NO PARKING!

I had yet to see a “No Parking” sign in Cairo. Cars parked on both sides of a narrow street, cars parked on the pavements, cars double parked or at times even “triple parked” are a common sight here. I thought that the city of Cairo had never heard of “no-parking” areas. So, the incident that took place last week took me by surprise.

I was visiting the Al-Kotob bookstore on the El Lasilky road in New Maadi. Once I had alighted from the car in front of the bookstore, my driver kept waiting there on the curb, thinking that I would be back soon. Soon a traffic policeman approached him and asked for his license. He said that he was sorry and would go away but the police insisted on “seeing” his license. When my driver took it out to show him, the policeman just took it from his hand and walked away. My driver approached him with LE 10 in his hand to get back the license but the policeman just shook his head and said “No… don’t make me angry”, implying that he was not happy with the tenner that my driver was offering. The policeman quoted LE 30 for giving back the license. After much haggling and bargaining, the matter was settled at LE 25. The money would be split between the three traffic policemen on duty at that place! Nothing to go the government’s coffers!


This is a nice way to extract money from the unsuspecting souls-the no parking signs on the Lasilky road are put up so unobtrusively so as not to be visible at all, thereby luring cars to be parked there. Two sign are put up in front of a building housing a bank, giving the impression that the no parking regulation is specific to that building; and another is put up between trees, so as to be almost invisible!

According the new traffic law passed by the Egyptian government in August of this year, parking in no-parking zones is punishable with your license being revoked for a period of not less than 30 days. For more on the new traffic rukes, check out this link. The new stringent traffic rules may not have resulted in better traffic discipline and more money in the government’s coffers but has definitely increased the earnings of the traffic police. According to my driver, before the new traffic law came into force, the matter would have easily settled at LE 10 but the stiff fines and the prison sentences under the new law has also seen an upswing in the money extorted by the traffic police.

Cairo Tower

My visit to the Cairo tower turned out to be very disappointing, maybe because I had been looking forward to it for a long time-since the time I arrived in Cairo a year back. But the tower had been closed for renovations. The 187 m high tower with its lotus flower design seemed to beckon me every time I passed it.

The Cairo Tower has been the subject of controversy, mainly with respect to the source of funds for its construction. According to one theory, the tower is said to have been built with American hush money given to the then Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser to bring him over to the side of capitalist America. Outraged that the Amercicans thought that he could be bought, he decided to funnel the money into building the Cairo Tower as a symbol to the Americans’ “monumental folly”. Also, this tower has been the favourite spot for suicide, including that of a German student who leapt to his death from the tower in 1998, to prove his Pharonic belief that the dead are resurrected. Read http://www.dailystaregypt.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ArticleID=2666 and http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/881/special.htm

In its newly-renovated avatar, the entrance fees are a steep LE 65 (foreigners) to go to the top of the tower and obviously raises expectations. I have visited the Berlin tower and expected something like it. A glass covered viewing station, model maps put up around the viewing station to serve as a guide to what you are looking over and powerful telescopes to give you a closer look…..

But what I found is the following…

A viewing station that is not covered-has only a railing running around it. It can be dangerous and also gets very cold and windy. No guidelines to tell you what landmark/ monument you are looking over. A couple of telescopes have been placed for better viewing but beware! I inserted the requisite two LE 1 coins and following the instructions, pressed the button and peered into the telescope but my eyes were met with only darkness. I made a couple of more jabs at the button but no luck. I tried to get my money back by hitting the telescope but the non-functioning telescope coughed up 1 LE only! My other coin was lost forever. So try the telescope at your own risk!

A single lift takes you up to the viewing station. The lift can hold only 7-8 people at a time-the wait can be long if many people are visiting. The waiting area outside the viewing level for the lift is small and gets very crowded with people jostling for space and trying to elbow their way to the front of the line. If you want to take a break from the viewing station, there is the coffee shop one level below or the restaurant “360 degrees” where you can have a meal while enjoying the view of the Cairo city.

However, there is no denying that the view is fabulous, encapsulating the city of Cairo, as it were. The mosques, the skyscrapers, the twinkling lights of the plush hotels, the green open spaces, are all laid out in front of your eyes. The River Nile, snaking its way towards the Mediterranean sea, seems to almost divide the city into two. Visiting at twilight lends a surreal charm to the view with the pyramids in the distance silhouetted against the setting sun, the lights coming on in the dark grey and brown buildings characterstic of the Cairo city and of course, the River Nile flowing placidly. For the view, you could definitely give it a try!

INDIAN RESTUARANTS IN SHARM-EL-SHEIKH

Sharm el sheikh, a Red sea resort town, on the list of the global party hoppers has some of the best Indian vegetarian food in Egypt. Unbelievable but true!

I ate at three Indian restaurants there and saw another two, which I could not try out. “Tandoori” on King of Bahrain Street and close to the PaschaSharm discotheque is an award winning restaurant. It is located in the courtyard of the Camel Hotel and the dining is al fresco with an open kitchen. Though I did not much care for the vegetarian food, my dining companions were very happy with the chicken curry that they had ordered. The quality of cottage cheese (known as “paneer” in India) is my yardstick for the quality of food at a restaurant and “Tandoori” was a huge disappointment in this respect. The paneer was like rubber and very hard to chew. Also the potato in the “aloo paratha” had gone stale.

“Rangoli”, the Indian restaurant at the Sofitel Hotel in Na’ama Bay is a posh restaurant with a lovely terrace seating. Here, the cottage cheese preparation is good. The mixed pakoras that we had ordered as starters is tasty too. The methi paratha (bread stuffed with fenugreek leaves) is absolutely divine. The vegetable biryani is mildly spiced and fragrant. They insist on advance reservations, especially if you want to enjoy your dinner on the terrace overlooking the Red Sea. However, the evening we dined at Rangoli, many tables were vacant. The maitre d’hotel was very helpful in guiding us as to the quantity that would be sufficient for our group. Considering that this Indian restaurant is part of the Sofitel Hotel, the prices are reasonable.

The restaurant that I liked the best is “India House” opposite the Buddha Bar. Managed by the same people who run the “Dragon House” in Maadi, Cairo, it has the best Indian vegetarian food that I have eaten in Egypt. The dal fry is so good that I could not have enough of it. The butter nan and the butter rotis are baked just right. My friends, who tried the fish curry loved it as they did the chicken masala. And I was really pleased with the butter paneer masala. Pieces of soft cottage cheese dunked in tomato-onion gravy. Yummm….delicious!

Saw a couple of other Indian restaurants like “Taj Mahal” and “Maharaja”. However, the drawback is that all these restaurants are closed for lunch and open only at around 6.30 p.m in the evening. Therefore, this limits the number of restaurants that one can try out during your stay.

ROAD FROM CAIRO TO SHARM

The distance between Cairo to Sharm is approximately 520 km. The road is fairly simple.

From Cairo, you first need to get onto to Suez road. You can approach the Suez road, either through Maadi /Katameya road or through Nasr City. Once you get onto the Suez road and reach the entrance to the Suez protectorate, take a U-turn to reach the Ahmed Hanafi Tunnel, which snakes under the Suez Canal, connecting the town of Suez to the Sinai peninsula-in a way connecting the African mainland to Asia.

On exiting the tunnel, keep to the right and get onto the Cairo Sharm highway. There is a signpost here to guide you. Then it is a fairly straight road till you reach Sharm

From Cairo, it is approximately a six-hour journey, depending on the number and the length of your stops for WC and benzene. Fill up on gas whenever you see a petrol station. Though there are petrol stations on the way, you might not find one when you need it.

The drive is through some beautiful landscape. It is fascinating to watch the play of sun over the sea and the mountains.

Hijab and Cairene Women

A friend of ours who has been living in Cairo for the last 10 years commented that he had seen the city undergo multiple transformations. The “change” that most intrigued me was that according to him, the number of women wearing the hijab had significantly gone up since he arrived in Cairo in the year 1999. At that time, the women wearing the hijab were in a minority, especially in work places. All along, I had been under the impression that due to the increase in the number of women studying abroad, exposure to western culture, fashion consciousness etc, fewer Egyptian women were taking the hijab. However, my research validated my friend’s comments.

There does seem to be a greater number of Egyptian women taking the hijab in recent years, though their decision may not always be welcomed. In the year 2002, two TV presenters who took the hijab were excluded from appearing on the state- run TV station where they worked, by the employers, despite obtaining court judgments in their favour (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6565145.stm). In the year 2006, the Egyptian culture minister came under pressure to resign after he commented that wearing the Islamic headscarf (hijab) was “regressive.”

Taking the hijab is a serious decision and one that you need to go through the rest of your life. It is reflective of your upbringing, your outlook on life, your priorities; indeed of the very person you are. It is not uncommon to come across a group of Egyptian girls-some of them wearing the hijab and others not. Yet, they are together, they are friends and they are enjoying the same things. I find it strange that though they are part of the same group and doing the same things, there must be such a vast difference in their thinking and attitude. One might say that it is not necessary for two people to be alike to be friends. Even in India, two girls who are friends may have totally opposite styles of dressing-one always wearing the traditional “salwar kameez” and the other wearing halter tops and off-shoulder dresses. But the hijab represents a division or difference that is much deeper than differing levels of modesty. Hijab is something that is the topic of heated debate in Egypt as well as the other Muslim countries. Even in western countries having a sizable Muslim population, the hijab dominates news. It has religious implications and is a way of life.

In Cairo, some women wear the hijab tied under the chin, covering neck, shoulders and the chest. Yet others wear it tied at the back of their head, leaving part of the ears and the neck exposed. I think the different styles of wearing the hijab will form the basis of another post.

At the fitness classes that I go to, the girls/ladies wearing the hijab and attending these classes are few. They make sure that their scarves are tightly wound. And go through the routine with equal fervor. These girls/ ladies have learnt not to let the hijab stand in their way!

Coptic Cairo

Coptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo and is home to a number of Coptic churches. It is an important destination for the 12 million Coptic Christians in Cairo.

Early in the 2nd century, the Romans established a fortress here that was known as the Babylon fortress. The fortress had 5 layers of stone and then 3 layers of brick One of the major attractions of Coptic Cairo, the Hanging Church is built on one part of the fortress of Babylon and hence gets its name. This church has no domes and is rectangular in shape. Its inverted ceiling, made of wood, is representative of Noah’s Ark. As part of the “architectural re-cycling”, a number of marble columns from old Roman churches can be found in the Hanging church. Many of the wooden panels in the church are inlaid with ivory and ebony, without the use of adhesive, leaving just enough space to allow for expansion. Though in earlier times, the churches had frescoes on walls; the Hanging church has wood icons as they are portable and could be rescued in times of attack. In the year 451 A.D, the Church of Egypt split from the Church of Rome because of dogmatic differences. During mass, in Coptic churches, men sit on the left aisle and the women on the right aisle.

The Hanging Church suffered destruction in the 9th century and has been restored since then a number of times. At some places, Arabic writing can be found on its walls; this was added post the decree which necessitated that all writing must be bi-lingual. Egypt was the first country to accept the infant Jesus after his flight from Herod. The palm trees that provided the dates to the Holy Family when they were in hiding is to be found in the forecourt of the Hanging Church.

The newly renovated Coptic Museum has some wonderful displays relating to Coptic Christianity in Egypt. The displays have been arranged chronologically and it is easy to see how the early Coptic art and artifacts were influenced by the Greek and Roman myths. Thereafter as the understanding pertaining to Christianity grew, a mix of the Roman and Christian art can be found. For example, there is a figure of a saint dressed in Roman clothes. The Pharonic art potrayed the figures sideways whereas the figures under Coptic art gave a frontal view. The most amazing display of mashrebeya can be found in the Coptic museum and the lavishly painted wooden ceilings are originals taken from homes of the wealthy Coptics in Egypt. Texts from the Nag Hammadi Codex are on display here.


The Hall of the Churches of Old Cairo has many beautiful displays taken from old churches. Candlesticks and bible cases made of metal and inlaid with coloured glass, some beautiful wooden frescoes from old churches and even a door from St Barbara Church (6th century) can be found. You cannot carry your camera inside the museum

Other interesting churches to visit in the Coptic area are the St Sergius Church and the Ben Ezra synagogue.

India Culture Week in Egypt

The Embassy of India in Egypt celebrated the India Culture Week with performances in Cairo and Alexandria from November 10 to November 17. The various art forms from India such as kathak, folk dances of Goa and Rajasthan and Talvadya music were performed in Ghoumariya theatre and the Cairo Opera House in Cairo and the Sayed Darwish theatre in Alexandria.

I attended the kathak and the rajasthani folk dance in the ghoumariya theatre and it was heartening to see so many Egyptians in the audience and their response to the performances. Their knowledge and appreciation of the Indian culture surprised me and made me realize that the Indian art forms have. The kathak performers, won the hearts of the audience with their amazing footwork. The rajasthani folk dancers wooed the audiences with their colorful ensembles as much as their flexibility.

Chitra Kalyani, a friend of mine, who writes for the Daily News in Egypt has written an interesting article on the Indian culture week with lots of background information. She has also included some interesting sound bytes from the audience, one of them from yours truly.

Read it on http://dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17984

Such initiatives of bringing the Indian culture to the people of Egypt are welcome-not only do they improve the understanding about India but also gives a chance to the expat Indians living in Egypt to keep enjoying the art forms of India.

Sit-down business lunches

Last week, hubby attended two business conferences in some of the big names in the hospitality industry-the Semiramis Intercontinental and the Four Seasons. The peculiar thing was that both the breakfast and the lunch were served in the dining room as sit-down meals. Usually, at business conferences elsewhere, the meals are served in the buffet as it gives an opportunity to the participants to network, secondly it is faster and definitely convenient too. The sit-down affairs are more drawn out and make it very difficult to network. Of course, there is less wastage and the quantity of food that is served can be regulated since there is no possibility of “second helping”.

Am trying to find out if hubby’s experiences with sit-down lunches was an exception or is this the way things usually happen in Cairo?

ARABS GONE WILD

Attended the “performing to a packed house” Comedy Box Productions’ “Arabs Gone Wild” and it was a laugh riot. The best acts were in Arabic, though. People were laughing so hard at the jokes in Arabic that I have a feeling that I missed the best lines. Nevertheless, it was still a very enjoyable performance.

I particularly liked Ronnie Khalil for his take on the experiences of an American-Egyptian, visiting Cairo-from the traffic situation to engaging a cab to attending the never-ending “family dinners”. Dean Obeidallah, a US resident and raised by a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother gave a hilarious account of the stereotypes associated with Mexicans, Italians, Egyptians etc. When he introduces himself as a Palestinian, he is confronted first with a silence that lasts for 5 seconds and then the response “tough situation”.

Maysoon Zayid, Sherif Hedayat and George Azmy brought the house down with laughter with their spoofs on Arab stereotypes. Aaron Kader, whom I had earlier seen as part of the “Axis of Evil” act was superb too.

The shows were performed at the Cairo International Conference Centre in Nasr City. The centre is equipped with parking facilities for 1200 cars and the organizers of the show had thoughtfully provided mini-vans to transport the audiences from the parking lot to the hall. The hall, with a seating capacity of 2500 was packed, with just a few spare seats.

Cafes in Mohandiseen

Mohandiseen is the mecca of cafes in Cairo. Due to the abundance of offices in this suburb, there is no dearth of places for people to take a break from a hectic schedule or have a quick working lunch. Café Pasqua, Café Spectra and Café Ciccio are the three more popular cafes that I frequent

CAFÉ PASQUA

Address: 60 Lebanon Street, Lebanon Square, Mohandeseen

If you have a lot of time on your hands, and coffee is on your mind, then head to Café’ Pasqua for the best café mocha in town. Pasqua has an indoor and an outdoor seating. The wooden chairs and granite table tops are very welcoming and the earthy tones used on the walls provide a very relaxed and cozy ambience, though the indoors can get a bit stuffy because of the smoke. A pack of cards, backgammon board game, and a host of magazines-some of them in their maiden issue-are available to occupy you. Or just sit back and listen to the music being played while puffing on a shisha. If you are looking for food, Pasqua does not disappoint-pizzas, crepes and pastas dominate the menu. Start with a French onion soup which is delicious. The vegetarian crepe is very tasty with the cheese nicely melted and the capsicums crisp. All the pizzas are good but my personal favourite at Pasqua is the good old margerita pizza. The soups are between LE12 to LE 14, the pizzas around LE 20. On week-ends it gets crowded and is a favourite haunt to watch the football matches on its three large screens.

CAFÉ SPECTRA

Address:3, Canal El Suez Street, between Syria street and Gameat El Dowal Street, Mohandessin.

Tucked away in a lane off the busy Gamat-al-Dwal al Arabia road, Café Spectra is a quieter and up-market -more a restaurant than a café, actually. It is almost hidden by foliage but once you walk through the long corridor and enter through the entrance on your left, you come into a decent-sized eating area. The place is dimly lit and is ideal for an intimate dinner. The items listed in the menu have illustrations against them-this is a boon to vegetarians like me! Though the illustrations help to ascertain what you are ordering, it does not prepare you for the huge portions! You will definitely need those take-away bags. The Spectra Vegi Combo satiates the curious diner-with nachos, fried mushrooms, onion rings, French fries, spring rolls served with 3 mouth-watering dips. With two of us sharing the platter, we still could not finish the entire thing. The tomato soup and the mushroom soup are delicious too. The ingredients used are fresh and the soups are not loaded with cornflour. The huge portions made sure that we did not get beyond the soup and starter round. However, we did try their brownie which is served with three scoops of ice-cream. Scrumptious! But again I would recommend sharing.

CAFÉ CICCIO

Café Ciccio is smaller as compared to the Café Spectra and Café Pasqua. However, it have now taken over the pavement outside. What had started out as a makeshift venue with some chairs and a TV screen put up to accommodate the huge crowds at the café during the football finals of the Africa Cup of Nations has now become a semi-permanent structure. With the onset of winter, the outdoor seating will have few takers and so they have taken over a place next door and are expanding. The menu is limited with a few kinds of pizzas and pastas. They have an extensive ice-cream menu and the desserts are delicious too.

After Eight

“After Eight” is a nice little pub in downtown. The exterior is not inspiring at all. The pub is at the end of an alley and at the entrance to the alley, there is a hoarding with the name “After Eight” in cursive handwriting. Below the hoarding, there is a “paan-beedi” kind of shop. Since it had rained the evening previous to our outing, there were puddles of water too. Not very encouraging and welcoming! I looked at my friend; she had frequented the place before and looked back confidently at me... and we plunged ahead…..and am glad I did!

The place is quite popular; for a long time, our group members were the only guests and I was wondering whether it would remain that way. Soon, people started pouring in and by the time we left, all the tables were taken and there was “standing room” only.

The place is very dimly lit. There is a bar in the corner and a DJ station behind the small, raised dance floor. The DJ started out with some slasa numbers and immediately the dance enthusiasts took to the floor. The Karaoke session had many takers too. The enthusiasm of the patrons to take a shot at singing was contagious and I impulsively let my friend propose my name for the song “Hotel California”-because that is the first song that came to my mind since I had been listening to it in the car. Of course, I immediately had second thoughts and begged and pleaded with my friend to get back the request paper but to no avail. Everyone was singing like a professional and my tension was mounting…every time a song would end, I would hold my breath and wait for the axe to fall-i.e. for my name to be called out. But I lucked out!-my friend had forgotten to mention the code number for the song and so the request was invalid.

Did not catch any grub there but saw platters of food being brought to the other tables. People were doing some “serious” eating ….so the food should be good. Their cocktail menu seems innovate though I did not much like the “After Eight” cocktail that I had ordered. It seemed like I was having “Pudin Hara”-for the uninitiated-Pudin Hara is a mint digestive used extensively in India.

Regretfully, we had to leave at the “witching hour” but it seemed as if the party had just begun….the place was getting smokier, louder, noisier ….will definitely go back!

And if you are wondering how you will you manage to get parking near the pub, there is some good news. Paid parking is available a little ahead of the pub on the opposite side. The charges are around LE 1/minute -at least the car will be safe!

Cover charge: LE 40
Address: 6, Kasr El Nile Street, Downtown

Trams in Cairo

The trams in Cairo are a non-polluting, albeit a slow mode of travel. Today, I took a tram ride in Heliopolis, a north-eastern suburb of Cairo- for the princely sum of 25 piasters! It was like going back in time when I rode on trams in Calcutta, India as a child.

The trams are popularly referred to as the “metro” in Cairo. The first tram line was constructed in the year 1898 in Cairo and was the first north-south public transportation route in Cairo. The tram network is gradually being phased out as it faces stiff competition from the underground metro and the minibuses. There are very trams in operation outside the northern suburb of Heliopolis. Though the trams are a cheap mode of transportation, they are extremely slow and thus convenient for short distances only.

The wide roads of Heliopolis with the tram lines running in the middle seem a world removed from the otherwise maddening congestion that characterizes Cairo. Today, after having waited for a tram for 15 minutes, saw one approaching and got ready for action and the experience. It was then that I realized that the tram was on the track away form me-I was standing on the wrong side! I tried to stop it by waving my hands but in despair saw the tram trundle past me, and stop about 50 metres away! I quickly walked to the other side and was ready for the next tram that came. Boarding a tram requires some deft maneuvering since the opening is narrow-definitely advisable to lose those extra inches before attempting a tram ride. As the tram slowly chugged along, looking out of the open window, it seemed to me that I was watching the world pass by in slow motion. In today’s fast-paced world, traveling in a tram maybe a “luxury” but it is definitely a stress-buster. Can we still not retain the trams for their charm and beauty, even if they might have outlived their relevance?

“Egyptian sexual harasser jailed” – I was heartened to read this! The victim, Ms Noha Oustath, bravely went public about her harassment and pursued the matter. This has resulted in the conviction of the harasser with three years’ rigorous punishment being awarded to him. You can read all about it on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7682951.stm

Earlier this month, during the Eid holidays, there had been a disturbing incident of a group of men sexually harassing some women in Mohandisseen on Gamaet-al-Dwal al arabiya street Later, in an incident outside the Metro Cinema in downtown, two women were groped and attempt also made to tear off their clothing.

More details on http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17001

Violence against women is prevalent in every country-some are highlighted and some incidents never come to light because of the reluctance of the victim to speak about the crime. Their reticence is understandable because most of the people, including the victim themselves, would blame the women for provoking the attack. In the case of Noha Oustath too, she was advised by the people who were a witness to her ordeal to forget about the matter and not go to the police.

A well-defined law pertaining to sexual harassment, providing for a framework for the victims to report the harassment and punish the perpetrators, is a pre-requisite to combat this phenomenon. Even then, the prejudices against women-it is the way a woman dresses and her attitude that incites such harassment-will limit the chances of reporting and conviction.

SIWA-BEST BUYS

The Siwans used to wear some beautiful silver jewellery such as the kind displayed in the Siwa House. Some good reproductions are available at the shops in Siwa Town and if you are fond of jewellery, then they make a good buy.

Beautifully embroidered shawls in blue are very distinctive of the Siwan craft and are available at LE 250 onwards.

Siwa abounds in palm trees and the date-palm fronds are used extensively to weave baskets, plates, mats and other items. Baskets woven from date palm fronds with lids are used by Siwans to distribute sweets on Eid. Also, plates in various sizes with red leather centres are available and can be used to serve bread, sweets etc.

Siwa is known for its dates and olives. At the foot of Fortress of Shali, there is a shop that sells olive products. Try their Olive dressing and Tomato dressing –they are delicious and can be easily used as salad dressing. Many brands of dates are available but I believe that the Jawhra brand is the best. Dates are also available in the pulp form with the seeds removed which can be easily used to make chutneys-in India, a sweet chutney made from dates, tamarind and jaggery is extremely popular.

LAST DAY OF RAMADAN AND NO FOOD

What is it with all the eateries in Egypt? For the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, we were in Marsa Matrouh. And most of the restaurants were closed. My friends’ desire to sample some local fish went unfulfilled. Even the international food chains like Pizza Hut, KFC and Chicken Tikka were closed. The reason being that the following day was Eid and everyone was busy with preparations for the big day that marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramadan. There would be prayers to be offered early in the morning, new clothes to be bought, sweets to be made etc. The local eateries probably would be having some orders to be fulfilled for the next day and hence were closed for regular business. The sweet shops were of course doing brisk business.

After driving around the town for some time in search of dinner, we finally had burgers at Mc Donald’s-the only eatery that was open that night in Marsa Matrouh. It was a valuable lesson learnt -The day before Eid is probably not the best time to sample Egypt’s culinary delights!

Cairo to Siwa-By Road

The distance from Cairo to Siwa is a total of around 750 kilometres. If you are driving to Siwa, the best route to take is Siwa to El Alamein to Marsa Matrouh to Siwa. The journey can be completed in 8-9 hours with a couple of short stops in between.

From Cairo, get onto the Alexandria Desert Road. Once you cross “Masters”, a popular stop for tourist buses, look out for a signboard showing the way to El Alamein. You will have to take a U-turn and then a right to get onto the road leading to El Alamein. It is also the road leading to Porto Marina. It is quite a straight road right upto the city of El Alamein. Here you will find signs directing you to Marsa Matrouh. Once you are onto the straight road to Marsa Matrouh, the drive is again easy till you hit a sign which shows the way to the Marsa Matrouh city, a little to the right. Do not be tempted to take this road, but go on straight. Before you reach the gates of the Marsa Matrouh city, there will be a sign directing you to Siwa-you will have to take a U-turn and then turn right.

Right till you hit Siwa town, the road is fairly straight and will pose no problems.

A couple of points to be remembered that will make the trip easier.

§ Fill up on petrol before leaving Marsa Matrouh. There is no gas station on the road from Marsa to Siwa.

§ A few kilometers onto the Marsa-Siwa road, some construction work is going on and there is a stretch of ungravelled road for about 10 km. So, it is slow going.

§ Once you are onto the road to Marsa Matrouh, there is a place that you could use to break for a quick bite. You cant miss it –on the right side of the road you will see the KFC hoarding . Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa Coffee are all here, plus a couple of restaurants that are about to open. The toilet at the Pizza Hut is clean enough.

“Ana tahban!”-"I am tired!"

“Am not coming to work today. I am tired.” How many of us have the luxury to say this and how many times? But I heard this at least three times today.

The carpenter, the plumber and an electrician were all scheduled to come to my house today for various repair jobs, jobs that had been pending since Ramadan. When they did not turn up at the designated time, I called each of them and surprisingly was told by all three that they could not make it today as they were tired!! Tired?? And maybe, I am tired of trying to get competent people to come and do the maintenance work at my house!


And I had thought that my woes would last only till Eid-after which all the jobs pending in my house could get completed. Now I understand that my wait may be a bit longer – I will probably have to wait for the effects of the Eid celebrations to wear offJ


You know a friend told me recently that she had read somewhere that Egyptians are the fourth happiest people in the world. Now I believe it! They really take no stress!

Ramadan-Deserted Roads and Traffic Snarls

Over the past month of Ramadan, the traffic scene in Cairo has been different-empty roads around the time of Iftar and traffic snarls of the kind that can only be imagined

A couple of days back, when we decided to go to City Stars, we chose to leave at 5.45 p.m-these days the iftar takes place at 5.50 and we thought that this would be the best time since the roads would be empty.

Definitely, there was not much traffic but the few cars that were on the road were in a tearing hurry to get to their destination-their drivers feeling hungry and ready to risk life and limb to get to food. With hubby at the wheel, it was a nightmare dodging these cars that were driving as if they are auditioning for the Formula One races. Might be a good idea to keep a few dates and fruits in the car to break the fast.

And then last evening, there was the biggest ever traffic snarl that I have seen on the Gamaet-el-Dwal road. Cars standing bumper to bumper, moving an inch at a time. Even the by-lanes were packed with cars trying to get onto the main roads. While walking to a friend’s hosue, I had to frequently stop to allow a car to pass. And in the midst of this, there was an ambulance with siren blaring trying to move forward, but with very little luck. With repeated requests issued on the loudspeaker by the driver, the ambulance managed to crawl forward at a snail’s pace. Its movement was hampered by the other cars that had aligned themselves with the ambulance and were trying to take advantage of the break in traffic to get ahead. I only hope that the person concerned received medical help in time.

Today is the last day of fasting for the month of Ramadan and most of the government offices are closed. This morning, the roads are deserted. After a “night out” last evening, it seems that people are resting and recouping their energy. But it is only the lull before the storm-I can only imagine the traffic after iftar this evening when people come out in large numbers to celebrate Eid.

Names for streets and bridges

26th of July, 6th of October, 15th of May….these are just not dates but names of important streets in Cairo. When I first arrived in Cairo and saw these dates as names for the bridges and streets, I found it a bit strange. But these are no ordinary dates-they occupy a special significance in Egypt’s history.

26th July is the name of the bridge connecting Mohandissen to Zamalek-an arterial road in many ways and always extremely crowded. This bridge has been named for that day in the year 1952 when the extremely unpopular King Farouk abdicated and left the Egyptian shores. Thus Egypt was once again ruled by egyptians for the first time since the Persians invaded Egypt. The 26th of July bridge culminates into the 26th of July street in Zamalek, home to a host of restaurants and shops.

The 6th of October bridge and 6th of October city are named for that date in the year 1973, when Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel and succeeded in breaking through the Bar Lev Line, across the Suez Canal. Since that year, this day has been celebrated in Egypt. In the year 1981, the then President of Egypt Anwar Sadat was assassinated during the annual 6th October victory parade in Cairo. It is also a national holiday.

The Tenth of Ramadan city is located some 55 km from Cairo. The name comes from the fact that the date 6th of October in the year 1973 corresponded to the 10th day of the Muslim festival of Ramadan-and hence the name.

Am not sure about the significance of the date 15th of May. In the year 1948, this date marked the commencement of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the first in a series of wars fought between the two parties.

In India, most of the streets are named after famous historical figures. Naming streets and bridges for important historical dates is something unique that I have come across in Cairo.

Ramadan and Iftars

This is my first Ramadan in Egypt and such a different experience from the Ramadan in Saudi Arabia. Majority of the Egyptians fast during this holy month- no food or water from sunrise to sunset. However, most of the cafes and restaurants are open during the day for the expatriates and the non Muslims. This is in sharp contrast to Saudi Arabia where eating or drinking in public places during the holy month of Ramadan is a punishable offence. Some of the other gulf countries like Dubai and Bahrain too are fairly strict in their observance of “no eating and drinking in public places” rule. Egypt, with its bustling tourism industry is much more “open” in this regard.

The offices work on curtailed hours like that in the any other Muslim country; and the expat non-muslim management in some companies also observes the fast during the office hours to show solidarity with their Egyptian workforce.

Cairo’s roads are the most unsafe at the best of times and an hour before the Iftar is probably even more dangerous and nerve racking with traffic at its peak coupled with reckless driving as the people are trying to reach their destinations to break their fast. During Iftar and for an hour after that, Cairo roads are blessedly empty and it is the best time to go out and get your grocery shopping done as I discovered a couple of days back when I went to Metro; no crowds at the shop and no long queues at the checkout counters. However, this is not possible in Saudi Arabia as all establishments close before Iftar and open only after the Iftar and the Maghrib prayers

Of course, the one thing that is universally common during Ramadan, whether it be Saudi Arabia, the gulf countries or Egypt is the difficulty to get any work done- whether at office or at home. For example, my landlady had been trying to get hold of a plumber to take care of a leaking toilet in our house and she told us how difficult it is to get anyone to come out and work during Ramadan. And when she finally managed to send over a plumber, he has done a stop-gap kind of repair that will tide us through the remaining days of Ramadan with a promise to come and complete the remaining work- but only after the end of Ramadan and EID.

There is a lot more that needs to be taken care of in our house but even we have now adopted the refrain-“After EID”!

The magic that is Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan saved yet another day for us in Egypt. Over the week-end, we had gone to Dahab, a laidback beach resort on the Red Sea. And the most oft repeated word that we heard on our drive to and fro to Dahab was “Amitabh Bachchan”. At every check post (and boy! were there many!), when the officials learnt that we were from India, the first thing that they would ask us is whether we knew Amitabh Bachchan. And with a request to pass on their regards to the Big B, we would be waved through. It was as if the words “Amitabh Bachchan” were the magic words that put us above any kind of suspicion. To hear the Big B’s name spoken of with such fondness and adulation in the Sinai desert was a revelation of the reach of cinema and the magic that is Amitabh Bachchan. Moreover, the cafes at the petrol pumps also had their television sets tuned to Hindi movies starring Amitabh Bachchan and sub-titled in Arabic.

To hear the Big B’s famous dialogues from the movie “Hum” while I waited for my turn to go to the washroom at a Mobinil petrol station in the town of Nakhl (middle of the Sinai) felt unreal but at the same time also made my chest puff up with pride. You are a real hero, Big B!

Cairo-the city that never sleeps

Cairo is truly a city that never sleeps. As I discovered on my way to the airport some days back.

I left house at 2.00 a.m to catch my flight to Mumbai and the entire city was alive. The Gamat-el-Dwal street was busy as ever. In addition to the cars, there were Victorian style horse buggies also vying for space. People were enjoying a night out lounging in the buggies and surveying Cairo form their elevated position. And of course, the coffee shops and the sweet corners were open but even restaurants like KFC and Hardees were still open and brimming to capacity.

And it was not just the arterial roads that were alive but also the small lanes and by-lanes were busy. At this time of the night, in any other city you would probably find very few cars-it would either be people like me who are traveling or some really sad and dreary souls. The streets would be deserted and the shops closed. But Cairo was bustling with life and the surprising thing is that it was a week night. In fact, close to the airport, for a couple of minutes, it was really slow going because there was a lot of traffic. Is it the warm summer evenings that are drawing people out or maybe the fact that the schools are closed?

This is in sharp contrast to what I recently witnessed in some other cities like Cape Town in South Africa and Windoek in Namibia, where once the sun sets, the streets soon empty out and it is not even safe to walk around. And Mumbai, the crowded metropolis would also be busy slumbering at this hour.

I like this bustling city even though my sleep is disturbed due to the incessant honking on the Gamat-el-Dwal street which even my sound-proof windows cannot keep out! And the late nights do not deter the Cairenes from being up early and going about their business as usual!

Africa from Cairo

Cairo, Egypt is a good launchpad for exploring much of the world. Europe is definitely close and doable; so are the Middle Eastern countries like Jordon, Syria, Lebanon etc. Turkey and Cyprus are definitely must-visits from Cairo.

However, I would think Cairo can be the gateway for exploring the African continent-not on the itinerary of many travellers.

Some countries that I would like to visit on the African continent are:-

Botswana-The Okavango delta and the Chobe National Park are the principal attractions. I want to explore the Delta on a makoro and watch the migratory elephants at the Chobe National Park

Zambia for the Victoria Falls, of course. I have been told that Victoria Falls on a full moon night is absolutely beautiful. Have done river rafting in Leh on the Zanskar and the Indus rivers and would like to do river rafting on the Zambezi river.

Namibia for its fascinating landscape and dune-studded desert. To visit the second largest canyon in the world-the Fish River Canyon. The Etosha National park to see an incredible variety of wildlife.

South Africa for Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the chance to eat on the “flattest table on earth”-i.e. the Table Mountain in Cape Town. Hope to be able to take the cable car to the top. Visit the world famous Kruger National Park.

Kenya for the ultimate experience in African safari. And floating over Masai Mara in a hot air balloon. Also a visit to Nairobi, the capital city with its rich historical background.

Morocco for Casablanca and the Hassan mosque, and Fez -the "city of mosques". And Marrakesh, the city at the foot of Atlas mountains with the Koutoubiya Mosque and the Kasbah. Essaouira for its beaches and the experience of browsing the shops "in peace".

Africa from Cairo

Cairo, Egypt is a good launchpad for exploring much of the world. Europe is definitely close and doable; so are the Middle Eastern countries like Jordon, Syria, Lebanon etc. Turkey and Cyprus are definitely must-visits from Cairo.

However, I would think Cairo can be the gateway for exploring the African continent-not on the itinerary of many travellers.

Some countries that I would like to visit on the African continent are:-

Botswana-The Okavango delta and the Chobe National Park are the principal attractions. I want to explore the Delta on a makoro and watch the migratory elephants at the Chobe National Park

Zambia for the Victoria Falls, of course. I have been told that Victoria Falls on a full moon night is absolutely beautiful. Have done river rafting in Leh on the Zanskar and the Indus rivers and would like to do river rafting on the Zambezi river.

Namibia for its fascinating landscape and dune-studded desert. To visit the second largest canyon in the world-the Fish River Canyon. The Etosha National park to see an incredible variety of wildlife.

South Africa for Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the chance to eat on the “flattest table on earth”-i.e. the Table Mountain in Cape Town. Hope to be able to take the cable car to the top. Visit the world famous Kruger National Park.

Kenya for the ultimate experience in African safari. And floating over Masai Mara in a hot air balloon. Also a visit to Nairobi, the capital city with its rich historical background.

Morocco for Casablanca and the Hassan mosque, and Fez -the "city of mosques". And Marrakesh, the city at the foot of Atlas mountains with the Koutoubiya Mosque and the Kasbah. Essaouira for its beaches and the experience of browsing the shops "in peace".

El-Shabrawy

El-Shabrawy is a vegetarian’s delight-the best Egyptian fare that I have had so far. With 17 different varieties of fuul, you are spoilt for choice. Fuul is fava beans, boiled and seasoned with lemon and spices. Shabrawy has fuul with tahina and chick peas, fuul with corn oil and with olive oil. I decided to go for King-El-Shabrawy which is fuul seasoned with salsa, tomatoes and eggs. It is served in attractive earthenware pots and tastes really good. The beans are cooked to perfection and the eggs that are added are allowed to cook till they set. The Alexandrian fuul is spiced with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, tahina and chick peas and I would recommend this too.

Felefel (popularly know as ta’miya in Egypt) are particularly crisp here, expecially Ain Katkot, which is falafel stuffed with boiled eggs-again, I would definitely recommend this. People who love their egg will love this place with omelettes and scrambled eggs on offer. Different types of salads, including baba ghanoug, tahina, taboula complete the Egyptian cuisine offering. The vegetable samosa is sure to tickle your taste buds.

A satisfying meal is one which apart from being tasty is also easy on the pocket. A meal for two with cold drinks would set you back by LE 35. Though El-Shabrawy has branches all over Cairo, the eatery at 10, Ibrahim Sreet, Korba, Heliopolis has the right ambience and you can enjoy your fuul and ta’miya piping hot, rather than go for the takeaway. The name here is signed in Arabic only-so look for a red awning and the shawerma grill outside which serve as indicators. The seating is on the mezzanine floor-try to get a table near the window so that you can watch the world go by while sipping on your fresh limon juice. The place seems to be a favourite with people of all ages and from all classes

The place also has pastas, sandwiches and burgers on offer but why would I want to have Italian or American cuisine at an Egyptian eatery?

IDEAS FOR GIFTS FROM EGYPT

Summer is upon us and most of us are planning a vacation back home. "What to take back as gifts for family and friends" is a question that I have seen friends grapple with. I have also wrested with this question when friends ask for suggestions and accompanied them on “gift-hunting” trips. The usual suspects like papyrus, tutankhamun masks, statue of Nefertiti, pyramids etc from the “Khan” have been “done to death”, but they still are popular. Here are a few pointers for those interested to gift the “unusual” from Egypt

For something unique and funky, why not gift a CD of Wust El Balad’s first music album? A book on Egyptology would make the perfect gift for a friend who has always dreamt of visiting the land of Pharoahs. The AUC bookstore has a wide selection of books on Egypt. Introduce the voracious reader in your family to Naguib Mahfouz, a highly acclaimed Egyptian writer and a Nobel laureate for literature. For the homemaker in your family or friend circle, write down some Egyptian recipes like karkade, hummus, fuul, koshari, taa’miya (falafel), baba ghanoug etc-this wins hands down as a gift with a personal touch.

A crystal piece from the Asfour Crystal Factory, a place in the suburb of Shubra is meant for the "discerning" and should be bought only when “size” of the gift is not a consideration. Whatever be your budget, you are sure to find something here-the smaller pieces being budget-friendly as well as easy to carry.

Egyptian cotton is very famous. You could consider gifting bed sheets made from the finest cotton, found at the Salon Au Vert in downtown.. Mobaco has a fine range of men’s shirts and t-shirts and ladies’ tops and some of the designs are really good.

At Oriental Weavers, you can buy tapestries (wall hangings) from LE 80 onwards. Mickey Mouse for the children, Tutankhamun for the history buff –you can find something for everyone here. For an exclusive gift head to Wissa Wassef (see blog entry dated March 12, 2008) – the tapestries would enhance any wall and the pottery is functional and unique too.

The various "ittar" fragrances filled in attractive and colourful bottles make a thoughtful gift. Choose a lovely silver pendant, some colourful beads to go with it and have them strung to form a unique neckpiece for the fashionable among your friends and family.

With a little bit of effort and imagination, you can take back the “perfect gift” from Egypt.

SMART PARKING IN DOWNTOWN, CAIRO

An antidote to the parking problems in Cairo as I discovered on my last vist to downtown. While we were parked near the Groppi café, a man wearing the SAYDO company overalls approached us and explained how the parking cards issued by SAYDO worked. You buy a plastic “smart” card for LE 27 –this gives you a credit of LE 22 and LE 5 is towards insurance and sales tax. With this card, you can park your car in the downtown area (i.e the area in and around the Tahrir Square and the Talaat Harb square), in the Saydo designated zones. When you arrive, you punch in your card in the parking metres installed by SAYDO-this will activate the road spikes. Your car is now parked between the kerb and the spikes-so when you want to leave, you just punch in your card again-see the amount that you have been charged for the duration of your parking, the spikes come down and you drive away!. Differential rates are charged depending on the time of parking-the highest rates applicable between 7.00 a.m and 4.00 p.m.

Men wearing overalls with the Saydo logo are on hand to help you with the parking. Once you have exhausted the limit on your parking card, you can either return the card and get back the LE 5 that you had paid as deposit or buy a new card for LE 22.

The drawback as I see it is that you are charged for the entire hour even if you are parked for only 10 minutes! And on a bad day, despite having the smart card, you maybe cruising around for a parking spot because all the designated spaces are full.

"Kabhi Kabhi" at Samia Allouba's

I am at my Pilates class and trying to get a really difficult stretch right-breathe in and breathe out and stretch out a bit more-when the strains of “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil mein..” waft across and I almost lose my balance! Why am I so amazed at hearing this song?-you may ask. Amazing it is! Since I am not at a gym in Mumbai but at Samia Allouba’s fitness classes in Cairo, Egypt! Now do you find it so unusual too? To hear one of the most romantic Hindi songs forming the backdrop for a fitness class in Cairo? But then maybe it is to be expected –after all we are in the age of globalization.

Hindi movies and the stunts of Hrithik Roshan are popular among my Egyptian friends-am always receiving requests for the DVDs of the latest Hindi movies of Hrithik and Amitabh Bacchhan! On the other hand, I heard that belly dancing is the latest craze to hit Mumbaites , a dance which has its origins in Egypt! And the Egyptian fuul and ta’amiya are tickling the taste buds of people all across the globe and the popularity of the Indian cuisine among the Egyptians is evident from the number of Indian eateries mushrooming all over Cairo.

WATERMELON MARKET IN CAIRO

Only twice during our seven months stay in Cairo, have we attempted to buy and eat watermelon, my favorite fruit and both the attempts have ended in disaster! And to top it all, the atempts were costly too!

During the first week of our stay in Cairo, we purchased a watermelon for LE 40 and had to throw it away as it had gone stale! The second time we managed to get a watermelon for LE 25. But since we would be travelling over the next two days, we thought we were being smart by putting the watermelon in the freezer for the duration-and that was the end of it!

As they say, “third time lucky” and that is exactly what happened to us! Last week, we visited the wholesale market for watermelons in Cairo at Sahil Izhara (just before the turn for getting onto the Maadi-6th October Ring Road when coming in from the Corniche). This is the season for the watermelons and seeing mounds of fruit piled high is a visual feast!

First we walked the entire length of the market-at one place the fruit was being packed for export purposes; at yet another stall, the seller was using a drum and singing out to attract customers. Though most of the market had watermelons on display, at one of the stalls we saw peaches and onions too.

Now that we had established our credentials as “serious” buyers, a man approached us saying that he had the best watermelons available for LE20. When we said the price was too high, he said that he had some available for LE 8, though they might not be as sweet. We told him that we wanted something that was sweet but at a lower price. At this point, he invited us into his stall and showed us the watermelons and told us that he could really not go below LE 20 as the fruits were the best and the “stall owner” would not allow it. We offered LE 15-only to be met by a firm shake of the head.

Our driver now stepped in-he took out his cigarette pack and offered one to the vendor before lighting his own. He informed him that though we were “agnabis” (foreigners), we stayed in Cairo and if he sold us the watermelons at a good price and they turned out to be sweet, then he would get regular business from us and the other families working in the same company as my husband. This seemed to work and the vendor agreed to sell us four watermelons at LE 15 each.

Then it was time for the “specialist” to come in and choose the fruit for us-he hit the watermelons a couple of times and depending on the sound that followed, decided whether it was "good" or "not good enough". Our driver now insisted that the vendor cut one watermelon right there so that we could ascertain that it was indeed sweet. Out of nowhere a group of men materialized as if to watch a show and even "ohhed" and "ahhed" over the colour of the watermelon when it was cut. A small boy claiming to be the son of the "stall owner" wanted us to take the fruit chosen by him and went ahead and replaced one of them in the pile! He even had the audacity to ask for a photograph with me alone! And I thought he was a baby!

I am happy to report that the watermelons were indeed very sweet – it was definitely a “fruitful” visit.

FRUITS IN CAIRO

Me: "Ayza nuss kilo" ( I want half kilo)
Fruit Vendor: “ok” –he starts picking up some peaches and putting in a bag
Me: "Anaii" (I choose)
Fruit Vendor:"La" (no) -a bit rudely.

With a shake of my head and hand (here my limited arabic deserts me) , I say in English –“then I don’t want” and turn to leave…..and the vendor is not calling me back!

This story was repeated with all the three vendors that I tried to buy peaches from. I was quite surprised with this attitude-“were they not interested in selling the fruits-and if I am paying for the fruit, don’t I have a right to choose the ones that I want?" I was fuming at the cavalier attitude of the vendors and at the same time at a loss to understand their way of doing business. My Egyptian friend calmed me down and explained to me that this was the “normal” thing when buying fruits from the carts on the streets – there are some good fruits and some bad fruits and the vendor would pick up some of each for me and I must take the good and the bad. “But why should I pay for the bad?”, I argued. My friend just shrugged and said that this was the way things were done here, but also had a suggestion-I could “buy” the right to choose the fruit that I wanted by offering to pay a couple of pounds more.

So with this new-found wisdom, I am now ready to tackle the fruit vendors of Cairo!

ASHAN ASALHAK W ARDA ALEK

Ashan asalhak w arda Alek
Hagat kitir lazim tamilha

These are the beginning lines of the Arabic song that we sang for the last class of Level 3 of my Arabic class at Kalimat. Here the lover is telling his girlfriend that in order for them to reconcile and for him to be content with her, there are a number of things that she must do??. The things that she must do include that she should stand up when he speaks to her as well as “shut up” when he speaks to her. It even goes on to say that if the people from her past have forgotten to teach her and make her understand certain things, then the lover will teach her what she has missed!!

When this song by Bahaa Sultan was played for the first time in class, I immediately realized that it is the same song to which I love dancing in my belly dance workshop. But when the teacher translated the Arabic lyrics for us, I was surprised that this song was a chartbuster a year back. And the surprise was due to the nature of the lyrics.

I remember that in the belly dance class, our lady instructor hummed the lyrics-I can understand that the music is really catchy but the lyrics are just so one-sided. I asked my teacher how could the song have been a blockbuster; weren’t the lyrics considered “objectionable”? And she told me that the catchy music overrode all the objections.

Well, I for one may not be able to dance with my earlier abandon to this song!

SOUQ-AL-GOMA'A

I visited the Souq-al-Goma’a (Friday market) this Friday -the equivalent of “Chor Bazaar” in Bombay,India. “Chor”, which literally means a “robber” best characterizes the “Chor Bazaar” since it is a place where the stolen items find a ready market. The Souq-al-Goma’a has a similar reputation. In fact, when my driver informed our bawaab that he would be taking us to the souq-al-goma’a the following day, he wanted to accompany us to find his bicycle which had been stolen some days back! But of course, even if he was lucky enough to actually find his bicycle there, he would have to buy it back!

The Souq-al-Goma’a sprawls for miles under the Al-Tonssy flyover-anything and everything can be found here. It is quite intimidating to walk through this market; definitely a predominantly male domain. Our driver had accompanied hubby and me into the market and he kept warning us to keep a tight hold on our wallets and mobiles. In fact, when I wanted to take some snaps, our driver advised us to click pictures from the safety of the bridge. Though we did not linger long, it was nevertheless a fascinating experience-to see everything form a small pin to mobiles, plastic ware, clothes etc sold here. Sometimes, we even came across some broken and old items and I wondered if anyone actually buys them! Apparently, the right time to visit the market is early in the morning-the vendors actually start laying out their wares the evening before and the buyers start pouring in from early morning.

Check out some of the pics!

Park on Gamat el dwal el-arabia street

Woke up this morning to a shocking sight-to see a huge billboard put up in the park that my window overlooks. This park runs through the middle of the busy Gamat el dwal el-arabia street and I have spent some lovely moments looking at the trees changing colour to mark the changing seasons. And now I will have this huge piece of steel and concrete obstructing my view! The billboard just came up overnight-in fact, even as I am writing this, work is going on to complete the installation of the billboard.

It saddens me to see that commercial exigencies always triumph-important things like having open and green spaces in an otherwise crowded and polluted city take a backseat! Whether it be Mumbai or Cairo, it is the same story-the lungs of the city systematically destroyed! And the voices, if any, raised in protest are muted or ignored. I just hope that this billboard is just a one-off thing and not a precursor to many of them mushrooming all along the length of the park. If that happens, it will be another step in the “concretization” of Mohandisseen.

Why, oh why could they not have planted another tree rather than this monstrous piece of concrete?

VACCINATIONS FOR AFRICA

“Africa”-the word evokes the following thoughts-“undiscovered, unexplored, hauntingly beautiful, wild, pristine beauty, ……” and I could go on. Staying in Cairo, Egypt, is the right time to explore the African continent-accessibility and proximity being the prime reasons. Since hubby had to go to South Africa for a conference, we decided to combine a trip to South Africa with a desert adventure trip to the neighboring Namibia. But alas! as they say “Best Laid Plans of Men and Mice often go Astray”-the factor contributing to the “astray” factor was my South Africa visa-it could not be processed in time though the Namibian visa was already in place.

Also, planning a trip from Cairo, Egypt has its own unique set of “issues” as I discovered-surprisingly those relating to vaccinations and getting the correct anti-malarial tablets!

When traveling to the African continent, health issues are the foremost priority-every possible vaccination is recommended! Though the suggested vaccines are only “guidelines”, some countries will not allow entry without proof of vaccination. Of course, coming from India, our immune systems are supposedly better developed, but if you are the “ultra-cautious” kind like me, then you will probably want to immunize yourself with every available vaccine! Also, a sore arm is a small price to pay for peace of mind….or so I thought before I started researching.

For Namibia and South Africa, the vaccines that are “recommended” are Hepatitis A, yellow fever, polio and tetanus booster shots, typhoid and rabies as well. Plus malaria prophylactics have to be taken. Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and to add to the woes, the mosquitoes in certain well-traveled areas such as Namibia have become immune to the milder versions of the anti-malarial tablets such as the chloroquine and proguanil combination -the alternative is to take larium that contains mefloquine, but the side effects include nausea, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, vivid dreams….and “gulp” there is more-seizures, depression and psychosis too! By now, my throat was becoming parched….

You can reserach on the recommended vaccinations and the requisite malarial prolophalytics on http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentVaccinations.aspx.

The right thing to do is to consult the “family doctor” or a travel clinic. Since we are expats in Cairo, we obviously don’t have our family doctor here and travel clinics as a concept don’t exist here. So I spoke to my Indian friend, who is a doctor. She confirmed that Larium would be the right choice-my anxiety had rubbed off on her and she too was hooked to the net, trying to determine the best anti-malarial medication….by now I was having sleepless nights thinking of the personality change (another possible side-effect of Larium) that I would undergo…..

Armed with the list of vacciantions and the medications, my friend and I set out to buy the malarial prophylactics. We had finally decided that Lariam (mefloquine) would be the correct choice-my friend encouraged me by stressing side effects were a hazard even in taking something as “regular” as panadol. The difficult decision was made-but the troubles were just to begin and the trouble was “BUYING THE ANTI-MALARIAL DRUGS IN CAIRO”. At every pharmacy that we visited, the conversation went something like this-

Friend: “I want Mefloquine”
Pharmacisit: “What?”
Friend: “anti-malarial tablets?”
Pharmacist: (with a look of relief on his face) goes behind the counter and hands us a strip. They are anti-malarial tablets all right, but chloroquine tablets.
Friend: “Do you have proquanil or Lariam….it has mefloquine?”
Pharmacist-(with a slightly puzzled look on his face) “No”

We faced this at the 4-5 pharmacies that we visited in Mohandisseen. We were dazed-here I had worried myself sick deciding on the malarial prophylactics and they were not even available!

In desperation, we went to Vacsera at 51 Wizaret El-Zeraa-Agouza-Giza-Egypt. We were directed to the resident doctor; when we asked for anti-malarial tablets, she prescribed only chloroquine tablets and told us that proguanil tablets were not available in Cairo-I hit the panic button-how could I travel to a malarial-risk zone without adequate medication?. My friend pointed to a board behind the doctor which listed the recommended malarial prophylactics for the different countries-the listing for travel to both India and Namibia showed chloroquine and proguanil combination! Ok…maybe I really did have the “natural” immunity and did not really need to take the malarial prophylactics. But it might be a good idea to arrange for proguanil or mefloquine tablets to be carried by any person visiting from “home”. Any vaccinations that you require for your travel can be taken here-Hapatitis, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Cholera and Tetanus are all available here. Check out their website on http://www.vacsera.com/. However, for the typhoid vaccination, you will have to visit the clinic at Giza.

As they say “prevention is better than cure”; protect yourself from mosquito bites by using mosquito repellants-look for active ingredient “DEET”. Cover your arms and legs during the sunset and at dawn when the risk of mosquito bites is the greatest. I had got a friend to carry “odomos” tubes for me from India.

Though my plans did not reach fruition, I had already gone through the entire rigmarole of preparing for the trip – And yes, I did actually start on the chloroquine tablets; I almost took the yellow fever and the typhoid vaccines-anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I am mortally scared of any kind of needle! Went around Cairo on “mission backpack” and many more such preparations. And in the midst of all these preparations, the words of the pharmacist at Vacsera kept coming back to me-“Namibia? Why on earth would you want to go to Namibia? Stay in Egypt! No need for vaccinations, anti-malarial tablets…” And then to answer this question, I would go back to the first sentence of this post!-)

Changing Locks in Cairo

A couple of days ago, I had a nerve-racking experience. When I returned home in the evening, I inserted the key in the lock-after a single turn, the key refused to move! I tried a number of times; pushed and pulled at the door, tried to coax it open, even kicked and….finally gave up. I had to accept that I had been “locked-out” of my house!

Called the bawaab, he in turn called a “carpenter”. The quotation marks have been used to show that the so-called carpenter was totally useless… completely useless, just managed to damage my door. By now three men had gathered outside my door-the bawaab, the “carpenter” and my driver. They were talking more than being useful. Finally, I told my driver (who understands English) to get a locksmith. Within half an hour, he was back with a locksmith who opened the door in 5 minutes.

Till now, I had been quite cool. Now came the question of installing a new lock and the locksmith offered us three choices-a “made in Italy” lock for LE 250, another lock for LE 185 and yet another “locally made” for LE 85. When I tried telling the man that the locks were very expensive, he insisted that these were the correct prices and also demanded LE 30 for having opened the door. That was an outrageous amount-my driver and he got into a heated argument regarding the sum-my driver told him not to “over-charge” just because we were foreigners. Finally, after much shouting and almost coming to blows, the locksmith took the LE 10 and left. But we had not heard the last of him-when we went down to the car, we noticed that it had been badly scratched on one end-the gate-keeper seemed to think that the angry locksmith had done it-it really upset me to see such an act of vindictiveness.

Finally got hold of another locksmith who installed a lock for LE 90 and took another LE 30 for his services. Often, in times of emergency such as this, we land up paying outrageous amounts for some work-partly because of lack of knowledge as to the correct rates and also to avoid any hassle. But it helps to have a well-meaning “local” with you (in this case my driver) to help you through the situation.

Shoppping at Boulaq, Attaba and Roxy

For expats living in Cairo, most of the shopping is usually done “back home”- a major portion of the time holidaying in the home country is spent shopping, leaving little time for anything else. High prices and limited range are the reasons cited for not venturing out for shopping in Cairo. The favourite shopping haunts of the expats-the mega malls like Dandy Mall, Hyper One, Maadi City Centre and of course, the City Stars-are synonymous with “big” brands; nothing "local" abouth the stuff here.

When my parents visited us last month, my mom was adamant that she wanted to take back some “local” stuff. This pushed me to scour the local markets and I was pleasantly surprised for what one can find here and at great prices too…So here goes….

BOULAQ MARKET

Welcome to the world of fabrics!-this line best describes the Boulaq market. The sun is getting stronger and I needed heavy curtains for my windows. When I mentioned this to an Egyptian friend of mine, she volunteered to “escort” me to the “Wikalet-al-Balah” which translated means “market of dates”. But it is not dates that I want to buy-my friend then explained to me that the market was originally used as a souk for trading in dates and though over the years, the market has gained a reputation for selling materials and clothes at affordable prices, the original name still holds.

The array of fabric available here is quite impressive-you can buy material for your curtains, upholstery for your sofas, tablecloths, towels as well as lovely cotton fabrics for skirts and dresses. One of the shops there is like a one-stop kind of store where you can find everything from scarves to materials for your wedding dress. Bargaining is essential-to give you an idea, I bought scarves for LE 23, which had been quoted at LE 35. For curtains, we were able to bring down the price from LE 25 to LE 17. I also bought an expensive curtain material for LE 30, down from LE 35.

The boulaq market as it is more popularly known among the expatriate crowd is just a few minutes’ walk from the World Trade Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shops line both sides of the street whereas the space in the middle is taken up by vendors displaying their merchandise on carts and tables. Ladies’ undergarments in all colours and sizes, fluttering in the air on these carts, is an enduring memory that I have carried with me from my visit to the Boulaq!

ATTABA MARKET

For cotton bed sheets, head to Attaba market- Double bed-sheets in cotton can be found for LE 50. They come with four big pillow covers- you will have to get them re-sized according to your requirements. If you want to “dress” up the armrests and back rests of your sofas, you can find just the right covers here too-and at great prices!

ROXY

For ready-made clothes, the line of shops in front of the Roxy Cinema, Masr Gidid (Heliopolis) offer a “shoppers’ delight”. For those who are inveterate shoppers at the Linking Road in Mumbai, this is the place for you. Long skirts, tops, scarves, short skirts-in denim, cotton, linen for casual wear, day wear, party wear-you can find all here and at great bargains. If you are brand conscious, there are some “big” shops here too. Shoes and bags are available aplenty and in some great designs. Of course, some stuff is “made in China”, but there is also lot sold here that is locally made.

Downtown is another area where the shopping is never-ending…..will be soon giving you an update on shopping around the Talaat Harb Square. Till then, remember-“When in Rome, do as the Romans do, when in Egypt shop where the Egyptians shop”.