"Oran: a young dude's perspective" Oran by riad

In Oran:

I get the best electro/tech/house music ... and people who enjoy other genres of music get their "fix" as well.
I get to enjoy beaches that offer the funnest waves, fun and "real" people, hot HOTTT girls, the best tan.
I get the most amazing vibes when I go up to the Santa Cruz mountain
I get amazing vibes when I walk down at the beach front at night
I get amazing authentic food
I get to see people who still have dignity and who remain down to earth in a world that has become so plastiky and superficial
I get FAR less scared walking by myself than when I do in New york, Washington, Paris or Toronto
I get to meet people who have never left their country, but who know more than me about everything that is happening all over!

The monestary at the top of Santa Cruz

Unfortunately, other things are not so reliable, such as:
taxi-drivers (but if you spend just a little, you can hire a driver)
bad service: following a few decades of socialism, everybody, mainly waiters and people in the service sector, take everything for granted
I dont like the movie-theater... but hey, who needs one when you can get all the latest boot-legged movies for a few bucks
I get to queue for a while at gas stations and it irritates me because the country EXPORTS so much of it (euh, 97% of national revenues).
I don't find ATM machines easily (well they're quasi-nonexistent! eurgh!)
I can't really use my credit card, EURGH!
RECKLESS DRIVING! but now this is being seriously reinforced using "modern tac tics" (fines, suspensions of drivers licenses etc.) HEHEHE

Loungin... tipsy!!!

Go to the beach and it is just amazing
Go to Santa Cruz
Go to the Habibas Islands, which is like a 30 minute boat ride away
Go to plenty of amazing sea-food restaurants, as well as these fast food joints that serve food you would never possibly get at a McDonalds or a Subway
Go to this really nice nightclub, L'Atmosphere, in the sheraton hotel, where the vibes are so awesome.. because what makes a nightclub is not just THE PLACE per se but also the people. And the people there KNOW how to party... and they get fairly known European DJs there on a regular now
I get to buy a bunch of nice clothes, CDz, spices, decorations, jewelery etc.
I HANG OUT AT THE CAFE FOR HOURS and it feels like 1980s Italy! And I love that feeling!
THE ABOVE ARE MY FAV. ACTIVITIES... but there's plenty more to do.. such as a bunch of historical sites which I cannot recall at this point.

STILL I believe that, for another few years, if you're a lady or accompanying girls, you are better off going to ALGIERS! Algiers is SERIOUSLY offff the hoooook: everything is perfectly catered to your needs. At all levels it is comparable to cities like Rome, Athens or Madrid. It would be silly to try and deny that Oran remains a pretty patriarchal society for the time being. This is not to say that as a woman, you are oppressed or anything; no no no; you still get deeply respected;

• Pros:down to earth, retro, "real", amazing weather, overall good vibes
• Cons:patriarchy, sometimes dirty, ***ty service
• In a nutshell:Oran is a must if you wanna see what 1980s southern Italy felt like!