Egypt A friend assumed that Egypt is a third-world country, and – based on our observations – that seemed to fit half the time. But what exactly is its status in the world view?
Evidently, it is classified as a developing country, or a lower middle-income nation, rather than a “third world” country as it is currently defined.
What that seems to mean is that there are flashy airports, a full range of tourist accommodations, and a steady stream of visitors to admire the accomplishments of the past.
But it doesn’t take long to see the only economic engine is tourism, which spawns some very unpleasant side effects. There is hardly a moment, from using a toilet to engaging a driver, where the entire country doesn’t seem to have its hand out. Yes, they could put toilet paper in the stalls, but instead allow a young boy to parcel it out and charge for it at the door. They are geniuses at monetizing every step of your day.
When a taxi driver, questioned about the fare to a tourist site, says “Pay what you want,” beware. You will soon learn about his five children and the horrors of his life when it comes time to settle. Despite what the guidebooks say, the going rate is meaningless, and indignation is a weapon vendors of anything use masterfully.
We are getting weary of it, even though we quickly learned how to deal with the souvenir sellers who crowd you constantly. Everything is handmade by them in their own studio, just like the ones held by the next five guys.
Do we blame them? No. There is simply nothing else for them to do. Sitting around seems to be the main occupation for many men. Many drivers admit they cannot read or write, but they function in five languages and know exactly what each tourist site entails, even though they may have never visited any of them. And they can tell you to the minute how long you will spend there.
We’re still digesting, but we will probably continue to have very mixed feelings about this country. For an economy that is based on tourism, we were always stunned by the lack of attention to tourist needs and expectations. It’s not that we’re more important; it’s that we need certain accommodations.
The absence of signage, the overall filth and decay, the barely accessible steps and paths to major sites, and constant language issues are all stumbling blocks.
So a word about English fluency in Egypt. People like tour guides and front desk types are obviously chosen for their language skills, though those vary greatly.
Our experience is that all our guides only have the same middling level of competence in English, though they are all educated and licensed in Egyptology. They are basically speaking Egyptian with English words, which results in kind of a pidgin English. (Rather like the way I speak French.) Lots of explanations went right over our heads, or needed to be repeated.
There is also a speech construction that they all have and use heavily which is very wearing. Here is a sample tour guide’s speech:
“Egyptians worshipped falcon.
“Why? (Addressed aggressively to the group.)
“Why Egyptians worship falcon?
“Why Egyptians worship falcon is because…”
Try hearing that format – whatever a linguist would call it – twenty times in front of one temple and you just have to ask yourself “Why?” Don even heard the same pattern repeated by a French guide, “Pourquoi??” “Pourquoi…”
On a more positive note, the people here are generally very friendly and quick to smile. I have been helped over more rocky steps than I could count, and held lots of hands when the going got rough. And much of the going is rough here, believe me.
Then there are the children. They’re not all beggars. Most are industriously hawking beaded bracelets or other tat like bookmarks. Hard to resist, but you have to stop somewhere.
The most touching thing we saw was when we were in a ferry going somewhere on the Nile. Small boys on paddleboards suddenly appeared and latched onto our boat. They were carrying nothing, as they paddled with their hands. What they did have were the most beautiful voices, as they all began to sing. Really brought tears to our eyes. The young boys of the same age who were on our tour were the first to give them money.
Such a different world. Glad we got to experience it, even though we leave shaking our heads.
I’ll end on one final silly note:
Just to prove that all craftsmanship hasn’t died in Egypt, let us appreciate that most-undervalued form of creativity: towel art.
