The Cairo Metro (subway) is among the more efficient institutions in the city, though it still has some uniquely Egyptian quirks, which always make for an interesting experience.
Currently the metro has two lines, which cross over each other at two locations (map). The subway does not have complete coverage of the city, nor is the coverage proportional to population or significance. The areas served by the subway include 'Ataba, Doqqi, Downtown, Garden City, Gezira, Giza, Helwan, Maadi, el-Marg, Old Cairo, and Shubra. The major areas which conspicously lack subway coverage are Agouza, Heliopolis, all of Islamic Cairo, el-Manial, Mohandeseen, Nasr City, and Zamalek. However, the subway maps include a third line, to be built in the foreseeable future, which will provide access to Heliopolis (via the airport) Islamic Cairo, Mohandeseen, and Zamalek. One can only wonder when this work will begin. The common phrase bukra in sha' allah is appropriate here: "tomorrow, if God wills it." In other words, not anytime soon.
The cost of the Cairo metro is 1 LE per ride, for all stops, which converts to about $0.18. There are seasonal tickets available, though I am unsure of their prices. The low fare is the primary reason I enjoy using the metro. A typical cab ride between two or three subway stops may cost around 10 LE, which is still a low price for an American, though not as low as the subway.
While playing a game of "who can spot a rat first?" in the New York subway always results in a winner, the Cairo metro is very clean for a public transportation service. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of the city.
Since most Cairenes use cash exclusively for transactions, automatic ticket machines are not available for the metro. Thus, everyone has to purchase a ticket at the office prior to riding. When I first arrived in Cairo, I thought that I was being cut in line when waiting for a ticket. I have come to realize that Egyptians have no concept of forming a line. What would be a queue elsewhere is a massive mob of people who force their way into the front of the ticket office, particularly during rush hour. Being assertive is important, or else you won't get a ticket. Occasionally, a polite Egyptian will offer to buy your ticket if you give him or her the money, thus reducing the number of transactions by one.
It's inevitable at some point that you'll be holding a 1 LE bill somewhere at the front of the mob ready to buy, when someone will throw a 50 LE bill on the desk and say waheda - one ticket. Of course the metro employee will take his time to return change. Having more employees working at the ticket booths would reduce these types of bottlenecks.
Tickets have to be inserted into the machines before entering the platform and after exiting the platform. I don't understand the point of needing a ticket to exit the platform. There are security guards who are supposed to make sure everyone has a ticket, but I've seen them on many occasions look the other way while riders just jump over the turnstiles.
As one descends to the train platforms, one begins to hear the sound of the televisions blaring. Sometimes they show advertisements, but most times they show the metro TV station, which broadcasts Arabic pop music videos. These always provide a good laugh.
The cars in the middle of the train are reserved for women only. Luckily, I have never made the mistake of getting on one of these cars, but I have heard of some foreigners who have done so, causing some embarrassment.
The downside to having women's only cars is that the rest of the cars are sometimes packed, especially in the late afternoons during rush hour. When the train arrives, riders will literally run and push their way onto the car until it's full. For some reason, it's quite impolite to use this same mob method to exit the train. Before you arrive at your stop, you are supposed to ask the person in front of you "inta nazeel?" meaning, "are you descending?". If the answer is no, he will switch places with you.
Sometimes one may see people selling various trinkets on the subway, though this sort of thing happens in the US also. The difference is that most people are fascinated by these trinkets and actually buy them.
On more than one occasion I've seen men carrying machine guns or shotguns on the
subway, some wearing uniforms, and some wearing street clothes. None of the other passengers ever seem to be fazed by this.
While the bridges across the Nile are by far the most popular dating locations in Cairo, bizarrely enough the subway stations seem to be popular as well.
As one exits the subway station, it's likely that one will encounter a poor person on the stairs who will try to sell something. For some strange reason, all the beggars in Cairo sell tissues to try to make some money. I've wondered if this the government subsidizes the sale of tissues for this purpose.
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I'm now over halfway through my study abroad period, and the time has gone by rather quickly so far. There are still some things I have planned to see and do in Egypt before heading back to the United States. Among them include visits to Luxor, Aswan, Fayoum, and the Western Desert (possibly Siwa). Before then, though I have a spring break of ten days, where I will be visiting Jordan and Turkey. I have purchased my ticket to Amman on the night of April 9th and will be running the Dead Sea 50k Ultramarathon the next day. More to follow.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Meeting with my landlord, thoughts on Doqqi
Today my roommate Nate went to renew our lease for the apartment with the landlord, so I figured I'd meet my landlord since I hadn't yet. This was significant because it was the first time I'd been invited into the home of an Egyptian.
My landlord is named Nabil, and he lives on the other side of Midan al-Mesaha in Doqqi, about five minutes from our apartment. Nabil is elderly man, not even five feet tall, but speaks English fluently. His apartment is in a high rise, and is quite luxurious. He's a retired civil engineer, so he is fairly wealthy for an Egyptian.
When we arrived, we got the legal business out of the way. Nate signed the contract (all in Arabic) and agreed that he would be responsible for me as a "guest" only, so I'm not actually a party on the contract. Nabil also inspected my passport and visa.
After that we were offered tea, as is standard in Egypt, and he made us stay awhile to talk. His wife didn't know English, so we talked mainly in Arabic. I didn't say much, but I was contented by the fact that I could understand at least the main ideas of everything that was said. Nate is quite strong in Arabic, but even he feels fluency is very far away. Nabil talked to us about his career, politics, history, and some other topics. Before we left we were given the standard "you are like sons, visit me anytime" speech.
I've slowly come to the conclusion that Doqqi is simply the best place in Cairo to live, at least according to my tastes. If I were to ever return to Cairo and needed an apartment, I would most likely choose Doqqi again. The northeastern part of Giza and the southern part of Agouza are close enough to Doqqi that they would also be great places to live. I've been to basically every neighborhood in Cairo at least once, so I think I have a good idea of how Doqqi compares.
Among the many reasons I think Doqqi is an ideal neighborhood for living:
There is one poor lady in particular who comes around all the streets in my neighborhood every day around 9AM, and yells something which I can't quite understand. All she ever carries is a box of lettuce or some other vegetable. On the weekends, the propane collectors come by in their carts and bang on the containers with wrenches repeatedly. The guy who collects large trash items comes by and yells as he slowly pushes his cart. Occasionally there are a few guys who come along with the donkey carts full of fruits and vegetables and yell out their entire stock of goods for anyone who may be interested. When these people yell, they really yell, and they take their time walking up and down the streets and stopping in front of every apartment building, so hearing the piercing sound of "patatas" one hundred times is now commonplace.
My street isn't too busy, but even still I hear a great deal of horn-honking on a regular basis. I live right next door to a very popular upscale cafe, and when people come to pick up their friends at the coffee house, they'll often just lean on the horn to let them know they've arrived, rather than getting out of the car. The cafe is more frequented by young people, so at night the cafe itself gets very loud.
In addition to the noise, some streets in Doqqi tend to have a lot of trash. I've noticed many Egyptians have no qualms about littering, so the streets often reflect this attitude.
On the whole though, I'm really glad I chose to live in Doqqi. If anyone reading this is looking for ideas on where to live in Cairo, that's what I'd suggest.
My landlord is named Nabil, and he lives on the other side of Midan al-Mesaha in Doqqi, about five minutes from our apartment. Nabil is elderly man, not even five feet tall, but speaks English fluently. His apartment is in a high rise, and is quite luxurious. He's a retired civil engineer, so he is fairly wealthy for an Egyptian.
When we arrived, we got the legal business out of the way. Nate signed the contract (all in Arabic) and agreed that he would be responsible for me as a "guest" only, so I'm not actually a party on the contract. Nabil also inspected my passport and visa.
After that we were offered tea, as is standard in Egypt, and he made us stay awhile to talk. His wife didn't know English, so we talked mainly in Arabic. I didn't say much, but I was contented by the fact that I could understand at least the main ideas of everything that was said. Nate is quite strong in Arabic, but even he feels fluency is very far away. Nabil talked to us about his career, politics, history, and some other topics. Before we left we were given the standard "you are like sons, visit me anytime" speech.
I've slowly come to the conclusion that Doqqi is simply the best place in Cairo to live, at least according to my tastes. If I were to ever return to Cairo and needed an apartment, I would most likely choose Doqqi again. The northeastern part of Giza and the southern part of Agouza are close enough to Doqqi that they would also be great places to live. I've been to basically every neighborhood in Cairo at least once, so I think I have a good idea of how Doqqi compares.
Among the many reasons I think Doqqi is an ideal neighborhood for living:
- Tahrir Street and Doqqi Street have all the shops and services you'd ever need.
- The Doqqi metro stop is only two stops from Downtown.
- Walking to Midan al-Tahrir in Downtown takes only fiveteen minutes from Midan al-Galaa' in Doqqi.
- There are trees which provide some shade and aesthetic appeal, unlike most Cairo neighborhoods.
- Expat population is very low. It actually feels like living in Cairo, rather than an expat enclave. This is good for seeing how the "common" Cairene lives and speaks on a daily basis.
- Apartments are mostly cheap, although there are a few luxury ones available.
- It does not have the level of pollution that is present in Downtown or Garden City; in fact the pollution in Doqqi isn't noticeable except on Tahrir Street.
There is one poor lady in particular who comes around all the streets in my neighborhood every day around 9AM, and yells something which I can't quite understand. All she ever carries is a box of lettuce or some other vegetable. On the weekends, the propane collectors come by in their carts and bang on the containers with wrenches repeatedly. The guy who collects large trash items comes by and yells as he slowly pushes his cart. Occasionally there are a few guys who come along with the donkey carts full of fruits and vegetables and yell out their entire stock of goods for anyone who may be interested. When these people yell, they really yell, and they take their time walking up and down the streets and stopping in front of every apartment building, so hearing the piercing sound of "patatas" one hundred times is now commonplace.
My street isn't too busy, but even still I hear a great deal of horn-honking on a regular basis. I live right next door to a very popular upscale cafe, and when people come to pick up their friends at the coffee house, they'll often just lean on the horn to let them know they've arrived, rather than getting out of the car. The cafe is more frequented by young people, so at night the cafe itself gets very loud.
In addition to the noise, some streets in Doqqi tend to have a lot of trash. I've noticed many Egyptians have no qualms about littering, so the streets often reflect this attitude.
On the whole though, I'm really glad I chose to live in Doqqi. If anyone reading this is looking for ideas on where to live in Cairo, that's what I'd suggest.
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