My Adventures in the Arabian Land 3

The train ride to Alexandria was a classy affair. The seats were really comfortable and reminded of those cool coaches in the movie Murder in the Orient Express (OK I am stretching it a bit, but allow me to indulge!). But it was a very clean train and there were uniformed waiters serving breakfast and tea. It took about a couple of hours to reach.

It was raining as the train slowed down towards Alexandria. But by the time I stepped out of the train station, the rain stopped.

I have to admit it here– of all the places that I visited in the next two weeks; to me Alexandria was the most beautiful. The sun was playing with the clouds and the sky was a brilliant blue in patches between the steel grey - it was out of this world. I negotiated with a taxi driver to take me around some 6 places (he had a tourist map) for 150 Egyptian Pounds. (One thing I learned during this trip was that there is always a better deal elsewhere but we have to stop making comparisons at some point.)

The driver first took me to Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa which is a necropolis accidentally discovered in the 1900s when a donkey fell through a shaft. I was the first to reach that day and it was nearly empty inside. There was a winding pathway that led to the burial chamber and it was along these walls I caught my first glimpse of original hieroglyphs. Falcons, jackals and images of men working were all over the place.

I walked through the underground chambers trying to imagine the ancient people in the same place burying the dead and sitting on those stone benches mourning for them. My imagination had life only for a few minutes when a bunch of Asian tourists came pouring down the stairway with a pretty Asian tour guide holding a white flag and explaining away with outstretched hands and the whole group literally looked everywhere her hands pointed. But what I did not understand was why were they wearing surgical masks? It looked funny :p

And oh, these Asian tourists were all over Egypt. Retired Chinese uncles and aunties were enjoying their retired life – they even were there for a belly dance show! (Nice job uncle!)

I then went to a Roman Theatre, right in the heart of Alexandria.

Here is a piece of advice to those planning to travel to Egypt. Plan your budget really well. It costs a LOT of money almost everywhere to get in, a minimum of 35 Egyptian Pounds a maximum of 100. Understand that Egypt runs on tourism and so you have to pay entrance fees at every damn place in the country. Even the loos cost you one pound (That’s about Rs 12 to take a leak. No thank you, would say the Chennaiite. I’d prefer the trees.) It does help a lot if you carry the student card (ISIC) because you would then have to pay only about half the price. If you are an Arab, you pay local price that is about 10 percent of the original.

The Roman Theatre was almost deserted except for a couple of ladies and their children. It was a small semi-circular amphitheatre. Performers used to dance and sing while the royalty would sit back and sip wine and enjoy. The sun was clear and lighting was brilliant. Of all the inventions made by Nikon, I think the “self-timer mode” is the best. I experimented with it a lot and took pictures of myself. (It was super fun).

The taxi driver then went past a compound wall and said, “This Pombisbilar. You see from outside, nothing inside”. I said ok and when I went closer, I realized it was Pompey’s Pillar, one of the world’s oldest monolithic structure, a HUGE pillar commemorating Romans’ victory over the local revolt. (Nothing inside eh, taxi driver? Damn you!)

I asked the driver to take me to a local restaurant. Immediately he went “You want Pizza or pasta and...” I interrupted “No no no , I want to go where YOU go with family on holidays”. He asked back “Which family? I have two.”

Any of them, damn it!

But then he understood what I meant and took me to a real local restaurant. It was nicely decorated and looked very middle-class’ish. I was convinced. The waited looked at me and asked “Indian?” “Yes”. “No cow?” Well that’s a new one. I shook my head.

“The kofta here is good”, said the driver, “You know kofta?”

Of course I knew kofta! I've had Malai Kofta so many times before!

Before the kofta came, I was served a whole bunch of quick eats that were free. Pita, salads, hummus – I was digging into all of them, licking my fingers deep. I began to wonder if I should cancel my order and just eat the free stuff :p

And then came the kofta on a plate of leaves. Well, this looks different, I thought. I cut a small piece and tried to bite. It was a bit rubbery. I chewed hard. The waiter bent down and asked “How’s the lamb?”

Lamb??!!!!! But I am a vegetarian! Damn!

The guilt stayed on my mind for precisely 3 seconds – the time the lamb took to melt in my mouth. And then I thought to myself, hell, I was on a holiday. And one must not get too fussy with food on a holiday, especially when travelling alone to enjoy the local culture :D .

I had a fabulous first non-vegetarian meal.

More of Alexandria