Looking out of my window on the busy Gameat al-Dowal al-Arabiy street, I see a park that runs through almost half its length. People who visit this park seem totally oblivious to the din of the cars whizzing past them on either side. I marvel at the contrast that it provides-an oasis of greenery in the urban jungle of Mohandissen and that too smack in the middle of the busiest streets in Cairo! But then that is Cairo for you- a city of contrasts and contradictions. Picture this; ladies covering their hair with colorful scarves, tied securely around their heads and ladies flaunting the latest in hairstyles and hair colors. You will come across both of them on the streets of Cairo. It is not unusual for this contradiction to be visible in the same family-the mother wearing the hijab and her daughter choosing to go without it.
It is a relatively conservative society, yes, but at the same time, it also has a very active “disco’ scene as I discovered the other night when we went out with friends to Latex, a nightclub at the Nile Hilton. Here we saw young Cairenes dressed in the latest fashions and making the right moves to the latest English hits. They seemed completely at ease in such a setting.
There are the obvious contrasts that is part of a developing country-new high-rise buildings next to centuries old structures; affluence and poverty, the golden arches of McDonalds next to an Egyptian eatery etc. However, ever so often, I come across something that totally blows away the stereotypes and preconceptions that I have about Egypt! I am sure it has many more surprises in store for me, especially after I once saw the latest model of BMW vying for space with a cart being pulled by a donkey, on the busy streets of Cairo!
It is a relatively conservative society, yes, but at the same time, it also has a very active “disco’ scene as I discovered the other night when we went out with friends to Latex, a nightclub at the Nile Hilton. Here we saw young Cairenes dressed in the latest fashions and making the right moves to the latest English hits. They seemed completely at ease in such a setting.
There are the obvious contrasts that is part of a developing country-new high-rise buildings next to centuries old structures; affluence and poverty, the golden arches of McDonalds next to an Egyptian eatery etc. However, ever so often, I come across something that totally blows away the stereotypes and preconceptions that I have about Egypt! I am sure it has many more surprises in store for me, especially after I once saw the latest model of BMW vying for space with a cart being pulled by a donkey, on the busy streets of Cairo!
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