Jogging @ Joburg

There is a certain magic about the City of Joburg! Had it been a safer city that I could explore freely, I sure would have seen more of it. This longing for walking about the city on a cool evening was made possible. It was not just me, a whole lot of people, mostly from Joburg joined me in this excitement - thanks to J.P.Morgan's Corporate Challenge 2010 the Annual 5.6 KM Mini Marathon that starts and ends at the Wanderer's Club in Illovo very conveniently situated in the space between my Hotel and Office.
As always the first thursday of March was the D-Day. It was good to see a sea of humanity turn up for the race in support of the Theme of "Teaming Up for a Greener Tomorrow".
From what I understand there were close to 12,000 people who either ran / walked the 5.6 KM course around the affluent suburb of Melrose. Though the dreaded "donderstorm" threatened to wash away hopes of a race, the rain did not come down in a big way as the multitude of marathorners snaked our way through the sloping streets of the sizzling city. Egged on by others running around me, I too managed to complete it in my own sweet time of 51:51.
Of course what was even better was what happened after the race was even better - food, drink, and live music!
The body ache I am experiencing now and the T-Shirt I am wearing now are a reminder to the good time I had on the eve of my 31st birth day!

Journey to Joburg

Joburg!
The city that made an unforgettable first impression on me and bettered it with a memorable second impression exactly a year later.
In the 2 visits I made lasting 2 weeks each I have bearely explored the city what with having only one weekend where I stepped out.
But there is something about the city that made me feel at home. Though I have read and heard about the high crime rate and how unsafe the city is, I some how felt comfortable in the lush green environ of Illovo near the Bullring - Wanderers Cricket Stadium.
I even managed to watch a match between West Indies and Pakistan. But then I cherish my solo trip into the empty wanderes groud in broad day light even more. The place simply bowls you over!
Call it my luck, but I eagerly look forward to more trips to the happening city of Joburg and explore the untamed Africa that gently breathes into the city.

Missing the Mummies

After 11 months in Cairo I finally came back to my Motherland from the 'Mummy'land. In a wierd sort of way I do miss Cairo. Had work not interfered with my life in Cairo I could have made a complete tour of the Ancient Land.
I did hot get an opportunity to travel South of Egypt to the Upper Egypt.
Who knows I might some day visit the Valley of Kings and Queens.
for now I am content to wacth the DVD's and see th picture books that have captured the essense of Egypt better than what i can manage to see personally!

The National Habit?

One of the first things I noticed on landing in Cairo is that most people smoke cigarettes. Only later did I realize that smoking is almost like a National habit here.
There are very few people who do not smoke. Of course there are more men smoking than women. And almost all except the kids seem to smoke.
The traditional shisha (what we call as hookah in India) is also a commonly smoked thing.
I have become a passive smoker for the last 5 months. When it hits me worst is when I travel in a cab and the cabbie exhales more smoke than the automobile exhaust! I some times get the feeling there is more cigarette smoke in the air than fumes from cars.
The tobacco companies must be making a fortune in the Middle East. All said, i thought some of them are very classy and stylish in their smoking style, especially the women. I just wish I don't have to inhale as much smoke from the air as I am currently forced to.

Comments on Cairo

Now that I have been here in this City of Cairo for over 5 months now, I have had sufficient time and opportunity to observe and form an opinion about this city.
Cairo comes across as a very relaxed slow-paced city despite being a major metropolitan and one of the most important cities in the Middle-East. You of course will have to discount the major traffic jams that can happen from time to time considering the fact that there are way too many cars and people.
Cairo has a better night-life than a day-life.
During the day, people exist; during the night they live!!
There are no strangers in this city. At least that is how the people here make you feel.
I was and still am amazed by the warmth and the smiles that people extend towards you even though you are a total 'stranger'.
Egyptians in Cairo enjoy their food and laugh heartily and are generally loud like mots of us Indian communities.
I like the way people's face lights up when they recognize or when we reveal that we are Indians. I guess Big B is synonymous with India out here. There is an entire generation of Egyptians that grew up watching Bollywood films starring the likes of Big B. Most people say "India, good country; Amitab Bachhan, good actor!"
Some cabbies even sing some of the songs from old hindi movies.

Nile - now you never get tired of looking at it - especially after dusk. It's magical. A few boat rides on the Nile was so fulfilling and fun.

Traffic - The driving skills of people are awesome here. They race around the city with easy elegance. Of course there are occasional brushes and collisions which are quickly resolved by the wave of a hand.

Food - Egyptian food is pretty good. At least I liked it and it agrees with me. My personal favorite are the felafels - stuffed rotis - usually with one or more of things like with Tamayya (like the indian Vada), phool (baked beans), egg, vegetables like brinjal, tomato. Koshari (a mixture of spagetthi, noodles, rice, pulses, fried onions, channa, semiya with some tasty tomato sauce and spicy chilli sauce) is a nice thing to eat too. But we usually end up cooking Indian food at home or eating out at some Indian restaurant like Kandhahaar

Of course the Arab women are very pretty and dress well too. They wear colorful stuff but look best in black. The kids of course steal your heart and the clothing for kids is awesome here. Bright colours and very cute dresses especially for the little angels.

Pyramids - Aaaaaawwwweeeee some! They just stand there as a testimony for the people who engineered it and built it. The entire ancient Egyptian civilization with their culture and beliefs is quite interesting.

Mummies n TUT - Of course I got to see the mummies in the museum. Some how it was not as impressive to me as it was meant to be. What did take my breath away was the Mask of Tutenkhamum! Its a amaaaazing piece of art. You could look at it for hours on end. Such a wonderful piece - that too of gold (all 11 KGs of it)!! phew!!

Amazing Alexandria - I am addicted to this city. It's the magical Mediterranean city some 220 KM from Cairo. I have been there twice and liked it more each time. I managed to even take a dip in the Mediterranean. The catacombs were wonderful and we took many a forbodden snaps there. Same with the pyramids - thanks to my Sony Ericcson K-790-i. My best foto was of the Pompeii Pillar with the sun on the top making it look like a lighthouse.

But for the scorching summer sun it's a paradise on earth out here - again I am excluding the "work" part here :)