Food & Fragrance

Tourism is a major industry in Egypt; home of the Pyramids. It is such a dominant force in the economy that Egypt has national Tourism Police who guard sites, tourists and hotels. Despite the drop in revenue as a consequence of political violence, tourism remains a significant contributor to Egypt's economy and the premier source of its foreign exchange earnings.

The majority of visitors to Egypt, almost 61 percent, come from Western and Southern Europe. Tourists from other parts of the Middle East, especially from the Arab Gulf region, account for 19 percent of the total number, while Americans and Eastern Europeans each represent 6 percent of the total, and Asian visitors make up 5 percent.

Part of the reason for the low numbers of Americans may be the difficulty in getting there. My flights to Egypt are regularly 20-24 hour affairs with multiple legs. The shortest routings I have found are through London or New York. No matter how you slice it though, its a long time to sit in economy class. Fortunately, the carriers are almost always foreign (British or Egypt Air) and wine is therefore usually available for free to spice up the meals.

Given the role of tourism in the economy, Egypt is a unique place where Arab culture and a service industry catering to Western visitors mix in unique ways. In no other Middle Eastern country have I haggled with Arab street vendors over unwritten prices in English. Drivers get kickbacks for dropping tourists off at start or end-points co-located with various tourism businesses, so you are inevitably "invited" to visit a papyrus-making shop or a perfume maker on every trip you take. Even hotel cars will drop you at prearranged pick-up points for carriage rides and shops whose vendors will follow you down the street to get your business.

The perfume shops are especially interesting. They are all the same, pitching their version of knock-offs of designer brands. They shamelessly sell them this way too. "This perfume is the same as ......" They have decidedly Egyptian names like Secrets of Egypt, Essence of Eucalyptus, Siwa Oasis with extract from 52 flowers, Lotus Flower, as well as frankincense and myrrh. Of course, they try to sell you 4 bottles for price of 3....

Despite the badgering and haggling, the experience has its own charms. Carriage rides amongst the Pyramids, smelling spices in the shadow of a camel, and eating roasted pigeon in a fine hotel restaurant are just a few of them. As a classic example of the fusion that is Egypt, some of the best Italian food I've ever had is served inside the Marriott hotel I use, which used to be a royal Egyptian palace. It is place to visit with a pocket full of cash, infinite patience, your best negotiating skills, and a tolerance for people trying to take your money at every turn.

Where in the World...?

Whew. I've covered a lot of ground since March. The countries I can recall include Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, Germany, India and Mexico. I managed to dodge this month's trip to Afghanistan.

Folks working at my company travel many different places. Some are friendly; some are not. We recently made it mandatory to complete a series of travel safety courses for our travellers, primarily in the event of kidnapping. Classes range from hotel, airport and taxi safety to pistol and assault rifle use. My favorite day of classes was actually offensive driving at a place called Trigger Time outside Fort Bragg. We shared a class with some US Army Psychological Operations folks preparing for deployment. Its amazing what you can do to other cars and trucks with a little 4 cylinder sedan and speed. Of course, those of you who know me know that the range time was a blast as well. The Glock 22 is now my favorite side arm.

Fortunately, I have not had to use most of these skills on travel. My recent trip to Sudan was uneventful. For the most part there was little tension or military presence in Khartoum during my visit. Anti-aircraft artillery was evident at the airport and “technicals” (trucks mounted with heavy machine guns) were present at most government buildings. However, people were generally relaxed.

My only experiences with Sudan’s oft discussed security apparatus were tangential. The border control people at the airport are the only ones with computer systems in the building. More evident was the influence of the religious police, which is the system most Sudanese comment on. Sharia law is strictly enforced, though most people I talked to viewed it unfavorably. No alcohol, headscarves de riguer, etc. Compliance is mostly a product of fear.

Air service includes Lufthansa and Egypt Air, both of which come through Cairo. I used Emirates from Dubai. There is still a steel wing and engine nacelle at the end of the airstrip from the plane that burned in June to remind us why we don’t want to fly Sudan Air. Sudan Air also makes the U.S Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control list of Specially Designated Nationals (nasty people). Wouldn't want the fare for my plane ticket funding terrorists!

Hotel amenities in Khartoum are sparse. I used the Grand Holiday Villa which was passable except for the roaches on the dining room tables. Sudan is one of those places that requires additional exotic vaccinations. No one asked for my vaccination card proving yellow fever vaccination on my return trip though. I was a bit disappointed.

In contrast, my recent trip to Delhi and Ahmedabad in India were downright pleasant. I enjoyed the hospitality of our supplier firm while visiting, including an evening prayer visit to a Sikh temple with one of their staff of that faith.

The company driver took me to Humayun's Tomb and the Tomb of Isa Khan one morning when I could squeeze out an hour of daylight to visit. This site was particularly interesting, as Isa Khan was an Afghan Islamic ruler of the Delhi area and Humayun was a Persian Islamic ruler of who followed on not much later. A good bridge from my experience with Afghanistan next door. Humayun's Tomb apparently was the predecessor to the Taj Mahal, which used the same plans and increased the scale.

I enjoyed plenty of good Indian fare at local restaurants and had the opportunity to stay at a first rate hotel (a nice switch from Sudan, Haiti and Afghanistan). The breakfast buffet at the hotel was a reflection of India's business partners, Japanese, British, Indian and American fusion. Baked beans and mushrooms with sushi and granola cereal? Would you like some Darjeeling tea and fresh mango juice with that?

In what other country can you fly a domestic airline called Spicejet?

Next stop is Aswan, Egypt.

Where Are The Egyptians?

"In 1996, the weekday edition of the New York Times was estimated to contain more information than the average person was likely to come across during their whole lifetime in seventeenth century England."

I recently read this sentence in a marketing research book. It got me thinking about the relationship of education to quality of life. It also made me think about what must be the vast difference between the thinking of ancient and modern man.

On this trip I saw my first airline passanger unable to read, and therefore unable to find her seat assignment. I've spent days discussing with newspaper managers the fact that the majority of Egyptian consumers have stopped reading in favor of TV news because they don't like to read; TV is easier. It makes me wonder if years from now the human mind will have plenty to know, but will need information fed in soundbites which might have been digestable to our seventeenth century ancestors.

I was discussing with a German colleague who works in Egypt the idea of "my brain is too full." He was quick to point out that the Egyptian equivalent is "my head is empty." I was immediately struck by the difference. The first is focused on the continued acquisition of knowledge: The second on retaining on what you already know. Is this the difference between a post-Renaissance or Enlightenment society and one that is otherwise?

Yet, a core of young, educated and fairly wealthy Egyptians prefer the Internet and newspapers to TV. They like to actively read and seek out the truth in news by comparing sources. They work to know, rather than knowing to work. So perhaps there is hope, both in Egypt and for humanity as a whole.

Certainly exposure to the sculpture of ancient Egypt suggests even ancient man had some inquisitive and educated thinkers. The Pyramids remain an impressive feat by modern standards. The building blocks and the buildings are huge.; the planning and precision required to be successful impressive. Now imagine doing it all without iron or steel and a total body of human knowledge reducable to the weekday edition of the New York Times.

Ancient Egyptian sculpture is similar. At the Egyptian Museum in Cairo I've seen the accuracy of sculpture in facial features and sharp and precise detail in various mediums, both carved and in relief on the same work.

Ancient Egyptian art is nuanced with sharp colors, including variety of skin colors (women being mostly light and men mostly dark). High cheekbones, small jaws and aquiline noses are all evident, as are the African features of one Pharoh from the Nubian kingdom. Even death masks are highly accurate. Art of later dynasties reflected deformed heads and physical diseases like elephantitis in royal persons. Compared to Ptolomaic (Greek) and barbarian art of the same periods, the Egyptians were leagues ahead of their neighbors.

Similarly, the Egyptians made papyrus paper long before paper existed anywhere else. Their methods were used for centuries until Chinese paper was introduced. Later they developed cuniform tablets with clay envelopes.

Today, the Egyptian Museum reflects the modern, sound-byte mind. Storage boxes are scattered and stacked about the exhibit floors. The exhibits often have no or partial labels. Things are poorly organized and nearly incomprehensible to someone without some knowledge of Egyptian history acquired through reading, or the aid of a paid guide with a full head.

It makes me wonder what happened to the ancient Egyptians who put up such tremendous architecture and art. Where are the faces depicted in the sculpture? I look. I watch. Occassionally, I'll see someone on the street with the same chin or cheekbones. And sometimes, just sometimes, they are even carrying a newspaper.....