“The Mother of the World”

For a 21 year old kid I would say I have been very blessed in my life when it comes to travel. I have had the opportunity to visit five countries (six on Saturday InShaAllah) on 3 different continents. I have seen a number of beautiful things and among them many beautiful cities. In simple terms, Cairo is not a beautiful city. It’s hot, dusty, polluted, loud and overcrowded. The beauty in Cairo lies in what can only be described as the ‘human disaster.’

Let’s face it, humanity is a disaster. We spread like a virus from the most beautiful landscapes to the most barren. We build massive monuments to God’s and prophets who preach peace and harmony and then fight massive and deadly wars in their name. We write books speaking of the evils of our enemies and then sit down with a cup of tea and discuss the day’s events with them. We fight. We love. We lie. We repent. We steal. We give. Cairo embodies this beautiful disaster perfectly.

The only thing to be expected in Cairo is the unexpected. It is a city built of paradoxes. From being preached to about the virtues of Islam by a drunk man on Eid to being hit on (and I mean serious flirting) by a group of girls in full Hijabs, Cairo is ridiculous.

I don’t want to seem like I’m down on the city or something because trust me I’m not. For every time someone tried to scam me someone else gave me a free cup of tea. For every demand of bakhsheesh from a security guard or police officer another was there to give me directions (or literally walk me half way across the city to my destination) and then deny any form of repayment because it was his duty.  I once ordered a cup of tea on the October bridge over the Nile ( the bridge is actually a four lane highway with a 4 foot sidewalk 50 feet over the river, but because it’s Cairo it is also a place to sit down and have a tea) and when I went to pay the waiter told me it was LE 20. Now at this point I had drank my fair share of Tea in Cairo and I knew the asking price was no more than LE 2 ½. The debate turned into a full blown argument to the point that the waiter started poking me in the chest.

I’ll make a side note here that has nothing to do with the story but I think it’s funny. When I speak Arabic and get angry, I do two distinctive things. First, I start speaking with what I can only describe as a New York accent, which I guess is my way of trying to be aggressive or stern. Secondly, because I don’t know that many swear words in Arabic I swear in English. So here I am on the bridge arguing with this guy (over what accounts to maybe 3 bucks) in my New York accented Arabic with the occasional swear word. Right when things were starting to get real heated though, a random guy walked up and handed the guy a LE 20 note and walked away. Another example of the paradox that is Cairo.

Egyptians call Cairo the “Mother of the World.” In many ways I think I agree with this term. Cairo represents everything in the world. All the good. All the bad. It may not always be pretty but I assure you it is always fascinating.

Here’s to the human disaster and to Cairo, the city victorious.  

Alexandria and the budget challenge

Travel can play some dirty tricks with time, expanding and compressing hours and days seemingly at random. Yesterday marked exactly one week since leaving Morocco but it seems like its been months since I said goodbye to Rabat and my friends there. On the other hand the two months that I spent in Morocco flew by in what seemed like a few days. At this point thinking back on Oxford seems like a distant memory.

I left Cairo on Friday to escape the crowds and congestion for a weekend in Alexandria on the coast. The train ride from Cairo was straight forward and only cost three bucks!! I was the only foreigner on the train. Usually foreigners ride in the first class cars which are triple the price but have air-conditioning and are supposedly more comfortable. I got a few weird looks but in the end it was a pleasant ride. It really is a testament to how cheaply one can travel if you just learn to live like the locals. If you can live on fuul (Fava beans in pita bread), taamiya (Egyptian Falafel) and  shay (tea), you can eat for about LE 20 a day (about 3 bucks). Like with the train its also important to learn how the locals get around. In Morocco and in my first few days in Cairo I relied on private taxis for all my transportation; that and walking. I've learned, since then that taking taxis is hit or miss for foreigners. When I went to the Pyramids for example I took a taxi from the Giza metro and it cost me about LE 10 by the meter. On my return trip, however, the driver drove all over Giza until the meter reached LE 20. We still hadn't reached the metro so I just turned to him and said ala fikra ana haedf'a 'shra ganeh ashan 'aarif a tmn (By the way I'm only paying LE 10because I know the price. We were conveniently right around the corner. Since then I've learned to use the Metro (LE 1) and Service taxis. Service taxis are small buses that follow specific routes. The trick is you have to know which ones to take. Of course Cairenes use a complicated system of hand signals to communicate where they are going. I just ask anyone I see waiting and on average people are pretty helpful, its also a good opportunity to practice my Arabic. The service taxis cost below LE 2 anywhere in the city. The final major cost of travel is of course accomodation. Up till now I have been staying in what I thought was relatively cheap places. That's because whenever I would go to get a room I would ask for the cheapest room and would be given a private single with shared bathroom, usually for around 10-15 dollars. I've learned that what you have to do is ask for the cheapest bed. While a private room for 10 bucks sounds cheap you can get a bed in a dorm or on the roof (actually quite nice considering the weather and lack of AC) for around 2-3 dollars.

In order to test out my newly acquired information (and because my funds are pretty low) I've laid out a challenge for my last week in Egypt. I'm going to try to survive on LE 300 (approx. $50) for the week. This shouldn't be too hard if I stay away from touristy areas and activities. Overall this will be an important learning experience as well because I need to learn how to survive cheaply if I'm going to make it through my semester in Jordan where things more expensive. So the challenge is set I'll let you guys know how it goes in about a week. 

A little late on these final images of Morocco. In Arabic the country's name means "Place where the sun sets." 

“If you’re a doctor I’m Gamel Abdul Nasser”

There are all kinds of scams around Cairo designed to get tourists to unload some cash. Although they are annoying I kind of get a kick out of the creativity sometimes. Some of the most common are the Papyrus and Lotus Museums. A guy will approach you in the street speaking broken English and after the “Hi what’s your name,” “Where ya going,” they will tell you that you are very lucky because they are actually a doctor as well as the curator of a local museum. Then they will inevitably pull out some plastic pieces of paper telling you that they are ancient Egyptian documents but that he will sell them to you for a great price. The sheer number of these guys roaming the streets makes you wonder just how many tourists have fallen for their trap. I’ve never followed one to their “Museum” but I can imagine it would be a store selling overpriced lotus oil and fake papyrus. I came up with some easy and kind of entertaining ways to get rid of these guys. Probably the most fun is to hit them with their own line before they can unload it on you. Whenever a guy approaches me and asks my name in that sing-song voice I’ll respond to him in Arabic and tell him that he is very lucky because I am an American doctor of Egyptology and I am here selling real papyrus but that I’ll give it to him for a great price. They usually laugh tepidly and sulk off. Once, after a long day I was kind of tired and I told a guy “If you’re a doctor, then I’m Gamel Abdul Nasser (the former Egyptian president) he didn’t think it was that funny some of the onlookers were rolling laughing. Of course not all of these guys are bad, in the end they are just trying to make a living and there are actually some that are pretty intelligent like my friend Dr. Shareef.

I met Dr. Shareef after leaving the Egyptian museum. I was waiting to cross the street at Tahrir square (if there were elephants and crocodiles at the end this would be a perfect re-enactment of frogger) and someone behind me said “You’ve got to close your eyes, pray to allah and run for it.” He introduced himself as Dr. Shareef head of Egyptology at the Egyptian Museum, but I’ll tell you if somehow he really does work at the museum they don’t give great dental there. Dr. Shareef gave me his typical line about papyrus museums and I politely refused. When it was clear that I wasn’t going to buy anything from him he diverted to another scam which is to invite me for tea and then give me a sad story and ask for me to cover his tea and give him some money (this had actually happened once and although I didn’t give the guy any money I ended up having to pay for his Mcdonalds). At this point I was kind of fed up with these scams so I devised my own little scam. As soon as we got our tea I gave Dr. Shareef a long speal about how I had lost my wallet and had no money or a place to stay. I told him I was so happy to have met a real doctor because he may be able to help me out. At first he didn’t really know how to act but then he just laughed told me he would pay for my tea to help me out ( about 20 cents) and excused himself saying he had an appointment with another curator. Can’t scam a scammer!!! This however, wouldn’t be the last time I met Dr. Shareef. The next day I left my hotel just after Fatoor (sunset during Ramadan when Muslims break their fast) looking for a place to eat dinner. Lo and behold who do I run into in a city of 17 million people than my friend Dr. Shareef. He invited me to dinner and although I was at first hesitant I figured at the worst if it turned out to be a scam I could just walk away, luckily it turned out not to be a scam at all. During Ramadan a lot of Mosques prepare food for the needy and homeless. That is where Dr. Shareef brought me and I ended up eating with many of the “docors” I had met throughout the past few days. It had to be the strangest group ever, a bunch of homeless “doctors” and a sunbaked tourist eating Fatoor in an alleyway off Tahrir square. After Fatoor Shareef and had some tea and hookah and stayed up talking until late into the night. He turned out to be a very well informed guy and I learned more about Arabic literature, Cairo and the Revolution in that conversation than I had in all the news reports and book that I’ve read.

Morocco to Egypt       

My final days in Morocco were sad ones as I said goodbye to some very good friends. I do, however, take some joy in the fact that I know that many of those friendships will not end here if we don’t let them. After the goodbyes it was time to pack up my bag and get on the road. I didn’t know quite what to expect from this part of my journey as it is the first time I will be on my own. However, I knew that travelling from one side of North Africa to the other might present some challenges. My flight for Cairo was scheduled to leave from Casablanca at 12:30 so I woke up at 6 AM grabbed my bag and headed to the train station. I bought a ticket for the 7:45 train to Casa and waited… and waited… and waited. The train was first delayed to 8:45 and then 9:45. It turns out that anything written on a ticket or screen in Africa means absolutely nothing. Finally a train arrived heading to Ain Sebaa, a city near casa. I got up and explained to the attendant that I had a 12:30 plane to catch and my train had still not arrived. The attendant looked around and then told me to get on. He explained to me that I could switch trains at a city prior to casa that would get me to the Airport. Thanks to his help I was able to make it to the airport by 11:00. I quickly rushed to the check in counter and waited in line for about 10 minutes only to realize I was in the first class line and I was seated in economy class. Luckily the flight attendant at the counter thought my halting Arabic was cute and gave me my boarding pass anyway. At this point I was seriously worried I wasn’t going to make it to my flight since I hadn’t been through security yet. Good thing I’m in Africa : ). Security was one guard with a scanner, when my belt set it off he simply waved me through anyway. I made it to my gate with time to spare. However, about 5 minutes before departure I started to think it was kind of weird that I was the only person going to Cairo being that no one else was at my gate. I asked an airport worker who called it in and informed me that although my ticket said Gate 29 what that meant was Gate 15…. which was in another building.

                Well I guess I was in need of some exercise anyway. A quick sprint and some help from a buggy driver and I made it just in time to be the last person to board, and then promptly fell asleep…

                When we arrived in Cairo I knew that probably the most difficult part of my trip lay before me. I had a reservation at a small hostel somewhere near Talaat Harb Square but I wasn’t completely sure where and I had heard enough horror stories about Cairo taxi drivers. I ended up meeting a guy from Cairo on the plane and he agreed to seek out a driver when we arrived and settle on a price while I hung out in the back and then we would pull the old switcheraoo. This seemed like a good idea because he, being an Egyptian, could get a better price than me as a foreigner for the same trip. Of course once the driver found out he was a bit less than enthused. Nonetheless, he had agreed to the terms and so off we went. Upon leaving the Airport he told me to pay the parking ticket, I told him no because that wasn’t part of the deal. Two months ago I would have gladly paid the ticket and bought all his kids new sunglasses but two months in Africa will teach you how to stand your ground, if you’re not sucked dry first. At this point he was really in a great mood and went off on a tirade that I only half followed but I got the hint that he wasn’t singing my praises. What had at first been my “Great Arabic” in his terms had turned into “ these freaking tourists come here… speaking their broken Arabic thinking their cute…” I’m paraphrasing from Arabic of course but it is funny how whenever I think of Egyptians speaking English I think of New Yorkers. Anyhow, there we were speeding along the Cairo interstate at well over 100 MPH while I have no idea where we’re going. About 30 minutes later we end up on Talaat Harb Street and my driver turns to me and says “Ok, so where is your hotel.” I’m like “I don’t know, I’ve never been here in my life.” So we drive up and down the street while we both lean out the window asking people if they know where the place is. Inevitably the only answer I got was.. “Oh no I don’t know that one.. but get out and I’ll take you to the Sheraton or the Hilton.” Eventually we park and my driver walks into another hotel and finally we find out where the infamous Gresham House is…                  

                After I booked my room here, my friend Rachel suggested that we look at some reviews on trip advisor, a website I had obviously never heard of. They weren’t good, most having some reference to a horror movie (Hostel, Psycho , Etc.). Upon arrival I can see where they got their material. The place is pretty creepy… The rooms, however, while dusty and shared with a number of crawling creatures, are actually quite spacious with a balcony and a totally useless fireplace.    

But after all that I’m here, I have a room and am ready to start exploring tomorrow. I think the lessons I’ve pulled from today are never trust anything written on a ticket, always ask questions, and if a driver asks you to pay a $1 parking ticket, just pay it.

Woke up at around 10 this morning to the same honking, yelling and fireworks I fell asleep to last night. After exploring a little I bought some juice (4 bottles to be exact, ITS HOT) and now I’m back in the hotel. It has become apparent that I will be doing a lot more blogging on this part of my trip but I guess that is just part of travelling on your own.  Cairo so far has lived up to everything I have heard. Its big, congested and kind of ridiculous. It’s also completely different than Morocco. Whereas in Morocco everything was shut down and sleepy due to Ramadan, here things seem to be as lively as ever. That or this is just the sleepy version of Cairo and I just don’t know it. When I arrived last night the streets were packed with everyone out celebrating Ramadan, which is expected anywhere in the Arab world. There was something different, however. It seemed like a lot of people weren’t just high on the spirit of the season and I definitely smelled booze on a few people. People definitely don’t seem to notice me as much here, I guess they are just more used to foreigners. That being said, those touts that do try to “help” are more determined than anywhere else I’ve been. One thing that has been pleasant is that people are speaking to me in Arabic. Prior to coming everyone told me that in Cairo everyone speaks in English and will refuse to speak to foreigners in Arabic. But I haven’t encountered that yet. My taxi driver didn’t speak any English, the guy at the front desk in my hotel started out in broken English but seemed reliever when I replied in Arabic and has spoken to me in Arabic since that goes for the maid as well. It seems like the only people who really want to speak in English are young people, and that I think is because they either want to practice or show off.

Well I think I’m gonna take a nap and sleep away the rest of the hot afternoon and then go explore some more.

Sunnat Al-Hiat

It's funny how things always seem to come full circle. When I was leaving Oxford a few months ago it was a sad occasion, and I remember asking myself "What is worse? Leaving a place and feeling like your leaving something behind or leaving a place and feeling like your leaving nothing behind?." As I wrap up my time here in Morocco I know for sure that I'm leaving a lot behind. I can honestly say that these last two months have been some of the happiest of my life. That is not what I expected when coming here. I expected a challenging and intensive summer focused on achieving my goals and truthfully in the beginning I kind of fought the idea that I could have fun at the same time. So silly.  But that is just one of the many lessons I have learned this summer.

I learned a very useful phrase yesterday, "Sunnat Al-Hiat" which roughly translates to the story of life or more loosely the way things go. The doorman at the school I studied at and also one of my good friends here taught me that and it resonates well with my current circumstance. Everything comes and goes, begins and ends. It's sad but hey Sunnat - Al-Hiat. At the end of the day this is the life I have chosen for myself, at least currently. Part of the reason I chose to make this trip was to discover things about myself and perhaps now I'm realizing that this type of life isn't for me.

 A good friend might disagree ;)

I used to think that I needed to travel and explore to be happy but maybe not. A while back, a good friend and I were driving around in my hometown and he said "Man I could never imagine living anywhere but here." At the time I thought that was a terrible way to think. Why the heck would anyone want to stay in Bay Saint Louis, MS? I thought that was a small way of thinking but now I know I was wrong. In these two months here in Morocco I have been lucky enough to create some great relationships, sadly many many many of them will end here. We say we'll keep in touch and build one them but the truth is for many of us the buck stops here. So what's better? Living a life in which you see the world, learn new languages meet thousands of people and are affected in a small way by all of them, or a  BUILDING a life in which you know every inch of your town, know all the gossip, and meet just a few good people that impact you in a profound way every single day? I don't know the answer and like most things its probably relative and perhaps there is even a way to have both.

I fell in love here in Morocco, in more ways than one, and now I'm going to leave. I won't promise to return or that my relationships will continue as strong as they were here. All I can promise is that I will always think well of you.

Much Love Butros/Orion