29 February 2008
Well, here I am once again on a plane travelling from London to San Francisco. It is February 29th, that extra day we get every four years… Time for reflection, I think… Since my return from the holidays in the states I have been busy. End of January I travelled to Monte Carlo, Monaco. This is where the famous Princess Grace lived. The very cleanest city I have ever been in. It really is an idealic place, quite the contrast to my trip last week to Cairo, Egypt…one of the dirtiest places I have ever been. Boy, what a difference!
Monte Carlo sits facing Meditterean Sea, huge yachts that never see the open sea… sailboats, in and out of the neatly arranged harbour, cruise ships stop regularly to give tourists a chance to see the sights. The streets are full of stores like Prada, Dolce and Gabana, Tiffany, you get the idea. The woman walk up and down the hills in designer shoes and clothes. People sit at outdoor cafes sipping expresso and champagne, depending on the mood. Every corner has a park, most with beautifully tiled fountains. There is carefully disguised construction; continuing the tasteful layout of the famous city. The dirtiest habit there is the smokers, still a sophisticated vice. Each building, even the newer ones have character, brightly colored shutters or fancy awnings. Everything is kept in good shape. The street cleaners work very early daily, preparing the city for the day. Ferrari’s, Mercedes, BMW and Audi, are the everyday cars on the road.
Cairo is located on the Nile River, one of the longest rivers in the world. (Amazon is the longest.) I have been told it runs South to North (it also has this in common with the Amazon). Most rivers run North to South… anyway, the Nile is a major river in Africa. It is a busy river. Boats are continuously making there way up and down. Cargo ships, loaded with containers make there way to various destinations. There are sail boats with what looks like ancient styled riggings. I did see some kayaks, (now that would be the way to do the nile!) There are a lot boats that look like little ferry boats, bringing the locals across or up/down the river. The river is filthy! I don’t think I would want to swim it. It is brown in color with a hint of green. It is still an awesome sight! The streets appear to never have been cleaned. This must have to do with the desert sand and heavy smog. There are no emission standards so not only are the roads filthy, every building has a brown film of dirt/dust on it. In the general areas of Cairo there is no character. Tall, twenty story buildings with each floor the same, clothes hanging on balconies to dry… 90% of the buildings look either unfinished or in the process of being knocked down. The guide we had explained that when a building is finished, taxes apply. If a building stays in an unfinished state, no taxes are due. Therefore most of the building is left unfinished either on the first floor or mostly on the top floor. You see what looks like unfinished top floors, rebar sticking out into the air. Satellite dishes sit on these unfinished roofs… very unappealing. On the roads you see Mercedes, BMW and Audi… all in the same car! The tier 2 taxis and general population cars are a hybrid, not gas wise, parts wise… they take parts of old cars and build new ones. The typical Egyptian car has a furry dashboard, ten mirrors in the front, is either black and white or gray, or it is a donkey pulling a cart! Yes, and on the freeway! They do stay in the slow lane at least!
Most of Cairo’s population of women wear beautiful scarfs and western type clothes. A few women dress in the full outfit of the fundalmentalist (all black, face covered)…It is because most everyone is a Muslim… the Christians try to identify each other and become very happy if you are one of them… one driver gave my adorable Lebanese Marketing Coordinator, Diane, a beautiful crucifix to protect her… He was also Lebanese, working in Cairo. I have decided that most women wear the scarfs because it protects their hair from the sut and dust! If I lived there, I would wear a scarf!
You do see the designer stores, but not like Monte Carlo. Every other store is a shoe store, probably because they do a lot walking (it is faster than driving and they have very virtually no mass transportation system. There is what we call freeways, however, there are no lane restrictions… in other words, you may have three lanes marked but six cars will be driving neck and neck and weaving in and out of traffic like there are no rules… well, there aren’t! I learned to trust the driver and not look out of the side windows… just looked at the scenery…
In Cairo there are old cemeteries (looks like New Orleans cemetaries) with large family plots, many with small buildings housing the family’s dead relatives. People live there!!! That is how bad the poverty is there! They use water from the Nile but no electricity or any other amenities… Thousands of people live in these “Cities of the Dead”… incredible that in today’s society, people live that close to civilization yet as if it was ancient times. Cairo is a city of approximately 18 million people…
Every person in Cairo looks like they work hard. Every person in Monte Carlo looks like they don’t work at all. The people that serve in restaurants, bars and stores in Monte Carlo act like they are doing you a favour. They are not outwardly happy people. The people in Cairo are so wonderful. They are so happy that you are in their country. They are appreciative, kind and helpful and seem to have, as my friend Sally always says, “joy” in their lives. Wow, what a cultural dicatomy! Isn’t it interesting, happiness or joy do not equate to money or living conditions.
So what you ask, was the best thing about Monte Carlo? Well, I enjoyed being near the sea, it felt a little like home to me because I could smell the sea air, enjoy the beautiful vista, see the sun and moon over the sea… sailboats, ect… The beautifully kept buildings. I stayed in a hotel built in the early 1800’s that was originally the hotel that the servants of the rich and famous stayed in when there master/mistresses were visiting Monte Carlo… It was gorgeous… beautiful shuttered full length windows… spacious rooms with high ceilings. This was for the one extra night I spent after the meeting I attended. The hotel we stayed at for the meeting was also fabulous, but in a different way. It was a new hotel, very modern… the first time I stayed there was during the World Music Awards and all the music stars were staying there.. ( not that I knew who they were!.. you could just tell they weren’t “regular” people!) Anyway, the hotel sits right on the Monte Carlo Bay, the views were spectacular! I have pictures posted so you can see… Anyway, for me, Monte Carlo is not a “real” place which is OK sometimes when you want to just forget about all the miseries of life. It is almost like a dream place, not a place anyone would actually live in.
Cairo, what was the most impressive? I have to say, actually climbing the Pyramids! Something I have secretly always hoped to do… It was all that I had expected and maybe more! It is just as amazing as they say… The Sphynx which is located in the same area was also quite a sight! Imagine, a girl from Shoreview, San Mateo, California walking in the same sand as those Egyptian workers so long ago! I was smiling the whole time… truly awesome. I decided not to ride the camels. They were dirty and stinky! (a girl can set limits!) I took a picture of them. That was enough for me!
As I was there for work… (I know, it doesn’t sound like it!) we entertained customers in the evening. One night we took a dinner cruise on the Nile. We didn’t see much of the Nile because the entertainment was non-stop! First, a belly dancer was brought in on a gilded chair, ala Cleopatra, and she danced for at least 45 minutes… then, the featured entertainer, a guy dressed in what looked like ancient Turkish attire. He had on multiple skirts and he was spinning for at least 30 minutes… all to fast drums and other instruments… it was fantastic…see pictures… I can’t even explain it all but it was amazing! Anyway, the Nile was magic with all the colourfully lit boats, the building lights and fantasy-like street lights on the bridges… Very different from the day!
Cairo was amazing, interesting, disturbing and exciting, all at the same time…
I am on the down side of my EMEA adventure. I hope to be permanently back in my house sometime this summer… with a new grandchild on the way, I am looking forward to getting back to family and friends… look for more adventures though… I am not done yet!
Well, here I am once again on a plane travelling from London to San Francisco. It is February 29th, that extra day we get every four years… Time for reflection, I think… Since my return from the holidays in the states I have been busy. End of January I travelled to Monte Carlo, Monaco. This is where the famous Princess Grace lived. The very cleanest city I have ever been in. It really is an idealic place, quite the contrast to my trip last week to Cairo, Egypt…one of the dirtiest places I have ever been. Boy, what a difference!
Monte Carlo sits facing Meditterean Sea, huge yachts that never see the open sea… sailboats, in and out of the neatly arranged harbour, cruise ships stop regularly to give tourists a chance to see the sights. The streets are full of stores like Prada, Dolce and Gabana, Tiffany, you get the idea. The woman walk up and down the hills in designer shoes and clothes. People sit at outdoor cafes sipping expresso and champagne, depending on the mood. Every corner has a park, most with beautifully tiled fountains. There is carefully disguised construction; continuing the tasteful layout of the famous city. The dirtiest habit there is the smokers, still a sophisticated vice. Each building, even the newer ones have character, brightly colored shutters or fancy awnings. Everything is kept in good shape. The street cleaners work very early daily, preparing the city for the day. Ferrari’s, Mercedes, BMW and Audi, are the everyday cars on the road.
Cairo is located on the Nile River, one of the longest rivers in the world. (Amazon is the longest.) I have been told it runs South to North (it also has this in common with the Amazon). Most rivers run North to South… anyway, the Nile is a major river in Africa. It is a busy river. Boats are continuously making there way up and down. Cargo ships, loaded with containers make there way to various destinations. There are sail boats with what looks like ancient styled riggings. I did see some kayaks, (now that would be the way to do the nile!) There are a lot boats that look like little ferry boats, bringing the locals across or up/down the river. The river is filthy! I don’t think I would want to swim it. It is brown in color with a hint of green. It is still an awesome sight! The streets appear to never have been cleaned. This must have to do with the desert sand and heavy smog. There are no emission standards so not only are the roads filthy, every building has a brown film of dirt/dust on it. In the general areas of Cairo there is no character. Tall, twenty story buildings with each floor the same, clothes hanging on balconies to dry… 90% of the buildings look either unfinished or in the process of being knocked down. The guide we had explained that when a building is finished, taxes apply. If a building stays in an unfinished state, no taxes are due. Therefore most of the building is left unfinished either on the first floor or mostly on the top floor. You see what looks like unfinished top floors, rebar sticking out into the air. Satellite dishes sit on these unfinished roofs… very unappealing. On the roads you see Mercedes, BMW and Audi… all in the same car! The tier 2 taxis and general population cars are a hybrid, not gas wise, parts wise… they take parts of old cars and build new ones. The typical Egyptian car has a furry dashboard, ten mirrors in the front, is either black and white or gray, or it is a donkey pulling a cart! Yes, and on the freeway! They do stay in the slow lane at least!
Most of Cairo’s population of women wear beautiful scarfs and western type clothes. A few women dress in the full outfit of the fundalmentalist (all black, face covered)…It is because most everyone is a Muslim… the Christians try to identify each other and become very happy if you are one of them… one driver gave my adorable Lebanese Marketing Coordinator, Diane, a beautiful crucifix to protect her… He was also Lebanese, working in Cairo. I have decided that most women wear the scarfs because it protects their hair from the sut and dust! If I lived there, I would wear a scarf!
You do see the designer stores, but not like Monte Carlo. Every other store is a shoe store, probably because they do a lot walking (it is faster than driving and they have very virtually no mass transportation system. There is what we call freeways, however, there are no lane restrictions… in other words, you may have three lanes marked but six cars will be driving neck and neck and weaving in and out of traffic like there are no rules… well, there aren’t! I learned to trust the driver and not look out of the side windows… just looked at the scenery…
In Cairo there are old cemeteries (looks like New Orleans cemetaries) with large family plots, many with small buildings housing the family’s dead relatives. People live there!!! That is how bad the poverty is there! They use water from the Nile but no electricity or any other amenities… Thousands of people live in these “Cities of the Dead”… incredible that in today’s society, people live that close to civilization yet as if it was ancient times. Cairo is a city of approximately 18 million people…
Every person in Cairo looks like they work hard. Every person in Monte Carlo looks like they don’t work at all. The people that serve in restaurants, bars and stores in Monte Carlo act like they are doing you a favour. They are not outwardly happy people. The people in Cairo are so wonderful. They are so happy that you are in their country. They are appreciative, kind and helpful and seem to have, as my friend Sally always says, “joy” in their lives. Wow, what a cultural dicatomy! Isn’t it interesting, happiness or joy do not equate to money or living conditions.
So what you ask, was the best thing about Monte Carlo? Well, I enjoyed being near the sea, it felt a little like home to me because I could smell the sea air, enjoy the beautiful vista, see the sun and moon over the sea… sailboats, ect… The beautifully kept buildings. I stayed in a hotel built in the early 1800’s that was originally the hotel that the servants of the rich and famous stayed in when there master/mistresses were visiting Monte Carlo… It was gorgeous… beautiful shuttered full length windows… spacious rooms with high ceilings. This was for the one extra night I spent after the meeting I attended. The hotel we stayed at for the meeting was also fabulous, but in a different way. It was a new hotel, very modern… the first time I stayed there was during the World Music Awards and all the music stars were staying there.. ( not that I knew who they were!.. you could just tell they weren’t “regular” people!) Anyway, the hotel sits right on the Monte Carlo Bay, the views were spectacular! I have pictures posted so you can see… Anyway, for me, Monte Carlo is not a “real” place which is OK sometimes when you want to just forget about all the miseries of life. It is almost like a dream place, not a place anyone would actually live in.
Cairo, what was the most impressive? I have to say, actually climbing the Pyramids! Something I have secretly always hoped to do… It was all that I had expected and maybe more! It is just as amazing as they say… The Sphynx which is located in the same area was also quite a sight! Imagine, a girl from Shoreview, San Mateo, California walking in the same sand as those Egyptian workers so long ago! I was smiling the whole time… truly awesome. I decided not to ride the camels. They were dirty and stinky! (a girl can set limits!) I took a picture of them. That was enough for me!
As I was there for work… (I know, it doesn’t sound like it!) we entertained customers in the evening. One night we took a dinner cruise on the Nile. We didn’t see much of the Nile because the entertainment was non-stop! First, a belly dancer was brought in on a gilded chair, ala Cleopatra, and she danced for at least 45 minutes… then, the featured entertainer, a guy dressed in what looked like ancient Turkish attire. He had on multiple skirts and he was spinning for at least 30 minutes… all to fast drums and other instruments… it was fantastic…see pictures… I can’t even explain it all but it was amazing! Anyway, the Nile was magic with all the colourfully lit boats, the building lights and fantasy-like street lights on the bridges… Very different from the day!
Cairo was amazing, interesting, disturbing and exciting, all at the same time…
I am on the down side of my EMEA adventure. I hope to be permanently back in my house sometime this summer… with a new grandchild on the way, I am looking forward to getting back to family and friends… look for more adventures though… I am not done yet!
