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.

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?

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”!

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.

Parking in Cairo

When we received my mom at the airport, her first remark on being escorted to our car was “has your car been banged up? Why are there so many dents and scratches on your car?” And we had to explain to her how difficult it would be to find a “scratch-free” car in Cairo due to the peculiarities of “road etiquette” here. She was convinced about this that same night, when we were returning home from dinner. Our chauffeur turned the car into a lane and then immediately braked and started backing out-the reason being that another car was coming in from the other end and there was space for only one car to pass through!. No, he had not entered into a “one-way” lane. It had been converted into a “one-way” lane due to the cars that were parked on both sides of the lane. And while observing these parked cars, my mom realized that indeed there was not a car to be found that did not have chipped paint, a bent fender, or scratched body.

Here in Cairo, double parking is the norm and not the exception. And don’t be surprised if you find the cars “triple” parked too, leaving only a single lane for the moving cars, on what was probably a three- lane road! What happens to the poor guy who has parked on the kerb, when he wants to move out his car? Not to worry-Cairo and Cairenes have a solution for that too! A person who double parks or triple parks, just leaves his car in “neutral”-so when his / her car is blocking another car, it is just “nudged” backwards or forwards (as the case may be), out of the way and then “nudged” back into its spot! So convenient! No need to waste time searching for a parking spot and everyone is happy! But not the best for the car necessarily! Because all this “nudging’ and “pushing” is bound to leave a scratch on the car.

The Cairenes have a special fascination for their cars and will not scrap an old car even if they don’t use it anymore. They would rather just cover up the car and let it occupy precious space on the streets (and thereby multiply the parking problem!) than let it go. I don’t know the reason for this- maybe it is some kind of status symbol to have many cars, even if some are ready to be scrapped! Also, such cars, if used, can only be a menace on the roads and also contribute to the pollution.

The high-rises, apartments and office blocks are made with little or no provision for parking, compounding the problem. I can only imagine the residents of such high-rises or the people working there, circling the block, striving to find a place to park their car.

I am not driving in Cairo but my husband does on occasions and he has this interesting experience to share. The lane leading to his office is narrow to begin with; the cars parked on both sides making it even narrower-so that even if yours is the only car in that lane, it requires some skillful driving to get through without “kissing” the cars on either side. So what hubby does is –when he reaches that lane, he stops for a moment, ascertains that there is no other car in that lane (actually he makes sure that there is not even a remote possibility of another car coming in from the other end :-))and then quickly drives down the lane and breathes easy only when he has reached the other end. Reversing the car in such close confines would be quite a task!

In fact, the parking problem in Cairo is so acute that some people ingeniously make a living out of it. Near major shopping areas, offices and restaurants, don’t be surprised if as you slow down looking for a parking spot, a man materializes and offers to guide you into a parking space and look over your car till you return in exchange for a “tip”.

Street Savvy in Cairo

I chose to walk to my Arabic class today-I have been in Cairo for close to three months now and have not really walked anywhere- walking to and fro from the car to my destination does not count. Having made the momentous decision, I observed the road from my apartment (yes, my apartment overlooks the busy Gameat al-Dowal al-Arabiya street) and decided the spot from where I would cross the road-a number of people were using this spot to cross to the other side; and also it looked to be the shortest distance to the other end.

So, on my maiden walk on the streets of Cairo, I stood at this spot, hoping for a break in the traffic or for the approaching cars to slow down and allow me to go through. When neither of these things happened and I was still waiting, at the end of five minutes I decided to “go” for it- took a deep breath, tightened the shoulder strap of my bag (thank God, I had worn sensible walking shoes that day!) and dived into the oncoming traffic. For a second, I just froze, I thought that I would be mowed down under a car; but then my “Mumbai training” took over and I forged ahead confidently, without hesitating or looking back and lo! and behold! I was “home”. I told myself I had done this before on the streets of Mumbai and I could do it again!

Though I had made it safely to the other side, my woes had not yet ended; I found it difficult to walk on the side of the road with the cars whizzing to within an inch of me –so I thought I would get onto the pavement-is it not the safe and sensible thing to do? Pavements are meant for pedestrian traffic after all! But not in Cairo –I found it impossible to get onto the pavement; the cars were parked so close to each other and so close to the kerb that I could not find enough space to squeeze through and I did not want to go through the embarrassing situation of having to wriggle my way through two cars-What if I got stuck? And even if I did manage to find my way through the maze of cars and to the pavement, getting off would again be a problem….the cars are parked on the keb, then “double parked” and even “triple parked”!

Walking to the class was an education on "street etiquette" in Cairo. I finally made it to the class-hurray! I am now “Cairo street savvy”

Celebrations-Egyptian style!

Here are some ways in which you can celebrate your country’s win in the semi- final of a prestigious football event:-

Wrap yourself in your country’s flag and sprint across the busiest road of the city.
Ride your bicycle on one wheel, and if you are feeling really happy, you can go round in circles on the bicylce
Play football with cola cans on the streets of the city.
Cruise down the road in your luxury car, sitting on the bonnet or better still on the roof.
Hang out of the sun-roof of your car, waving the flag. Or, if your car does not have a sun-roof, you can hang out of the windows.
Form a human chain and weave your way in and out of the traffic.
Climb onto the roof of the parked cars and play the “tabla” while your friends dance below; to make it more interesting you can move from car to car-all is forgiven in the “happy times”
Show stunts on your motorcycle-with one leg stretched out and the other on the pillion, drive your bike in a circle
Move around in a circle to the beat of the drums
Firecrackers are passé –shake your deodorant cans, press the nozzle and put a cigarette lighter to the spray, watching it flare up. (this is definitely risky)
When you have celebrated enough on one side of the busy street, shift the action to the other side.
Make it impossible for the cars to pass through and turn the busy road into a playground.
If you are driving on the road where celebrations are in full swing, stop your car, get down and start dancing; soon others will join you and you can be at the centre of all the celebrations for some time.
Importantly, don’t let the decibel level down, not even for a nanosecond and not even a notch…keep celebrating into the wee hours of the morning.

The above is a sample of the ways that the Cairenes celebrated the Egyptian football team’s win in the semi-finals of the Africa cup of Nations on Thursday, on the busy Gameat al-Dowal al-Arabiya.

Football Frenzy!

What is it about sports that drives people crazy?…a win for their favorite team can be a cause for celebration; at the same time a loss for the team they support can completely ruin their day and mood. What amazes me is the immense degree of involvement in a sport, which one probably doesn’t even play!- this passion for sports, represents to me, the ultimate in vicarious pleasure.

Here in Cairo, football is the most popular game, it can drive people crazy and how! Last night after Egypt’s win over Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations, the streets filled up rapidly and the traffic scene was a nightmare. The fans celebrated their country’s win by honking, waving the Egyptian flag and even lighting up flares on the roads. It was a sight to behold! I was only thankful that I was watching the celebrations from the safety of my apartment window and not stuck in the “snail’s pace” traffic below. This outpouring of emotion reminds me of the times when you can see similar scenes in India after India’s win in a cricket match.

But why does someone else’s win make you feel like a winner? Is it a "patriotic thing" that makes you go completely bonkers when the national team wins? But then, I have sat rooted to the T.V while Steffi Graf played a Grand Slam final and prayed for her to win-she is a German and I an Indian….so it can’t be the patriotic thing. Also, the discovery of a life-saving drug or the launching of a satellite by your country does not result in the same outpouring of emotion

Is it the inroads that the media has made in our lives that makes us feel as if we are a part of the game from the beginning till the end? Earlier, it was the radio commentary that had people glued to their radio sets, now watching the games on big screens have become a social event. It is almost as if it is you playing every ball or striving every minute for a win. Then again it is the physical sports that score over those needing you to exercise your grey cells. A Sachin Tendulkar hitting a six on the last ball, taking the Indian team to victory gets the fans screaming for more; a Vishwanathan Anand making the winning move in chess is likely to elicit just polite clapping.

But I am not complaining – because the roads of Cairo are blessedly devoid of traffic when Egypt is playing a football match; but be warned-make it to your destination before the match ends or you could be caught in the “worst traffic jam ever”!