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.