About three months back, I was in Egypt. Egypt to me has been enigmatic in more ways than I could imagine.
While there, I immersed myself to soak in the culture of the land of the pharaohs. They may have lived 7500 years ago but their memories are still strong in present-day Egypt. They believed and led their subjects to believe that they represented the gods on earth. The Egyptians were precocious and did create one of the earliest civilizations on the earth. From those times, they grew cotton and invented paper, and codified many things about life and death.
Now let’s go to modern day Cairo. While on my way to Giza that morning, I had shot this picture when the Nile River in that area was still encompassed in mist.
A metropolitan that houses almost 18 million people (like Mumbai approximately), the charm of Cairo is in its location on the banks of River Nile in the northern part of the country. It is Cairo that has been chosen by Obama to address the Islamic countries tomorrow hoping to reach out to the Muslim world and the prospect of a warm ‘Obama-Arab’ embrace for the much needed better understanding between East and West.
In Cairo, tourists are highly recommended to include in their itinerary an evening of ‘Dinner and Dance’ on one of their numerous Nile cruises. Though often I am unlike most tourists, in this case however, I too opted to attend one such event.
I recall noticing a few kiosks right outside on the road at the entrance of a Nile cruise where the program was to be held that evening. As I tried to look into the eyes of one of the vendors, he looked too busy and certainly not the kind interested in diplomatic relations. Surely there must be more pressing concerns on his mind. Like, the need to feed his large family. As known to many of us, that often is the case in a country where half the population struggles to survive on less than $3 a day.
I digress as this post is meant to be about the dinner cruise, not an analysis on the socio-political scenario around. To gaze at the “City of a Thousand Minarets” through twinkling lights from the cruise was a pleasant experience.
Dinner was good but there was nothing new and exciting, as I have been used to tasting such dishes having lived in the Middle East the past few years. Dance was, but of course, as expected, belly dancing! I have seen a few sessions of belly dancing the past few years. The first few times initially, when I was curious, I’ve been delighted. When compared, the dancers in the deserts of Dubai that I have seen were moving their bodies and gyrating better than the ones on the cruise that I’ve been on.
I spent the best part of the cruise on the deck. Cool winds were blowing, blithely caressing those on board. In fact the strong breeze was a bit too cold for my comfort that made me pull out my soft cardigan to cover myself. The twinkling soft lights were charming. It was nice to pick out a corner away from the lights on the deck, and to watch the older part of the city in the eastern part of Cairo. The “City that Never Sleeps” exhibits the sprawling high rise buildings on the western side of the Nile.
The reflection of the lights in the Nile created a magical effect. As the cruise sailed on effortlessly, I stood in a corner of the deck mesmerized. The River seemed to flow on in eternity oblivious to the weight of the numerous cruises drifting quietly in either direction. I felt one in tune with the flowing currents, as if my destiny was bound with the events of the evening. It directed me to have faith in an eternity that transcended my ephemeral existence. It was easy to let go and give in to be lost in the exotic experience on the Nile.