Egypt: The good, the bad and the really, really ugly

January 10, 2011
Soon after The Husband arrived in Cairo, we decided to brave the subway system during rush hour.
A crush of people funneled into the already crammed cars, with everybody pushing, shoving and screaming in Arabic. We instinctively moved for the quiet, subdued car that only had a handful of people inside.
Once safely inside, we each breathed a sigh of relief. Then my husband looked around.
“There are only women on this car,” he said.
“So? Lucky you!”
“No, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here,” he said.
Just then an old lady approached him and spit in his face, “Ladies only!”
We panicked, screamed and scrambled into the next car — which was filled with only men. I screamed again and ran around in circles, looking like some kind of deranged chicken. I cursed and shouted random metro stops at my husband. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Hadayeq El-Maadi! Or was it Thakanat El-Maadi? No, I think it’s El-Malek El-Saleh! Just exit this car in three stops!”
I finally hopped onto the ladies car just as the train was leaving the station.
That incident quickly made me realize that Egypt is dramatically different from any other place I’ve visited. First off, Egypt comes with numerous religious traditions to respect, unwritten rules to follow, cultural landmines to navigate. I think I offended 15 people in my first hour, and I wasn’t even trying.
On top of that, communication is difficult. Even when I didn’t speak the language in South America, I could at least make an English-French sandwich and come up with something that vaguely resembled Spanish. However, Arabic is an entirely different game: The script is beautiful but unintelligible to my eye, the words feel clunky on my fat tongue, and the numbers look like punctuation.
Overall, it’s been difficult. In the three weeks I’ve spent here, I’ve found a lot to love about Egypt — but only after a lot of frustration. To break it down:
THE GOOD

Pyramids. They’re every bit as awesome as you’d expect.

Temples, hieroglyphs and things older than Jesus.

Wonderful hikes, camel rides, diving and exploring, all with stunning scenery.

Dahab, a tiny slice of heaven at the Red Sea and my personal version of paradise. This is where I am resting, healing and getting strong again.

THE BAD

Smog, pollution and garbage everywhere. (This one is mostly directed at you, Cairo.) Also questionable sanitary conditions.

Constant harassment from vendors who won’t take no for an answer. My husband and I were tricked, followed, even physically assaulted by vendors. It’s exhausting, and it’s what tainted some experiences that should have been magical.

Aggressive men. The sexist and inappropriate behavior goes way beyond catcalls. I have been groped, slapped, smacked and fondled. Men deliberately walk into me and paw at my chest, grab my ass, reach between my legs. (Keep in mind that I have also been dressing modestly in pants, long-sleeve shirts and a scarf around my hair.)

Blatant ripoffs. For instance, the menus at restaurants often list a price in Arabic numbers, which is half as much as the inflated tourist price.

Bribes, payoffs and corruption. For instance, it is strictly forbidden to touch the Great Pyramid of Giza. So when I got close to it and a policeman ran up to me, I put my hands in the air and backed away to make it clear that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. The policeman said, “You want to touch it?” I said no. He urged me to put my hands on it. Again, I shook my head no. Finally he said, “You can touch it. It’s OK —  just give me baksheesh.” (i.e. a tip.)

THE UGLY

A terrible incident took place when my husband and I toured a temple on Elephantine Island.

A security guard ushered my husband and I into the temple ruins. Then he separated the two of us. He forced my husband to go with a guide into another part of the temple, then he pushed me into a secluded corner. Before I could comprehend what was happening, the guard nudged his gun against my hip and tried to smash his rotten teeth against my mouth. I firmly said, “No!” but he tried again. I slid away and managed to avoid him until I was reunited with my husband.

Afterward, both the guard and the guide wanted a tip, which we ultimately shelled out just to get rid of them.

So yeah. That right there had me longing for the ladies car on the subway — and sad that I felt that way.

 

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