Like
I said earlier, I had been planning to visit Algeria for some time now. I went
to Morocco in 2010 with Lin, to Tunisia alone in 2011 (shortly after the Arab
Spring started) and was supposed to go to Algeria in 2012. I had contacted
Algerian couchsurfers enquiring about the country back then. I didn’t know much
about the country’s history or that it had some fairly recent violent history
but I knew it had some Roman ruins and surely a country neighbouring both
Morocco and Tunisia is beautiful too.
I
do understand that not everyone understood or appreciated why I wanted to go to
Algeria. It’s not on most people’s travel bucket list, it’s hardly ever
featured in any travel documentary if at all and little is known about the
country. Unlike countries in the Balkans or Baltic which are only now receiving
visitors like Kosovo or Albania and Latvia or Lithuania, Algeria still remains
well below the radar. And while I remember the horrors of the 1990s Balkan war,
I don’t think I was aware of the Algerian civil war in the same decade. Even CT
told me that when she informed her mum that she was going to Algeria, her mum
didn’t really react. Like most people, she was probably unaware of Algeria or
mistook it for Nigeria (yes, believe it or not!).
A
colleague told me that he also wondered why I chose to go to Algeria. Why didn’t
I do instead to other well-known and well-visited countries? I looked at him
and said well, because I’d either been there or considered going somewhere
altogether new. You ask me why Algeria and I ask you back why not? Why not get
out of my comfort zone and explore a new country and culture? Why limit myself to
only those countries that most people are familiar with?
Algeria
taught me a few lessons. It reaffirmed my self-belief and my confidence in my
ability that if I want to make something happen, I would make it happen no
matter what other people said. For instance, Nadjib and Imen told me that my
plan was too ambitious, that I did not know the lay of the land, that I would
struggle in a foreign land, I would be too jetlagged to be rushing here and
there, that my itinerary was too packed, I should be realistic. I didn’t ignore
their opinion but I had a Plan B which was to drop off one destination. Sure I
didn’t know the country, the way things work, I can’t speak the local languages
but I know that the public transportation would be reliable and it would have
to be because that’s what the common people rely heavily on. I had great faith
that Allah would help me and He did, Syukur Alhamdulillah. Nadjib and Faisal
discouraged us from visiting Djémila but we were determined and
what do you know, it turned out to be a beautiful experience just like the
name. No, we have no regrets at all and are so glad we went despite the
discouragement.
As with life, what this trip taught me is that you
can do and achieve something if you set your mind to it, if you’re determined
enough and are willing to put effort into realising it. Don’t let others
discourage you. Don’t discount their opinion and advice but don’t let them stop
you from chasing your dreams either. Be prepared to give up something: I wanted
to cover as many places as I could and was willing to sleep on overnight buses
(Algeria is the largest country in Africa and if we travel during the day, we
would spend most of the day on buses. We didn’t have the luxury of time and
there’s no point sitting in buses during the day when we could be out exploring
instead. Luckily CT shared the same sentiment and had no problem roughing it up
too). It turned out that it was possible to cover what we wanted in the amount
of time we had, Alhamdulillah. The trip also reminded me of humility, gratitude
and appreciation. There are still a lot of people who would welcome total
strangers into their home and lives without prejudice. Honestly, I don’t know
if I can do the same but I vow to continue to help as many visitors as I
possibly can.
Algeria is a beautiful country with a rich past.
From Wikipedia, Ancient
Algeria has known many empires and dynasties, including ancient Numidians,
Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Umayyads, Abbasids,
Idrisid, Aghlabid, Rustamid, Fatimids, Zird, Hammadids, Almoravids, Almohads,
Spaniards, Ottomans and the French (thanks, Wikipedia!) so yes, it has a rich
history and the people are exotic. Sure, it’s a country that’s not often
visited but it is waiting for us to discover it.
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