few hundred years ago and they have kept the paella tradition alive.

In the departure hall at Alicante, Ray had been chatting to an Algerian chap, who then assisted us in filling in the paperwork and chatting to immigration in Oran etc. Kadia was a resistance fighter during the fight for independence and proudly showed us a newspaper article written about him. He invited us to his home for tea and we were delighted to go there in the afternoon. His daughter had prepared some lovely sweets to go with tea. Interestingly his son- in-law is the instructor for the pilot instructors in the Algerian airforce. But his passion is to somehow organise a team of pilots and planes to fight major bush fires around the globe.

Sheraton Hotel: N 490 52’ 55.2’’ E 0040 46’ 32.1’’

Day 2 – 29/9/12
After a casual start to the day we headed to Tipasa. We elected to take the coastal route and it was a great decision. We had a very good drive along some amazing coastal scenery. The road hugs the coast and we were fortunate with the weather and had a brilliant, deep azure/turquoise Mediterranean Sea on our left all the way. The mountains come to the sea in the latter part of the drive and the road is very reminiscent of the Great Ocean Road (without the 12 Apostles) but much longer.
There were many security checks along the way, but we were only stopped twice. And, the officer apologised for delaying us – very courteous.
Saturday seemed to be wedding day. We passed or were intermingled with a number of weddings along the way. The public part of the event consisted of a convoy of cars, the lead car elaborately decorated. Follow-on cars make as much noise as possible and delay any through traffic!
Did we mention, diesel is ~ A$ 0.15/l. Dinner was some lovely, fresh, BBQ fish.

Ray driving; 354 km; 9 hrs; Hotel Torquoise (€ 50 and was pleasant and clean). N 360 35’ 33.2’’ E 0020 27’ 01.8’’. Today marked our last day of the trip in the west. From now on we should be east of Greenwich.

Day 3 – 30/9/12
In the morning we had a look at the Tipasa Roman ruins. They are well sited on the coast. There is still a lot of excavation to be carried out. Entrance was only $ 0.40, so it is hard to see how they can maintain the site. We drove along the coast, visiting the tomb of Juba II & Cleopatra (daughter of Mark Anthony &  Cleopatra I) on the way to Algiers.
We booked into the Sheraton (points again) and went into central Algiers and looked at the Kasbah.  In the past this was partially destroyed by the French and what is left has not yet been renovated. A couple of palaces/riads have been restored and they are quite stunning.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the catholic Basilica which has recently been renovated.

Avril driving; 62 km; 2 hrs; N 360 45’ 45.2’’ E 0020 52’ 30.7’’

Day 4 – 1/10/12
Our guide got stuck in the terrible traffic, so we go a latish start. Algiers seems to have a reasonable freeway system, but now, it seems that the volume of traffic in peak times is way too much. We stopped off for breakfast at a fuel station and the kind folks changed the TV station to English. Again, very courteous.
We headed out of Algiers on a newish, well designed and built 6- lane freeway. This took us through a fertile valley that appeared to be a fold in the Altas Mountains, to Bouria. We then headed south over the mountain foothills, through a wheat-growing area and into an arid region. Our objective for the day was Bou Saada. Along the way we made a detour to visit Beni Hamaad, the site of the capital of a 10th century dynasty capital city. Unfortunately all that remains today is some columns and the minaret of the mosque (apparently the Moors and Marrakech based their minarets on this one).
Overnight was at Hotel Kerdada (€ 41)

Ray driving; 433 km; 8 hrs; N 350 12’ 39.8’’ E 0040 11’ 01.8’’

Day 5 – 2/10/12
In the morning we were greeted by a number of policemen.  As events transpired, we travelled in convoy (just for us) and had a police escort all day. It was well organised and when we exited a district, the new district police were waiting for us.
In the morning, we had a quick tour of Bou Saada including the Ferrero mills (unfortunately there is very little remaining) and the museum of the French artist Nasreddine Dinet (he was based in this town). We left town with sirens wailing and the road cleared for us.
On the way to Ghardaia we visited the Zaouia El Hamel. Apparently over 70% of Algeria’s clerics are trained at this mosque/college. They can get students to memorise the Koran in less than 9 months!
We also visited the Zaccar Neolithic (?) rock art site.

We arrived in Ghardaia late in the day and in need of a bit of rest. We stayed at a traditional house, the “Hotel” Enteg (€ 30)

Avril driving; 447 km; 12.5 hrs; N 320 27’ 39.8’’ E 0030 41’ 11.0’’

Day 6 – 3/10/12
We spent the day in the M’Zat valley. The community there is based on 5 walled/fortified towns. We visited the oldest, El Ateuf. The towns are built on hills, with the mosque at the highest point and the rest of the complex cascading downhill from there. The effect is rather like a mini Kasbah/Medina, with houses built together in a complex set of streets. In order to preserve privacy, one door in not allowed to be opposite another door. To all accounts they have preserved their traditional social structure with the elders making decisions etc. In addition, through a system of giving, the poor are looked after by the community. 

The folks here are renowned for being very conservative. The women wear white; a flowing under dress and a long head scarf/veil that extend to ~ their knees. They close the front of the head dress. Married women only show one eye through a small triangle in the scarf. The unmarried women can show all their face.
The blokes wear pants like the Thai fishermen pants, but with pleats.
In the afternoon we visited the irrigation/water distribution system which is based on a system of tunnels. One’s water allocation is based on the number of date trees in one’s garden.

Day 7 – 4/10/12
Again we had a police escort the whole way. And, again, the changes between police areas were basically seamless. We spent the day driving to El Oued via Ouargla and Touggourt. The drive is through typically Saharan landscape. Initially we drove through a windswept stony plain. South of El Oued the landscape changed to an erg, but without big dunes. There are a couple of impressive dune sets outside El Oued. Unfortunately a local business has decided to commercialise the area and “beautify” the dunes by adding statues of gazelles on the dune tops. But really, the scenery was not spectacular; rather we got a small idea of the vast, immenseness of the Sahara.
We attempted to have a picnic with our police escort outside Ouargla, near a palm grove. Unfortunately the flies were in plague proportions. Apparently this is due to the dates being ready to harvest. We have noticed since we left the north that the flies have been very bad. Anyway, the picnic was not all that pleasant and we will think of this when complaining about Australian flies in the future.
At El Oud we visited the Zouaia Tidjania. Algeria has started to collect and catalogue its old Koranic books and they are stored here. The dome of the mosque is UNESCO listed, more for its double skin construction than the painting . We spent some time in the mosque listening to some very restful chanting of Koran verses. The school has an academic bent and is trying to ensure a moderate version of Islam is propagated and that non-Muslims understand the non-violent and non-discriminatory nature of Islam.

The temperature, even as the northern hemisphere goes into autumn was hot. It peaked in the high 30s. The fridge in the cab comes in particularly useful at time such as these.

Our hotel, Hotel Souf (€ 40) was interesting. It was built in the socialist style and you could recognise the same design as in Vietnam. More interesting though, were the young ladies in very revealing modern dress. MMmmm.

Ray driving; 477 km; 4 hrs; N 330 21’ 36.9’’ E 0060 51’ 44.4’’

Day 8 – 5/10/12
We started the day visiting one of the palmeries in El Oued. With our police escort we get to run all the red lights and take priority through roundabouts and road blocks! We then drove to Batna. Initially the road is in the desert and at Mendi, along the way, there are salt lakes. The salt is mined and apparently the lakes get and retain sufficient water in winter to act as a stop on the bird migration route from Europe.
We stopped off at a petrol station for a convenience break and Ray went to the cafeteria to get a baguette. The folks there would not accept money for the bread, quite generous.
With the consent of our escort we drove through the middle of the Massif de L’Aures, instead of taking the main road. The route is green on the Michelin map and worth the acclamation. The scenery was superb, with a broad valley cut in the middle by a deep gorge. This was most spectacular at Rhoufi. The gorge has sheer sides here, the bottom is covered with palms and half way up the cliff face there are deserted houses.

We arrived early at Batna. Our guide was quite sick so after we checked into the Hotel Hazem (€ 71, including dinner) we went for a walk around the local area. Icecream for Avril and some fruit.

Avril driving; 383 km; 7 hrs; N 350 33’ 22.9’’ E 0060 10’ 44.0’’

Day 9 – 6/10/12
A Roman day. Again our police escort was on time and at 08:00 we set off for the Timgad ruins. On the outskirts of Batna you pass by the ruins of Lambaesis, the Roman military camp. Timgad is an extensive site. It has all the typical characteristics of a Roman town, however not many of the great structures have survived. Ray found the “sweet spot” in the theatre (not hard as it was marked) and we found the “advertising” on the market stalls interesting (the 1st time we have seen this?).
Next we drove to the Royal Mausoleum of the (a) Numidian: Medracen. This massive structure, a cylinder surmounted by a cone, was the model for Cleopatra & Juba’s tomb near Tipassa.
Our final stop for the day were the impressive Roman ruins at Djemila. Though smaller than Timgad, a lot more of the site is intact and includes a long road colonnade, temple, baths, victory gate etc.
The museum on the site has an incredible collection of mosaics. Our resident mosaic critic/connoisseur (Avril), thinks they may be better than those in the Bardot Museum in Tunisia, the benchmark up to this point. But she will double check when we visit Tunis in a few days! We were again surprised at the very low level of the entry fee, $ 0.40, to get into the sites.

The scenery along the way made the drive very interesting. We travelled along/through large hills, with some long vistas from the high points. This area has been known for its wheat since Roman times and the farmers were out busily preparing for their winter crops.

We finally drove to the very busy town of Setif. The original hotel that had been booked did not have secure parking, so our guide decided to change to one that did. With our police escort, it was a simple matter to get there! Hotel Hidhab (€ 55. The most expensive hotel so far and a little worse for wear and a bit dirty). We walked into town for a nice dinner at a kebab cafĂ©.

Ray driving; 285 km; 4 hrs; N 360 11’ 37.1’’ E 0050 24’ 31.8’’

Day 10 – 7/10/12
Museums. We began the day with a walk to the Setif Museum. The main attraction is the mosaic of the legend of Bacchus. Suffice to say, our resident mosaic critic/connoisseur says this is the best she has seen. It is truly extraordinary, with very small pieces and the different colours and shades making it more like a painting. There was an interesting collection of Roman artefacts. The resident manager showed us around and a couple of students, keen to practice their English, assisted.
We then took the freeway to Constantine, the 3rd largest city in Algeria. The river Rhumel makes a very deep gash through the hills here and in the past the city has made use of this in its defence. The deep chasm means the city relies on bridges and we saw most of them; from the remains of the Roman bridge (built on older constructions) to the modern French- built. We visited the spectacular Emir Abelkader Mosque, opened in 1992 and then the local museum, which again had an enviable collection of Roman artefacts.

Our local police escort did well to guide us through the complex local streets and Avril did a marvellous job not hitting anything in the ancient, narrow streets. To thank the police, we had a bite of lunch with them.
We then drove to  Annaba, on the sea. The El Mouna Hotel (€ 40)

Avril driving; 286 km; 9 hrs; N 360 55’ 10.4’’ E 0070 45’ 49.3’’

Day 11 – 8/10/12
A restful day. We visited the local museum, with the now familiar mosaics and collection of Roman remains and the adjacent ruins of Hippo Regis. The “highlight” here is St Augustine’s Basilica. St Augustine was a local lad who learnt his philosophy and theology here before becoming a preacher and proceeding to higher things in Rome. We went for a drive through the hills surrounding Annaba, with great views of the cost and surrounding area.
We then had a lazy afternoon.

Day 12 – 9/10/12
We set off at 08:00 with our police escort for the Tunisian border. Again, the drive along the north highway was very pleasant, with hills and some fantastic seascapes.
We reached the border after 2 hours and crossed into Tunisia with a minimum of fuss.

Algeria Summary
We found the Algerians to be unfailingly courteous, considerate and generous. Quite often people would shout a greeting as we drove through towns etc. There also seems to be a good smattering of English spoken throughout the country. The police would always try to chat and folks in the street, shops etc would have a quick natter.
After pleasantries are exchanged and we have a bit of a chat, talk would often turns to the West’s view of Islam. Overwhelmingly there is a sense of frustration (definitely not anger) at what they perceive is the West’s (unfortunately, read USA)  inability to understand what they believe is the true nature of Islam.

As mentioned, we decided to take a local guide. This seems to be essential  i.e. independent overland travel (with your own vehicle) would be difficult without a guide. Our route needed to be communicated with the police and where deemed appropriate, by the police, an escort was arranged.
Currently there are no campgrounds in Algeria so we were “forced” to stay in hotels. If we had have asked or planned in advance, it may have been possible to camp in the grounds of one or two of the hotels. Given the police escort and the reported security situation, bush camping does not seem to be an option in the areas we travelled to. All this meant that Algeria is an expensive place for Overlanders.
At no point did we feel threatened or was there a security or safety issue. This could have been due to the police escort, but we did not feel any issues when walking around cities at night.
A big thanks to the Algerian police. Travelling in convoy could have been tedious and painful. However, the police were super helpful and flexible, adjusting their arrangements to suit any change in our plans. We never had to wait for them to arrive at a change-over point etc. 
The roads generally are in good condition, however there is a large volume of traffic which can make going slow. Also, Algeria must take 1st prize for the number of traffic bumps.

The big negative, as with the rest of Africa, is the rubbish left everywhere.
We hope to return and visit the desert areas in the south of Algeria. These are still considered too risky for independent overlander travel