Baksheesh, please

According to a survey conducted by Expedia, an online travel company, Indians ranked as the "second worst tourists" in the world. One of the reasons for this dismal ranking is the fact that they got average scores on their "generosity" or to put it simply due to their lower propensity to tip. However, one year of stay in Cairo, Egypt can change this forever. As I have discovered!

During the initial months of my stay in Cairo, I had this in-built inertia against tipping-why should I pay for a service that I did not ask for and did not want? Why should I tip a person who is just doing his job? But soon the “tipping culture” gets to you and you start understanding the nuances.

My first brush with tipping was when on landing at the Cairo international airport, I visited the washroom and came face to face with a lady holding a toilet roll in her hand and handing me a swathe of tissue. I thought to myself-what a great way to ensure that there is no wastage of tissue and to encourage conservation!!. And then I saw the other ladies who had used the washroom tip the woman. The woman then looked expectantly at me-since I had only large denomination notes with me, I mumbled a thanks and left the washroom.

"Baksheesh", as tips are known in Cairo is a way of life here. At the supermarket, the person who puts the groceries inside bags, then insists on carrying it out to your car needs to be tipped. The person who opens your car door for you-whether you want such kind of service or not has long ceased to have any relevance-is not being chivalrous

While going out for dinner, the "baksheeshing "begins when you are parking your car. A man will suddenly materialize and insist on guiding you on how to turn your wheels to park your car-it is a different matter that he may never have driven a car in his life! Of course, you need to tip him. The person who guides you to your table expects a tip. You need to leave a tip on the bill amount, even if they have already added service charge. When you are walking towards your car, suddenly a man darts in front of you and takes a swipe at your windshield with a cloth-his idea of cleaning it. Your windshield is, of course, absolutely clean and you did not ask for it but you need to give him baksheesh. Decide to fill up on gas? Keep a pound ready to tip the guy who is filling up your tank-never mind that he is just doing his job

Of course, all this baksheesh business can sometimes get very uncomfortable. Like the time we ate at the Egyptian Pancake House in the Khan. Our cheque had just been brought to the table when one of the waiters came over and asked if we had liked our food. What care and courtesy! We assured him that we had enjoyed the food but he kept waiting while we sorted out the money for the cheque. We then realized that he was hanging around to ensure that we left a baksheesh.

At other times, it can get unpleasant too. While leaving from a pub, we handed LE 5 to the person “in charge” of the parking on that street. He took the money and then demanded LE 20! He held onto the car window and let go of it only after we firmly refused to pay anymore. On another occasion, outside the Boulaq market, our driver handed over LE 1 to the man who had helped him find parking. But the man got into an argument and demanded more money saying that the place where our car had been parked was his!!! (when did the authorities of Cairo hand over this tract of land to him?). Finally, the matter was settled at LE 7. Whew!

Sometimes, it is plain funny. The liftman who took us up the Cairo tower, kept telling us “welcome” and repeated again and again that he loved India and of course, loved Amitabh Bachchan. He completely ignored the other Egyptians in the lift and we were quite amused to being singled out for attention. We, of course, had to give him baksheesh! Another time, when I had gone to see off my friend traveling to Paris, we entered the wrong terminal. We were looking around trying to determine the correct terminal when a man in overalls (probably the maintenance staff at the airport) approached us. On hearing that we were there for the Air France flight, he pointed to the adjacent terminal and insisted on leading us there. My first thought was that people are so helpful and polite here...but I soon realised the folly of these thoughts. Even after we had thanked him, the man kept standing around and then it dawned on me that he was expecting a tip!

Soon you learn to judge situations. In some cases, the amount that a person gets through baksheesh are his only earnings, thus justifying tipping. Sometimes, the employers deliberately underpay the employees, hoping that they will make up in tips. This moves you to give baksheesh. Of course, in certain cases, culture overrides the necessity angle and compels you to tip. Therefore, it is important to use your judgment. Good service and need of the person should win over coercion.

P.S. Don’t leave your house without your mobile, house keys, wallet etc. In Cairo, they add…Don’t leave your house without sufficient change!