Rock the Casbah
It is only fitting to start this blog off with perhaps the most interesting country I have visited to date. Algeria is a country defined by its revolutionary struggle and fight for independence. Exploring the ruins of the Casbah is like taking a step back in time seeing first hand the scars of their fight for freedom.
Looking out from my window seat at the Algerian landscape on our descent I got flashbacks to my previous trips to Bahrain and Oman. Looking back on it I should have not as been as surprised as I was since geographically these countries are not that far apart and since Algeria is almost entirely contained inside of the Sahara desert. This was my first time visiting Africa and I was excited to say the least. We landed at around 3 in the afternoon and after some friendly chats with the immigration agents we met up with our ride and headed to our Hotel. It was the first day of Ramadan, and as we drove down the main highway, the city was bustling. We passed the Djamaa el Djazaïr, the great mosque of Algiers. At the time, I regretfully cracked a joke, asking why they had a giant elevator shaft erected in the city. The driver, however, was not amused.
We arrived at the Hotel El Djazair in Algiers which actually has some pretty rich history. President Eisenhower used one of the rooms on the first floor as his headquarters for all WW2 Mediterranean operations and even planned Operation Husky in that very room. Nowadays, the Hotel is run by the Algerian government and used to host many international VIP’s and celebrities. It boasted a dilapidated covered pool area, tennis court, and even a basketball hoop, sans net. With it being Ramadan we did not leave the hotel much after work before sunset since most of the city was shut down and restaurants did not open until iftar. We did however most evenings indulge in some Heinekens and kebobs at the hotel bar until the sun went down.
The work days were long and our nights even longer. We quickly realized that during Ramadan at least in Algiers, every night after iftar our hotel would have a party in the garden. My room just so happened to be conveniently located just above the garden area. I awoke the first night at around 2 am ironically to the sound of Estelle’s “American Boy” blasting at maximum volume. This continued for the rest of my stay at the El Djazair and I enjoyed messaging my wife to let her know which iconic American pop hit I woke up to that night.