Exploring
the local back streets of Mansoura, Egypt, is a fascinating experience.
Our friends Kim and Dennis are living in this northern Nile delta town
that is rich with life and culture. This is the first predominately
Muslim country we've traveled in, so sights and customs are all very
new to us. We are so fortunate to have a local tour guide - Raja, who
has joined the Manion family as caretaker for their daughter, has
eagerly offered to take us around the local back streets of her
residential neighborhood with her sister.
Today
Raja is a magical cultural guide for us, it doesn't get any better than
this! It feels a bit like our first day out on the streets of India...
overwhelming to the senses. Sounds of horns honking fill the air, as
wedding processions frequently flow down the streets all days of the
week. Loud speakers throughout the town cry out call to prayer five
times a day at sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. Men and
women dressed in flowing gowns fill the streets. Men wear long flowy
cotton gowns called a galabiyya, often made of light colors, keeping
them cool in the hot summer sun. Women wear abeyyas, a long black
dress covering themselves from head to toe, and hands are sealed up in
black gloves... some women only revealing the color of their eyes
through tiny slits in their headscarves, others with dark sunglasses on
reveal no piece of their body to anyone. White Toyota mini-vans and VW
busses crowd the streets and serve as micro-bus transportation for the
locals. The traditional donkey carts also cruise the streets,
competing for space with all the more modern vehicles. Younger, more
liberal-familied teens can be seen wearing jeans and western styled
shirts for the boys, and some girls wear jeans with long flowing tops,
covering their bodily form to their knees and top off their outfits
with colorful, hip scarves covering their heads, yet revealing their
beautiful faces.
The
markets are fascinating; full of friendly, enterprising locals. As we
saunter our way through the market streets, we are greeted with huge
smiles and "hello, welcome!" Everyone wants their picture taken, and
while we're always conscious to ask permission, these guys come right
up, and request to have their photos taken. The tomato man waves us
over to be sure we capture him positing with handfuls of the plumb
juicy veggies he's worked so hard to produce. His eyes are as big and
bright as the tomatoes, and his smiles invite us to take more pictures.
He gets pushed aside by the fish-man, who are eager to have us snap
pictures of them holding up their fresh catch of the day. The fresh
chicken men beckon me to hold their raw, slimy dead chicken - I
politely decline such a generous offer, but agree to pose in the photo
with them. Women huddle together, whispering amongst themselves,
following us closely throughout the market, and some pose with their
other women friends, while others egg on their shy veggie-selling
friends to pose for a picture on their own. They are all curious about
where we come from, and why we are staying in a non-tourist town that
is their home. When we say we're from America, their eyes light up,
and they give us the "thumbs up!" They happily and warmly welcome us
to Egypt and wish us a good trip. Everywhere we hear voices ringing
out, "Welcome to Egypt!"
We
wind our way through narrow streets where locally made clothing dangles
20M high, proudly displaying beautiful local wear made with brilliant
colors, and detailed embroidery. Another shop neatly displays sheesha
pipes, and other metal and glass objects. Tables and stalls full of
spices fill the air with delicious scents, and the one shop in town
that sells alcohol - the beer-mahal as the locals call it, is just a
tiny closet-sized shop bull well stocked. With few drinkers in this
local muslim community, the selection is not that vast, but the ability
to purchase anything with alcohol content is very welcomed by the few
western expats living here. Especially when Egypt has such strict
regulations about brining alcohol into the country - we were only
allowed to bring in 1 Liter per person, so Darrin and I were able to
only bring in a total of two bottles, en route from Europe for our
friends. At least the security restrictions for carrying liquids in
hand luggage aren't as restrictive as they are for flights entering
into the US and Europe, so we were easily able to bring in bottles from
duty free. Funny, our tour ends at the beer-mahal, after a long fine
afternoon of cultural immersion, and meeting some of the warmest,
friendliest people. It's only a couple days in, and we have already
fallen in love with our Egypt experience.
