Being a Tourist in Egypt

The hassles of being a tourist in Egypt are many. It all starts with the differential pricing for entry into the famous monuments and the other tourist spots. As foreigners, even as resident expats, we pay nearly quadruple the amount that the locals pay as entrance fees. Maybe, this is justified, given the argument that Egypt being a poor country, most of the locals would be unable to visit these monuments, if they had to pay the higher entrance fees. However, the harassment by the touts at the tourist sites, harassment by shop owners and stall owners is unprecedented and legendary. And you need to be made of sterner stuff to withstand this hassle, without getting your blood pressure up.

Particularly bad are the touts that surround you and your car as soon as you come within sight of the Giza pyramids. If nothing else works, they just jump on the bonnet of your car to stake their claim on you…as their client! If this is not enough to make you feel like turning tail and running away, their persistent demands to purchase souvenirs, to get onto a camel or a horse surely cannot be borne by the faint hearted.

Added to all this, if you happen to be a light-skinned, blue-eyed, blond tourist, then your woes are doubled. When my friend who fitted the above description was visiting me in Cairo, she was met with requests for touching her hair, posing with her for pictures, and also some audacious marriage proposals. All the prices were quoted in dollars or euros-a LE 5 item will be quoted as USD 5 or Euro 5.

The Khan-el-Khalili vendors welcomed you with the comment “You want help in spending your money?” As if we are totally daft and have no clue as to what to do with our money. But the most original line came from this vendor. My friend requested a shop owner to help choose good pieces as gifts to take back home. She said ”you must help me….you know what will be a pretty piece”. The shopkeeper said “you are pretty!” A potential candidate for writing the dialogues for the next Bollywood blockbuster!

If you are eating at a road side eatery at the “Khan”, you will have to ward off people selling everything from scarves to the evil eye. Even sitting at the historic Fishawi café is fraught with vendors offering you a wallet at every sip of your shay bil “na’na (mint tea) and every puff of your sheesha! A firm “La Shukran” (no, thank you) is effective in most cases, except the most persistent.

However, despite all the hassle, the memories that you carry back with you are that of the endearing warmth of the people here, the majesty and beauty of the Islamic, Pharonic and the Coptic monuments. And of course, you must have heard of the saying that once you have drunk from the Nile, you will return again to Cairo.

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?