There isn't a single day that goes by without a thought about my two months in Egypt. And almost instantly, the first thing I associate with it is the feel of the place - a deeper connection I made with the land whose memory consumes me...
Long walks in the evenings by the Nile, standing on the bridge and taking in the mystique of the river; sitting at the Trianon by the Nile tucking in to my favorite Haloumi Cheese sandwich and gazing at the sparkling lights of the Four Season's Hotel, watching noisy boats go by with a noisier bunch of dancing, laughing Egyptians; hailing a cab, greeting the cabbie, smiling to myself when the cabbie breaks into Arabic only to realize I'm not Egyptian and feeling like a world citizen when he says "Ohhh...but you LOOK Egyptian - Misr, Misr..."; walking by the Indian Embassy and feeling a sense of pride at being an Indian citizen; looking up at the exquisitely crafted lamp-posts that line the streets of Cairo, wanting to photograph each of them to take back as a tangible proof of rustic beauty; going over to Goal at 2 am and playing a game of checkers while smoking sheesha; running to each window in the house to try and shut it during the Khamsin; feeling the beauty of the breeze after the Khamsin, the sun blinking, half shutting its eyes to the power of the fine sand; standing at the windows of El Masry, looking at the Conrad, the Hilton, still unbelieving of the fact that I'm in Cairo; sitting at the Pizza Hut which overlooks the Pyramids of Giza, watching in silence as the sun sets on thousands of years of wonder; the sound and light show with the backdrop of the pyramids; the Nile cruise - and dancing with the belly dancer who, with her graceful moves, leaves me spell bound; getting dressed to go to an embassy party and making friends for a lifetime; going to Top Kapi and dancing to Shakira's music; Sami Yousuf's concert; dressing up in a sari for the Opera; the documentary on a moutaineer in the American University of Cairo; munching on a Fitr and drawing parallels between it and the roomali - its probable long lost cousin far far away in India; going to Midan Tehrir and returning jubilant at getting a 3 month extension on my visa; meeting up downtown for a quick after work cup of coffee; the stunning beauty of that rare raindrop; hot cinnamon buns; midnight snacks at tiny cafes; opening the windows in the nights at El Masry, listening to music, looking at the city lights and listening to the world go by; sitting by the Nile, listening with rapt attention and wonder to a soon-to-be-famous story teller weave a beautiful story he promises to dedicate to me - 'The Little Wave'; felafel sandwiches and Fayrouz; the countless trips to Metro; walking along the streets of Zamalek, absorbing the world around me; dining at inconspicuous places tucked away in the streets of Cairo; loving life and knowing what it is to live - and not just exist...
Long walks in the evenings by the Nile, standing on the bridge and taking in the mystique of the river; sitting at the Trianon by the Nile tucking in to my favorite Haloumi Cheese sandwich and gazing at the sparkling lights of the Four Season's Hotel, watching noisy boats go by with a noisier bunch of dancing, laughing Egyptians; hailing a cab, greeting the cabbie, smiling to myself when the cabbie breaks into Arabic only to realize I'm not Egyptian and feeling like a world citizen when he says "Ohhh...but you LOOK Egyptian - Misr, Misr..."; walking by the Indian Embassy and feeling a sense of pride at being an Indian citizen; looking up at the exquisitely crafted lamp-posts that line the streets of Cairo, wanting to photograph each of them to take back as a tangible proof of rustic beauty; going over to Goal at 2 am and playing a game of checkers while smoking sheesha; running to each window in the house to try and shut it during the Khamsin; feeling the beauty of the breeze after the Khamsin, the sun blinking, half shutting its eyes to the power of the fine sand; standing at the windows of El Masry, looking at the Conrad, the Hilton, still unbelieving of the fact that I'm in Cairo; sitting at the Pizza Hut which overlooks the Pyramids of Giza, watching in silence as the sun sets on thousands of years of wonder; the sound and light show with the backdrop of the pyramids; the Nile cruise - and dancing with the belly dancer who, with her graceful moves, leaves me spell bound; getting dressed to go to an embassy party and making friends for a lifetime; going to Top Kapi and dancing to Shakira's music; Sami Yousuf's concert; dressing up in a sari for the Opera; the documentary on a moutaineer in the American University of Cairo; munching on a Fitr and drawing parallels between it and the roomali - its probable long lost cousin far far away in India; going to Midan Tehrir and returning jubilant at getting a 3 month extension on my visa; meeting up downtown for a quick after work cup of coffee; the stunning beauty of that rare raindrop; hot cinnamon buns; midnight snacks at tiny cafes; opening the windows in the nights at El Masry, listening to music, looking at the city lights and listening to the world go by; sitting by the Nile, listening with rapt attention and wonder to a soon-to-be-famous story teller weave a beautiful story he promises to dedicate to me - 'The Little Wave'; felafel sandwiches and Fayrouz; the countless trips to Metro; walking along the streets of Zamalek, absorbing the world around me; dining at inconspicuous places tucked away in the streets of Cairo; loving life and knowing what it is to live - and not just exist...
I wonder if I'm the Kite Runner who runs after the memory of her past - having made a promise to my soul to never let go...saying to my Amir Agha "For you, a thousand times over..."
