Egypt – a nation that has mistique long associated with it; a nation whose sands and pyramids, music and food, people and their erstwhile rulers have long captured the imagination of the cinematic industry; a nation that is steeped in history and yet has, on the surface, embraced modernity.
After a week in Egypt, some impressions have stuck on distinctly. Before musing on Egypt, a word on Emirates Airlines, the carrier that ferried me to my destination. Emirates Airlines is supposed to be the top of the class Gulf carrier and yet there was a distict difference in the service and seating of flight originating from Bangalore and that originating from Dubai. While the one from Bangalore had a cold staff with reeking attidude and below par seating, the one originating from Dubai was real pleasure to ride on. While I am not implying discrimination, I wonder what the airline intends to convey with such a distinctive treatment of its patrons.
Now to Egypt – a nation much similar to India but with many stark differences. The first one – well its about the food; if you are a vegetarian, beware, this country is as much aware of your dietery preferances as you are aware of the bacterium clostradium's, that is, they know next to nothing of what you mean by vegetarian. Obviously, a country in desert cannot be expected to have greens as the staple but you would be surprised at the lack of veggie options here. Veggie travellers, you have been warned. However, a big surprise lies in wait everytime I purchase vegetables – they are cheaper than in India. Can you imagine that – a desert nation having fruits and vegetables at a price lesser than a fertile land? Something is amiss, I guess.
The attitude of the people never ceases to amaze me. These are a cheerful lot with loads of courtesy, this in spite of the lack of many a freedom that we take for granted back in India.
The traffic here puts to shame the worst managed Indian cities. The arterial roadways in the heart of the city are jammed for huge distances and some stretches of 2 – 3 km sometimes takes more than an hour. There is no need to go to any amusemet part for a hair raising ride, just get into any of the taxis and you would have more than your monies worth of "on the edge" rides. I have been in a taxi that alternated, in bursts, over 70 kmph and 20 kmph in crowded street corners. And despite the traffic, I have not seen any instance of road rage, people here are too decent and cheerful for that.
And language – any traveller to Egypt would have a grouse on the language front. With Arabic as the only language and even the little English being spoken having more than a hint of Arabic, miscommunication is a normal mode of communication. You encounter the true challenge when it comes to food. Communicating that you require only vegetarian food involves so much effort that you burn more calories than those you gain by having the food that is finally provided.
If you are of the superstious breed that believes in black cat being an omen of obstacles in your path, its better you don’t come to Egypt. The cats here own the street, and a good majority of them are black. I have a black cat studying me everyday as I set out to the office; thank heavens it seems to find no problems with my bearing and being. For all the stories about dogs being oppressors of cats, the cats here hold the sway, dogs are second rate citizens on the street.
Overall, my stay in Egypt has been pleasant; if only there were a few more option on the dining table, I would have rated the stay memorable.
1 comment:
Vamsi I loved your article felt as if I was in Egypt (exaggerated though)!
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