Sitting on the balcony of my 11th floor hotel room on a breezy evening made me feel like I was on top of the world, literally.

The grand El-Aurassi Hotel, probably the best in the whole of Algiers, towers on top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Algiers fishing port. (JP/Pandaya)

From the hotel, you can see hilly Algiers spreading out like a carpet. The Mediterranean Sea seems to unfold so close, a stone's throw beyond the thin bushes and grayish and white buildings.

This hotel, whose splendor is a bit spoiled by its smelly old carpets and rather demure interiors, offers a bird's eye view of the eclectic city. The hills. The winding narrow roads. The traffic. The arid landscape beyond.

From this vantage point, one can see why the French colonists nicknamed Algiers Alger la Blanche, or "Algiers the White", for the sparkling white of its buildings on the hills as seen from the Mediterranean Sea.

The city lies on the slopes of the Sahel Hills, which run parallel to the coast, faces east and north and forms an amphitheater of white buildings that dominate the harbor and the bay.

The people of Algeria, whose roller-coaster history features centuries of wars and colonialism until it gained independence from France in 1962, are proud of the way they harmonize their indigenous culture with that of their former colonial masters. And French is the country's official language, along with Arabic.

The townsfolk love hanging around the streets and in cafes at any time of day.

For non Arab- and French-speaking visitors, communication can be frustrating. Very few people in the street speak English or any other language. The rows after rows of newspapers and magazines on newsstands are in either French or Arabic. The two languages also rule the airwaves. Only pay TV stations have programs in English.

Numerous streets, buildings and places built during the colonial era have retained their French names and their architectural designs are well-maintained. This sight made me think of Indonesia, where most historical buildings have been left in a state of neglect or destroyed to make way for shopping malls.

Algeria, which Indonesians know as the ancestral land of French football hero Zinedine Zidane, boasts some truly good museums and historical places showcasing Algeria's world-famous cultural heritage and historical artifacts in greater Algiers.

One of the best-known icons of Algeria is the 450-year-old Casbah, an Ottoman defensive fortress on a hillside in the old city, which has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. It houses remains of a citadel, mosques and Ottoman-style palace and buildings.

If you are a history enthusiast, you must go to the Army Museum, Bardo Museum, Museum of Popular Arts, National Museum of Antiquities and Traditions. They showcase marvelous artifacts, weaponry and indigenous arts, crafts, leatherwork and costumes.

Despite all the natural beauty and ubiquitous historical relics, few foreign holidaymakers -- especially Westerners -- come to Algeria because of security concerns and the lack of facilities.

Official figures show that in 2006, tourism contributed only US$200 million, a slight increasing from $178 million in 2004. Most visitors are world cultural heritage lovers and Algerians living overseas.

Scaring away tourists are the occasional terrorist attacks that the authorities blame on al-Qaeda in Algeria seeking revenge for the persecution of members of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS).

The FIS was outlawed in early 1992 by the army-backed government, which feared Muslim conservatives would take control of the government, as indicated by their strong gains in the 1992 Algerian National Assembly. The heavy-handed military tactic triggered a decade of civil war between the government and the armed Islamists.

Last year, government buildings were targeted in a series of bombings claimed by the Maghreb branch of al-Qaeda. Today, there is a conspicuous military and police presence at government buildings and in the streets.

A recent convoy of Indonesian diplomats, government officials and artists from Algiers to the eastern city of Constantine was given an armed military and police escort.

Despite the atmosphere of insecurity, Algeria is striving to open itself to the outside world, organizing international conferences and wooing investors. So you can go for a shopping spree at multinational giants such as Carrefour and Yves Rocher. Coca Cola, one of America's best-known capitalist icons, is omnipresent.

Algeria, whose oil exports account for more than 80 percent of its foreign revenue, is currently spending US$20 billion on building infrastructure and facilities to support its ambitious tourism development.

Gorgeous valleys

While Algiers is a good place to see Algeria's cultural and historical treasures, the ancient eastern city of Constantine is rich in both cultural heritage and natural wonders.

The picturesque city of about 600,000 people, the third largest after Algiers and Oran, is dubbed the "city of suspension bridges" thanks to the famous bridges crossing the great river that runs through the city.

Sitting on a plateau 640 meters above sea level, Constantine offers breathtaking scenery. Strolling on the winding roads on the hill peaks and slopes of the valleys, you get a spectacular view of the city and beyond. If you cannot stand the summer heat, you can take the sky train or a bus to explore this unique spot.

The beauty is truly breathtaking and not crowded with visitors. The natural beauty is spoiled only by the stink of urine along the otherwise well-designed and maintained roads along the slopes and in the foot of the hills. No public restrooms are available and people stop anywhere when nature calls.

Constantine, which is 80 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea, is largely green and is well-known as a prosperous diverse agricultural area of Algeria. Founded by Carthaginians in the 3rd century BC, it was the capital and commercial center of Numidia kingdom and continued to play a key role in regional trade for centuries after that.

Historians have it that Constantine had been built in the area that Carthaginians reckoned at the time was extremely difficult for invaders to attack thanks to its high cliffs, massive gorges and fast running river.

The old suspension bridges, along with other infrastructure, were rebuilt in the early 20th century with steel reinforcement to improve access to the city.

Residents are proud to sing the praises of their city as an intellectual and cultural center. They will give you a long list of famous people who have roots in Constantine and became key figures in both Algeria and France.

El Amir Abdelkader Islamic University is probably the best-known among Indonesian Muslim scholars thanks to its exchange programs with Indonesian Islamic colleges.

There are a few decent hotels in town. I stayed at Hotel Cirta, an old hotel that maintains its old-fashioned design. The only elevator can carry no more than three adults or even less if you have a big travel bag. Always stay on guard while in the antique lift, or you may end up traveling up and down because the door is closed and opened by hand -- and be quick.

The room was small by Jakarta standards and the wooden bed creaky. Don't bother to set your alarm because the loud shrill of the large birds who nest above the bird-dropping-tainted window serves as one.

It was only on the last day at the hotel that I became aware that the large jerry can in the bathroom contained water to be used in times of "emergency" because tap water stops flowing at night and doesn't run again until 7 or 8 in the morning.

So don't forget to bring your sense of humor if and when you travel to this beautiful city, where water is truly precious.

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