The Anafora Retreat Center

In the middle of nowhere, two hours’ drive out of Cairo is the Anafora Retreat Center. Intended as a place of prayer and silent reflection, this Retreat on the Cairo-Alex Desert Highway offers the perfect sanctuary and haven from the hustle and bustle of life. Anafora is run by the Coptic Orthodox Church and welcomes people from all over the world within its tree dappled precincts.

As soon as you enter, there is the Anamnesis building at the entrance, which serves the day visitors to the Retreat. Some distance away is the main building called ‘Anafora’, which means ‘sacrifice’. Here you can enjoy a cup of tea before going onto the terrace for beautiful views across the Retreat.

Bishop Thomas has designed all the buildings at the Retreat, using materials that people of Asyut use to build their houses. Bricks made of red mud and straw are used as the building blocks and afterwards the whole building is coated in mud and straw. The emphasis is on using natural materials. The thick walls and the natural materials ensure that the inside of the building remains cool, without the need for air-conditioning. In the distance, you can see the conference and training centre –it is called ‘Anastasia’ which means ‘lifting up’ in Coptic. At this training center, girls from the less developed region of Upper Egypt are trained in hairdressing, embroidery etc, thus equipping them to lead better lives. The Retreat welcomes day visitors as well as people who want to stay for a few days to enjoy the nature’s bounty. Individual huts for the accommodation of visitors have been arranged in the shape of a question mark. The dot at the end of the question mark is a chapel-indicating that all answers to the question of life can be found here. A few of the huts are white in colour, amidst the other earth-coloured ones, signifying that people of all nationalities and religion are welcome in the retreat-we may differ from the outside but we are all essentially the same.

The highlight of the Retreat is the meditation center. Beautiful architecture on the outside and aesthetically done up from the inside, it beckons visitors to enter and enjoy the solitude. There are no straight lines here, only curves and this makes for excellent acoustics, doing away with the need for a microphone. The floor is covered with woven multi-coloured rugs. There are benches and chairs along the sides for people who cannot sit on the floor. On the multi-coloured rugs are large pillows made of the same material as the rugs and are woven at the Retreat itself. To provide support while kneeling down, stools have been thoughtfully placed behind each pillow.

There is an opening cut into the ceiling in the shape of an eye through which light streams inside as also seven small plates of coloured glass set into the ceiling to let the light in. The back of the meditation center has brightly painted paintings that look like mosaics. The artist has made these designs using the ‘iota’ –which is the first letter in the name of Lord Jesus.

All visitors are offered free lunch, which is a simple fare of rice, beans, raw vegetables, freshly baked bread and a dip. The visitors have the run of the place and can either spend time in the mediation center or wander around the vast farm. A blue concrete moat runs around the Retreat and surrounds the chapel. Sometimes, the moat is filled with water from the underground springs, lending a charm and coolness to the place. This water is then pumped out and used to irrigate the vast rows of fruit trees and other crops, like the mango and date orchards and the geranium and the hibiscus trees.

Nature is revered at this Retreat and there is a small workshop on the premises where they make soaps and essential oils to cure a number of ailments, including for weight reduction and hypertension. All the products are made using the herbs that are grown on the grounds of the Retreat. The fruits are used to make jams and preserves and all these products are on sale at their shop on the premises. It is a marvel that amidst the aridity of the desert can be found such a flourishing farm. The proceeds from the sales of these products contribute to making the Anafora Retreat Center self-sustaining.

There is also a well-stocked library on the premises, where books in a number of languages can be found. In fact, the library is a nice place to spend time reading or just day dreaming. And if nothing seems to catch your fancy then enjoy the outdoors under the rough shade houses. Let your thoughts drift as you observe the myriad patterns made by the sunlight trickling in through the plam branches of the roof.

for a day visit call Sister Sara on 012 3812604

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.

ROAD FROM CAIRO TO SHARM

The distance between Cairo to Sharm is approximately 520 km. The road is fairly simple.

From Cairo, you first need to get onto to Suez road. You can approach the Suez road, either through Maadi /Katameya road or through Nasr City. Once you get onto the Suez road and reach the entrance to the Suez protectorate, take a U-turn to reach the Ahmed Hanafi Tunnel, which snakes under the Suez Canal, connecting the town of Suez to the Sinai peninsula-in a way connecting the African mainland to Asia.

On exiting the tunnel, keep to the right and get onto the Cairo Sharm highway. There is a signpost here to guide you. Then it is a fairly straight road till you reach Sharm

From Cairo, it is approximately a six-hour journey, depending on the number and the length of your stops for WC and benzene. Fill up on gas whenever you see a petrol station. Though there are petrol stations on the way, you might not find one when you need it.

The drive is through some beautiful landscape. It is fascinating to watch the play of sun over the sea and the mountains.

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.

TWO DAY ITINERARY FOR LUXOR

Hey....forgot to add snaps; so am doing that now. Enjoy!]

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After much research and consultuing with Egyptologist friends who have visited Luxor independently and not on guided tours, this is the itinerary that I decided for our two-day trip to Luxor and it worked wonderfully. A hectic schedule, no doubt, especially if you are the kind to linger on details; nevertheless a schedule that gives you the satisfaction of having made the most of two days!

It is best to make an early start-most of the sites open at 6.00 AM; afternoons can be spent in the hotels or having a leisurely lunch. Late afternoon/evenings are best spent visiting the temples on the East Bank.

DAY 1

Start your visit to Luxor by visiting the royal tombs at Valley of the Kings. A single ticket (LE 70) entitles you to visit three tombs. There is a toy train to transport you to the entrance (LE 4)-if you have the time and inclination, you can easily walk up to the entrance. At the entrance, you will have to hand over your video cameras. A map here shows the lay-out of the tombs and you can choose the three that you want to visit. We visited the Tombs of Ramses III, Tuthmosis III and Ramses IX.

Ramses IX-This tomb is notable for its well-preserved paintings, the colours still so vivid as if the paintings are fairly recent! It is believed that the tomb was unfinished when Ramses IX died; after his death, the tomb was hastily completed

Ramses III- This tomb had a “false start” when its builders mistakenly cut through into the adjacent tomb. Ramses III changed the course of the corridor to the right and the result was a very large tomb with beautifully painted sunken reliefs.

Tuthmosis III-This tomb requires some “serious” walking and climbing a steep staircase. It is located between two limestone hills and is the most inaccessible of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. The choice of its location demonstrates the extent to which the pharaohs went to protect their burial places from tomb raiders. There is a second steep staircase that leads to the burial chamber.

After visiting the three tombs on your itinerary, you might want to just walk around the valley-away from the long queues near the most popular tombs; it is quite peaceful with some good views over a barren landscape.

Be prepared that some of the tombs that you have set your heart onto maybe closed for renovation-we could not visit the Tomb of Mernepath for the same reason. There is a visitors’ centre just before the ticket booth, where a couple of documentaries are run, giving information on the discovery of the tombs and their restoration. Also http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/ is a good site for detailed information on the “Valley of the Kings”.


Deir al Bahri-The Temple of Hatshepsut is partly rock-cut and partly free-standing and has a wide causeway that leads to three huge terraced courts. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Tuthmosis I and became regent for Tuthmosis III, the minor son of her husband. She is then believed to have assumed the role of a pharoah and ruled for 15 years. Spend an hour here studying the reliefs recording the birth of Hatshepsut and the pharoah in the presence of various Pharonic gods. At some places the reliefs show gaps where Hatshepsut’s face has been disfigured by her successors

Colossi of Memnon-En route to your hotel for a brief siesta, stop at the two statues known as the Colossi of Memnon. These faceless statues are the remains of a large funerary complex that was built by Amenhotep III, but has been eroded away over the centuries due to the floods. .

After lunch and a siesta, head out to the Luxor Temple on the East Bank.

Luxor Temple-This temple is best visited during late afternoon/evening so that you get the opportunity to see the temple by daylight as well as when the sun has set and the temple is lit up. The temple was mostly built by Amenhotep III. The architecture of the temple is truly awe-inspiring. I loved the court of Amenhotelp III, which is surrounded by double rows of columns on three sides and is built in such a way so as to be open to the sun. Alexander the Great has rebuilt the barque shrine in this temple, which has reliefs depicting Alexander in the traditional regalia of the Pharoahs.

Day 2

Make an early start at around 7.00 p.m from the hotel to first visit the Medinat Habu. The tickets for visiting Medinat Habu are not available at the site but have to be bought at the Antiquities Inspectorate Office, close to the ferry landing. Apparently Medinat Habu was inhabited as recently as the late 9th century. It comprises of funerary temples built by Ramses III, Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III. What I found most striking were the reliefs depicting Ramses III as the victor of several wars. Medinat Habu is a huge complex and has some of the best preserved reliefs-the colours are still vivid and beautiful.

Then you can return to the hotel for a siesta or visit another set of tombs-either the Valley of the Queens or Tomb of the Nobles.

The grand finale of any visit to Luxor is the Karnak Temple which according to one account is large enough to hold 10 cathedrals-therefore allow for sufficient time and energy to enjoy this temple. But I can guarantee that one visit will not be enough and you will want to come back again to visit this architectural marvel. The temple is open from 6.00 a.m to 5.30 p.m from October to April and till 6.00 p.m from May to September. Tickets can be bought at the entrance for LE 50. The highlight of this temple for me is the great Hypostyle Hall which consists of 134 papyrus- shaped stone pillars and lies after the second pylon. Originally, this hall was roofed; it was also brightly painted but today, the paint can be seen only in a few places. The temple has a total of ten pylons-its size and grandeur can only be imagined.

If you have time left before taking the flight/ train home, take in the sound and light show at the Karnak Temple, which is of one and a half hour duration.

Remember to read up a little on the sites that you will be visiting; this will help you to better appreciate the architectural marvels at Luxor. Do the sight seeing at a pace that suits you-prioritize according to your interests!

STAY IN LUXOR, EATS AND TREATS TOO!

Staying At Luxor

Luxor is the place which can truly transport one to the Pharonic era; if you are visiting Luxor, you should be spending very little time in your hotel room. While choosing a hotel, the emphasis and concern should be getting clean beds and bathrooms. Most of the hotels are on the East Bank. This is much quieter than the West Bank and you will be close to the Luxor and the Karnak temples!

For checking out the hotel options in Luxor, log onto http://www.allhotels.com/. But be warned – the room rates mentioned on the site are not necessarily the correct ones-as I learnt the hard way! I chose Pyramisa Hotel from this website-a double room with a Nile view When I tried booking the room through the website, the operation failed every time. Then I called them and told them about the dates and the room that I wanted-and got the shock of my life-when the rates that were quoted were almost double and I was told that the website did not carry the correct rates! I suggest you use the website to get an idea of the hotels and the kind of facilities available therein and then do the bookings on the telephone. You will have to remit the money by wire transfer to confirm your bookings.

We finally stayed at Tutotel; a three star. Our rooms were clean and had good bathrooms. For the price of USD 44/- per night (double occupancy), it served our purpose. It has a small terrace pool and a terrace restaurant. The location is also very convenient.

Moving Around Luxor

We hired a car for the two days that we stayed in Luxor to take us around-for LE 300/day. We used the services of “Egypt on Line Tours” who provided us with an air-conditioned mini-van with a chauffeur who knew “basic” English and was conversant with all the sites. Though we did not hire any guide, it is possible to hire english-speaking guides for LE 150/- per day.

Eating Out

I would recommend the Africa restaurant on the West Bank- it has a friendly staff and serves freshly made Egyptian fare. A great place for vegetarians too! We had hummus and baba ghanough, greens salads together with rice, mixed vegetables, potato gravy and French fries for the main course. And of course, to help with the digestion; freshly squeezed lemon juice. We paid LE 48 per person, all inclusive. This place is extremely popular with tourist groups and if you get a table, you may be subject to subtle prodding by the staff to finish your meal and be off!

Treats

Treat yourself to a cold karkade and sheeshah at the Metropolitan Café on the Corniche while watching the sun set over the river Nile. The perfect place to rest your tired limbs and reflect on the historical sites that you have just visited is definitely by the river Nile – which too is as old as history!

A ferry ride between the West and the East Bank in Luxor is highly recommended-not only as the fastest and the easiest mode of travel between the two banks, but also for the sheer joy of cruising the Nile and feeling the spray of water on your face! Expect to pay around LE 1-2 per person for the crossing.

Take Me Home!

There are lovely clay pots (tagens) that can be bought beside the police station in Luxor. With some bargaining, you can buy the small pots for LE 5 and slightly bigger ones for LE 7-10. They can be used for cooking over the stove and can be used for serving too-to add a “different” touch to your dinner party!

TRAVEL TO LUXOR

Whenever one thinks of visiting Luxor and Aswan, the obvious choice is going on a Nile cruise. You have the option of 4 days/ 3 nights or 5 days/ 4 nights cruise. But I had only a couple of days in hand; my parents were to leave for India soon and I wanted them to experience the Pharonic ambience-and what better place than Luxor!

Decided to ditch Aswan and use the two days to visit Luxor. I thought the hard decision was out of the way-but the problems were to just begin. How to travel to Luxor?-By air, take the train or the luxury bus?

FLY TO LUXOR
On any given day, there are 10 flights that operate between Cairo and Luxor. Check out the timetable on http://www.egyptair.com/. Click on timetable and you can see all the flights for a particular day. The first flight out on any day is early morning-between 5.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m. and the last flight out between 10.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Early bookings are highly recommended; especially during the peak tourist season (which runs from October to April), -not only does it get you a better price but also confirmed bookings on the desired flights. We tried to get flight bookings on a Sunday for the coming Thursday and there we no confirmed bookings available for the return flight from Luxor. Our tickets were working out to LE 900 for a round trip per person-I have had friends who have paid LE 500 and one who has even paid as low as LE 350 for a round trip. And apparently there is no logical explanation to this difference in the price-I guess the earlier you book, the better the chances of you getting a good price. Have also been told that the rates are different if you book at the Egypt Air office –the rates differ from what is advertised on their site and there is no convincing explanation for this too!

TAKE THE TRAIN
If you are unable to get confirmed bookings for the flight you want, or the flight is working out too expensive for you or you can’t be bothered to spoil your sleep for taking a flight at odd hours, your best bet is the sleeper train.

These trains are meant exclusively for expats and are quite comfortable. You have to pay for it in US dollars or euros. As for credit card, they accept only the visa card. Up to eight tickets can be bought at the Giza station. For tickets above 8, the tickets have to be bought at the Ramses station. Buy the tickets at least a day in advance-earlier during the peak season and if traveling on a week-end.

There are three trains that leave daily-one at 20.00 hrs and the other at 20.30 hrs from the Giza station. A third train leaves at 21.00 hrs from the Ramses station. The journey to Luxor takes 9 hours. The sleeper train has 13 sleeping cars each, which contains 10 double cabins and 02 bathrooms. Every Cabin has a connecting door with the next cabin, to be used when needed. Cabins are equipped with basins, razor plugs, tap water, soap & towels. The day seats are converted into sleeping beds which are quite comfortable. A luggage compartment is available on the top of the door. However, the train can be a little noisy on the tracks. The ticket price is USD 120 for a round ticket and includes dinner and breakfast. The food can be disappointing though. Liquor is also served and is charged separately. For a single berth compartment, you have to pay USD 120. Check out their website for more information. http://www.sleepingtrains.com/

Another cheaper option to travel to Luxor is the air-conditioned express trains-both daytime and overnight trains. They take longer but cost less-around USD 30 for a round trip. The first class compartments are comfortable enough with reclining seats. But, there maybe certain restrictions on the foreigners traveling on these trains. For information on schedules and facilities, check out http://www.seat61.com/Egypt

BUS TO LUXOR
The one bus that I know that takes you to Luxor is operated by “Nile Transportation”. I have no idea about the facilities on board. You can get more information by visiting Monyeeb ,El baher El Azam street or call 35725362. The bus leaves at 5.30 p.m. and the reservations have to be made at 4.00 p.m.

Daylight Saving Time in Egypt

It has been four days now since Egypt re-set its clocks-advanced it by one hour, to be precise. But the battle to adjust to the changed time still continues-the body clock continues to “live in the past”. Mornings are disrupted- at “dawn”, it is still dark outside. My friends with children have been complaining that making it to the school on time these days is a herculean task.

Egypt practices daylight saving time between the last Thursday of April andthe last Thursday in September. This year the change was made at midnight (local time) on 24th April (Thursday)-one second after 23:59:59 became 1:00:00 on Friday. We arenow at three hours ahead of GMT.
Read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_around_the_world..

The rationale behind this practice is to make available longer daylight hours in the evenings for activities after the normal working hours. Also the electricity consumption decreases since it is daylight for much of the waking hours. Hence the term "daylight saving time"-you save the daylight for the waking hours!

However, there is still much debate on the merits of practicing daylight saving time. Inconvenience, disruptions in schedule etc are some of the points against this practice. India too used to practice daylight saving time for a few years but the practice has now been discontinued.

For us Indians in Egypt, for six months we will be closer to the Indian Standard Time-we are now only 2.5 hours behind India! And in my six months in Cairo, I had to wait for the daylight saving time to start to enjoy a cup of tea at sunset on a working day with my husbandJ

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

These days the pace of life is faster-we want to accomplish a lot of things in a shorter span of time. Unfortunately, this applies when we take time off too! Our pleasure trips sometimes leave us feeling more tired than rejuvenated – the sight-seeing is done at a punishing pace; no sight is to be left unseen and no adventure left untried.

Egypt has some of the world’s oldest engineering wonders and some beautiful treasures and sights. Since moving to Cairo a few months back, we have visited a number of “tourist” places and my enjoyment has at times been marred by the attitude and acts of some of the tourists.

A visit to the Crystal Mountain in the White Desert is to enjoy the beauty and vastness of the landscape -picking a crystal as a souvenir or keepsake will only deplete nature and probably not even occupy “shelf-space” in your house after a year. Using a 4x4 to get closer to the rock formations definitely saves time and energy but the tyres over the fragile rocks will soon grind them to rubble and the very formations that are drawing such crowds will disappear! Visiting the desert in the age-old way i.e. walking or on a camel is more enjoyable!

Watching the sun set from the Sinai Mountain or star gazing in the desert with a chilled coke/ beer for company maybe idyllic but leaving behind the empty cans/ bottles contributes to the degradation of the environment and is nuisance value to the later tourists. Camping in the desert is adventurous; lighting campfires and singing, talking around it is entertaining but the burned out camp fires and other garbage left behind is not appealing.

The entrance fees to the Egyptian Museum is high – but it is not a license to go strolling beyond the “no visitors beyond this point” signs. Some people are hard at work here cataloguing and describing all the archeological findings for our better understanding.

The centuries old tombs and mastabas have lovely painted reliefs – we are lucky that they are still in good enough condition for us to admire them – don’t be tempted to touch them! And do we really need to talk so loudly when we are inside the tombs – the paintings and the frescoes are beautiful enough to leave us “speechless” – the moisture from our chatter may harm the reliefs and the frescoes. Giving “baksheesh” to a guard to allow you to use your flash in tombs will give you a good picture to be the focal point of a dinner party at your house, but will harm the paint of the reliefs.

It is only fair that we respect the sentiments of the people of the country that we are visiting, whether it is in the manner of our dressing and covering the head and removing the shoes when entering into a mosque. Scrambling on the rocks and the toppled statues in the temples at Luxor may give you a better vantage point for your photograph but you may be stepping on and erasing important historical evidence.

Most of these things are just a matter of common sense; we can do our bit to preserve what we have been fortunate enough to inherit-WE OWE IT TO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS!

Chase to Borg Al Arab

I now know what the passenger in a car chase in a James Bond movie feels like. A couple of weeks ago, our car zigzagged at more than 160 km/hr on a busy road towards the Burg-al-Arab airport in Alexandria. …. the car zigzagged, from the first lane to the last and then back to the first and so it went for a good half hour. No, we were not participating in a warm-up to the Grand Prix-my husband was booked on a flight to Dubai and he was going to miss the flight!

We had left Cairo early enough to be able to reach the airport on time; but we had not done our home-work. Alexandria has two airports-The El Nouzha airport, located around 7 km to the south-east of the city centre. Air Arabia, Bahrain Air, Egypt Air are some of the airlines that operate their flights out of this airport-(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Nouzha_Airport). On reaching the El Nozha airport, we realized that the Emirates Airline, on which my husband was booked, did not ply from El Nouzha! We did an about turn and rushed towards the Borg Al Arab airport, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_al_Arab_Airport), the second airport that serves Alexandria and which is 25 km from the city centre.

Our progress was hampered by the fact that there are no street signs indicating the direction to the Borg al Arab airport and a couple of times we took the wrong turn and had to stop and ask for directions. One need not come into the city, when traveling to the Borg al Arab; it is accessible from the Alexandria Desert Road. Apart from the Emirates, this airport also caters to Lufthansa and the Turkish airlines.

After much ado, when we finally reached the gates of the airport, our driver asked the man at the gate whether it was in fact the Borg Al Arab (there is no sign here in English indicating the name of the airport), we heard the man say “Insha’allah it is!” and we wondered whether our woes had just begun.