Meat Matters

Sharia Petticoat

Leaving Egypt so unexpectedly, left us with a very fast forward of the ten things we would like to see.

Friday we chose for the Souq al Goma’a, (Friday market). A great place for photography and if you, like me, want to see what is going on at the other side of Cairo - the rough side - definately have a look!

We set off in a taxi, with a very vague description ‘under Al-Tonssy flyover between the Southern Cemeteries and the Khalifa district’ –. I was very skeptic we would find it straight away. But our taxi driver understood right away where to go (he smiled and thought of course : ‘Hope YOU know were you are going’) and we got there in less than 15 minutes (driving from Maadi ).

Having read many things about this market, also called Souq Al-Harameya, ('Thieves Market'), we were prepared for it all; overcrowd, stolen goods, exotic animals (for sale), dirt& trash, pocket pickers, junk and poverty. And yes, it was all out there.

Arriving just after 9 am, it was already very overpopulated. At some point we ended up in this isle of men’s ‘fashion’ and we completely got stuck. Strangely enough, when all these men spotted me (as the only woman without veil and obviously foreign) they all parted smiling. Wow, I felt like Moses crossing the Red Sea! We passed beautiful old furniture, millions of antique phones, shoes, and tons of other stuff.

We were very excited to see Heineken for sale (during Ramadan, hurray!!) but a quick look on the expiration date on the bottom of a can made us change our minds.

We discovered there were many strange objects for sale. I found it incredible to see that people were making a business, selling heads of dolls, second hand soap, remote controls of televisions that are probably extinct now, and small pieces of just ANYTHING.

in the beginning I was kind of overwhelmed with the smell of garbage (I think 80% of the goods sold here come from garbage bags), and sight of poverty.

It makes you realize that there are millions here struggling to make a living. But after a while walking around, it is great to see people endless bargaining, friendly smiles and attempts to try sell you anything.

At some point we got a little bit in trouble taking pictures of a bar. There was an old lady who started shouting and made a big scene. Since foreigners are quite rare here, people notice everything you do and taking your camera out can make some people feel uncomfortable. Don’t forget many Islamic people have religious reasons to object having their picture taken, so always respect when people tell you to put away your camera.

We left after one and a half hour, because the crowd and the heat were getting a bit intense. But I would have liked to see more things. The food section and the animals for example. Although we didn’t really buy anything, except for some very large ‘antique’ handmade spikes, it was a great trip.

Sssssssssccccchhhhhhhhhhhhtttt!

Today started at 5.30 am. A loooong day with a lot of organizing and carton. All is packed plus we have tickets booked for the last day of this month.

Of course like all the other moves, also here some very last minute decisions to throw/ give away things, but I like that a lot.

The only anoying thing today was listening to the sound of tearing tape being strapped around the boxes, 'Sssssssssccccchhhhhhhhhhhhtttt!' 'Scsssssssssssssccccccccccccchhhhhhhhtttttt!!!'
I couldn't really escape from the house since I needed to check every time that all our own things made it in the box and not the landlord's. We never took any furniture to Egypt so it all went very fast.

A few small incidents had happened but this was because I wasn't such a attentive mum today. The Ciccia was covered from head to toe in A1 cream. I thought she was having a great nap, but when I came to check, she sat contently in her bed, greasy as a snail, the cream almost finished.
After that, when the moving company had gone, we looked all over the house for her shoes...and discovered they were probably already on the way to the airport. So we took her barefooted to the shop. Isn't it great when you are two, you don't worry about anything, not even if you are left without shoes.

Right now thinking about Amsterdam - .... family and friends just a bike/train ride away, Grolsch in the Vondelpark..., the city museum, a job for me, hmmmm....! Doesn't sound too bad.

Tonight was the last BBQ -or parpecue as our neighbours would say.

The Last Drop

Things were looking up yesterday. The relocation company has been picked! The hotel decided that our move will be organized under the inspective eye of 'Tubbs'. Yes, the open-shirt man!

They didn't choose MY favourites (AGS for example, thanks Connie that was a good tip) but anyway our things are going to leave the house, INSH'ALLAH on Saturday. That is a relieve already. After the booking of this packing day, I immediately started to stalk another department in the hotel, concerning our flight tickets. I didn't have the guts to book the flight tickets yet, with the uncertainty of not knowing when they could start the packing, Murphy's law, you know...

Now it is going to look like our things are going to arrive before US in Amsterdam. The hotel can not find suitable tickets for the 1st of October (Eypt is celebrating Eid El Fitr from the first of October).The tickets I proposed would cost over $1000 each and they don't feel like paying that. Cheapo's!! Aaaah!

Alright, let's not throw the towel yet, I will find someting for sure. WE ARE GOING TO LEAVE ON THE 1ST OF OCTOBER, WATCH ME!

Now, Excuse me, I have to go and try wash my hair in this bucket of water (see pic).

Of course just when you don't have much time, the water starts to cheat on us as well. This morning there was a small stream of water and stupid me, didn't pick up this signal early enough and managed to save only half a bucket of water.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

With this heat in Cairo during Ramadan, who doesn't want to take a nap...

The last man here, I spotted today at the Maadi Metro station. I had to go to Korba to cash a check. When I came back, two hours later, he had moved to a different spot, but was still asleep!

11 tourists kidnapped in Eyptian dessert

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN and BBC) -- A group of 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians have been kidnapped in the southern Egyptian desert and apparently taken to neighboring Sudan, an Egyptian government spokesman said today on the 22nd of September.

The tourists included five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian, a spokesman for the Egyptian prime minister, told CNN. The Egyptians were said safari company employees, the owner of the company, a security officer and drivers.

The Egyptian government believes the kidnappers have no ties to any terror group. Negotiations are under way to secure their release.

Minister Garana told Associated Press news agency that a ransom of up to $6m (£3.24m) had been demanded.

Kidnappings of foreigners in Egypt have been very uncommon in recent years.
But BBC Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says an incident like this could dent Egypt's reputation as a safe destination for foreign tourists and deliver a blow to an industry that brings in $8bn a year.

Previous incidents in Egypt:

• Several clashes took place in Egypt's Nile Valley during the 1990s when President Hosni Mubarak's government battled Muslim militants.
  
• Militants killed 58 foreign tourists in the southern temple city of Luxor in 1997.
• After 2004, attacks on foreigners moved to the resorts of the Sinai peninsula, where 121 people, including tourists, were killed in several bombings.

For the full story read: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7629171.stm and http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/22/egypt.italians.kidnapped/index.html

Mission Impossible

The relocation fever has started.We are trying to move before the first of October.

A very ambitious project, I know.

The relocation STRESS has also already started. Unfortunately.

With our landlord not wanting to return our $2000 dollar deposit (rental contract demands completion of one full year. On black and white our landlord is completely correct, but what an AS#&*OLE considering our circumstances) and demanding us to move out (if we don't pay more rent) before the 1st , I just can not help starting to feel a little desperate about this whole situation.

Marito’s employer wants three quotes of moving companies, so I was all day yesterday on the phone trying to get some people in my house for an estimation. Keeping in the back of my mind that these companies could be working on post-summer-Ramadan-speed, I contacted almost 15 companies. Just to make sure I was going to get my top 3 in my house the next day. Of course after Typ0’s horror story I also had to double check all companies work with international packing standards in any country of the world. So I called, called and called. In the end I started to sound like someone who had been selling cars for the past 40 years.

This morning, I was feeling quite optimistic, since I had the promise of 3 companies to come over and look. The first to arrive, I even had to laugh. Instantly had think ‘Tubbs’!! (Crockett’s partner in Miami Vice). The buttons of his fancy shirt open, all the way to at least to his belly button, I swear. I didn’t even dare to look that far.

He bored us endlessly with his company presentation, pointing out all their offices across the world (do I care they have 10 offices in New Zealand if I move to Europe?!), advantages (endless, endless), what their boxes looked like (hmmm very pretty indeed!), how pets during relocation were treated (we have baby, not a dog!). At some point I had to whisk him out of the door, because the next company would be coming over in 10 minutes.

During this second viewing I started to realize that relocating from Egypt is not very simple and this whole project could take about two weeks. Receiving quotations take around two days, of course with door-to-door they are dependent on estimations of their foreign partners. Oh, and did you know that in order to clear customs they need to take your passport for one or two whole days? Plus waiting for the hotel’s decision, which company may take on our shipment, waiting for the approval of payment…..etc, etc.

Oh let me tell you also -the cherry on the cake - from the 29th of September all companies are basically closed in Egypt. Challas!! For one whole week. Eid El Fitr and Armed Forces day.

Tomorrow Saqqara is on plan, while we wait for the quotes and a little bit to remind ourselves why we used to like living here so much…!

Best view in town

Today I went to Al Azhar Park to have Iftar but most importantly enjoy the sunst. On the way in a VERY speedy taxi, I tried taking several pictures of the Citadel. It was impossible in that bumpy car. At some point I even started to think the taxi driver did it on purpose.


So this is what I got. I think I hit the roof of the car while I shot this.



'Oh come one!' said the Marito. 'Give me the camera.'

Up in the park I managed to get some better pics. The weather was sublime and the pollution reasonable. I could even spot - Hurray! - the piramids.

Al Azhar park is one of the winners in Cairo. Surrounded by the most beautiful historical districts of Islamic Cairo this is THE spot for a great sunset.

The park, completed in 1984, was donated by His Highness Aga Kan and is listed as one of the world's sixty great public spaces by 'Project for Public Spaces'. With 30 hectares of great well kept grass, amazing palm trees and fountains, it feels wonderful to escape from the noise and dirt around Cairo.

Before the park was donated, it became clear that Cairo was in need of more green space. One study found that the amount of green space per inhabitant was roughly equivalent to the size of a footprint, one of the lowest proportions in the world.

One of the best dinner-spots-with-a-view in town is definately 'Citadel View' restaurant. (according to me, the only reason to eat here)

And while everybody in the park ran off to the buffets at this Citadel View Restaurant, I had plenty of opportunity to take some good shots of the park.

After I had arrived at the restaurant I knew why there had been such a hurry...

The food was almost finished and when I wanted to come back to scoop up some more of that yummy hummos, all the dishes had been cleared away...

Anyway the dessert buffet was still going and kind of alright. As a revenge I stole an extra apple from the buffet....OH! How Dutch is that??!!

A walk around Road 7

The Good, The Bad and ...The Taxi Driver

Taking a taxi in Cairo... aaaah, I could make a documentary about it. Serious! Since Cairo taxi's don't work with metres it is a bit of a Wild West.
I decided to post this blog as I think people should definitely share in my experience.

When I arrived here (Nov 07), I discovered taking a taxi can be quite an experience; the state of the cars (Thank God, the new traffic laws - don’t allow taxi’s older than 20 years), the Shumacher-style-driving, many stares/questions at/about my missing wedding ring (in Egypt people expect a golden ring on the left hand) and the ‘free market pricing system’. I found out a lot, by just sharing taxi’s with locals. I saw what they did and just copied them.

Overall I find most of the taxi drivers very much ok, considering the conditions they have to do their job in. Could you image driving in Cairo-traffic ALL DAY??!
A lot of these men are just trying to make a living (most of the time pictures of their kids on the dashboard). You will even run into some over-qualified people, who work as taxidrivers in the weekend, just to make a bit of extra money. But of course there are always some exceptions to look out for. Here some do’s and don’t’s:

• Do not share taxis unless you are in a hurry and can sit with a FEMALE in the back


• Women never take a seat in the front


• Always carry a map. Only if you drive around between the 5star hotels, Egyptian museum and pyramids, you don’t need one. If you’d like to go to other places, you better know your way.
• Taxidrivers always say 'yes' is you ask them if they know how to get there, a lot of times they don't. Cairo is big, I think you can’t blame them.
  
• Know the exact adres, have it written down in Arabic and look it up on the map yourself
• Have a phone number of the destination ready, call them if you circle around too long and let them speak with your taxi man.


• Know your On-The-Road-Arabic, so you can explain in simple language where to stop(BASS), left (SHIMEAL), right (YIMIEN), numbers etc. Not all drivers speak English.


• Do not start conversation if they ask you anything in English (especially the subject WHERE ARE YOU FROM? They will switch to more indecent proposals)
• Put sunglasses on and pretend you are reading EWasseet (don't hold it upside down :-) Or (pretend to) be on the phone


• Taxi’s don’t have meters, so DYI. It is best if you know how much you have to pay, ask around. On the website of CSA are some estimations http://www.livinginegypt.org/


• Have exact fare ready (do not pull out you wallet in front of the taxi driver, I usually fold the notes a few times) and if you know you have paid the right amound, walk away, ingnore complaints (especially if they demand 'bounds' in English).


• If you do run into a good driver, get his number

Good luck!

This is the end

Soon we are going to leave Egypt........, a bit unexpectedly. Marito left one job, changed it for another one, but it didn't work out too well. We are very sorry, because we love living here.

The past days I had to think why I feel sad leaving Egypt. What-on-earth-makes-Cairo so-wonderful??!' It would not be for the beautiful architecture, clean streets, peace and quietness, nor would it be the fresh air. At the moment I am sitting in a steaming garden with dozens of flies attacking me, our modem just recovered from all the power cuts of last week, I need to take at least two showers a day in order not to feel too smelly, people stare at you all the time, dust is a FACT here, crossing a road is suicide, if I would dare wearing my favorite skirt or shorts people would look at me like I was naked, buying things -a kilo of onions or taking a taxi require good bargaining skills and many problems are dependent on Gods will and dealt with 'bokra' (tomorrow) and more likely 'baad bokra' (after tomorrow).


But hey, it is still great. It is the craziness that I am addicted to.

A few days ago I was even hired for a part-time job I would love to do, but that would definitely not pay the bills. So next week we are off to Amsterdam for some interviews. If that works all well we will set our camp up in there.
And will have to encounter a new culture shock.

• French kissing in the streets
• driving in straight lanes
• the smell of weed
• absurd parking fees
• a temperature difference of at least 25 degrees, plus rain (I have been privileged here to see it rain four times in Cairo during almost one year)
• downtown apartments that cost 30 euro’s per square meters
• perfect sized cucumbers according to EU regulations
• parking your bike with at least three locks
• people begging for money (to buy alcohol or drugs)
• and many more
• and a million other things more

Anyway it will be interesting. It could also be temporary, this morning I saw a posted job response to Marito from Szechuan. We go anywhere people like to eat a good plate of pasta. So stay tuned on this BLOG as ‘far-so-far-away’, it could be anywhere right?

Bread for life

When the foodcrisis broke out this spring in Egypt due to high rise of food prices, President Mubarak called in the army to help baking bread.

A walk around Maadi with camera

Breezy penthouses, not a very uncommon sight in Cairo.

The cats of Cairo are street-smart survivors. They don't always get to eat Whiskas.

Ramadan fashion.

Convenience baskets.

Handwritten number plate. Since it is illegal to export anitque cars, there are some real gems in Cairo.

About 70 per cent of Egypt’s 78 million population have access to satellite channels via legally purchased dishes, pirated links or cafes with big screens.

Rock slide death toll rises to 75

The number of people confirmed dead as a result of Saturday's rockslide in Cairo reached 75 and is feared likely to climb, six days after hundreds of tons of limestone came crashing down upon the Doweiqa neighbourhood, Egyptian security sources said.

On Saturday the 6th of September eight rocks, weighing between 100 and 500 tons, separated from the cliff face and crashed down on some 35 houses lying at the foot of Moqattam hill in a massive shanty town Manshiet Nasser on the edge of the Egyptian capital.

An unknown number of people, possibly in the hundreds, are still trapped under the debris.
Extreme poverty forced people to live in shanty towns instead of paying rents for the alternative dwellings that they could not afford. Around 1.3 million people live in the Moqattam area, mostly in extreme poverty.


Other recent Egyptian tragedies that have plagued Egypt under the current government:

July 16, 2008: Train plows into cars in Marsa Matrouh, killing 40 people and injuring 50
July 12, 2008: Three-storey building in Nile Delta collapses killing five people including 7-year-old twins
January 1, 2008: Bus plunges into Nile killing 19 people
24 December, 2007: Twelve-storey building collapses in Alexandria killing 35 people
April 18, 2007: Head-on collision between school bus and truck kills 18 students
August 20, 2006: Nile Delta train collision kills 57 people
February 3, 2006: More than 1,000 passengers die after Egyptian ferry sinks en route to Saudi Arabia
In 1994: 30 people were killed in a similar accident in the Manshiet Nasser area

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This is a compilation of articles found on earthtimes.org, AP and aljazeera.net

The question is not what you look at, but what you see - Henry David Thoreau

A lot of times I walked past this poster. This is what I thought it said on it:

(pregnant) women are allowed to drink water during Ramadan.

Today I got the real version of the story thanks to my Arabic teacher who told me something quite different. It is an election poster of a woman called 'Noha Seyyid El Ahl' from Maadi (an area in Cairo). The cup in the right corner is a sign for illiterate people to recognize her name on the voting bill.

The course 'reading and writing Arabic' is in plan for me in 2009. So far I have been studying 'phonetic' Arabic, Egyptian slang. Also very handy when you want to get around here in Cairo.

Peace, Money and Harmony Hospital

Today I had the ‘As-Salam International Hospital experience’.

From many sources this hospital was described as THE place to go when you need a doctor.

Arriving on the dusty sand road just before you get on the little drive way to the entrance, I wasn’t too impressed to start off with. Especially when I had to scream at the receptionist because some builders were drilling in the wall in the hallway. But than, it was all good. After registration plus 210 pounds and watching the praying channel with the crowd, I had to wait 5 minutes before the Ear Nose Throat doctor could see the Ciccia. (At the ENT department BTW they don’t work with appointments, so you have to show up when the doctor starts his practice.)

The whole thing took me 2 hours and 15 minutes, this includes the drive to the hospital as well. The registration part took the longest, maybe because the bill had to be printed 3 times before they got my name right. In fact, everything went very smooth and I felt extremely satiesfied, nothing compared to my previous experience (Blog 8 Sept). Once in a while you need days like this living in Cairo. Maybe I was lucky? Back in the pharmacy I had to pay the contrasting amount of 1 pound 30 piasters for the eardrops.

And then across the pharmacy on the pavement next to the sandwich shop I saw this. Another contrast…