I TOOK 10 days from a hectic schedule to visit my friends in Cairo. I have been in Egypt so many times yet it is always fascinating to go back. I am talking about what the ancients called the Nile Love Potion. If you drink from the Nile, you are bound to go back again and again.
Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm, and Luxor are my favorite cities in Egypt. I see this land of mystical ancient pharaohs as a yearly course I have to complete. In Luxor I participate in the tourist strolls around the pyramids and the museums while my vivid imagination enjoys a trip to the ancient past, so creepy, yet so amazing in the Valley of the Kings.
Alexandria and the north shore with white sands and turquoise sea are the perfect summer retreat; the new resorts are more appealing these days than those of the Cote d’Azur.
Sharm El-Shaikh on the Red Sea is so well organized for foreign tourists that you think for a while that maybe you are not really in Egypt — but to us Arabs, it’s too hot in the summer but is wonderful during spring, autumn and winter.
Cairo is the final destination; its coffee shops, bookstores, galleries, old streets and nostalgia-down-memory-lane buildings are the treat. The books I buy each time in Cairo last me the whole season and push me harder to make another trip.
My treat is always to reconnect with my Egyptian friends — so, go Egypt.
*****
Dear Nadia,
My son is stationed at the Odaid Military base. He does not get out much but he is soon coming home for good. He very generously asked me to choose a gift from the Gulf area and even though I explained that all I wanted was him to come safely home, he has insisted on a gift for me and has given me three months to decide. I want something that is not expensive, yet at the same time will have good memories of his two-year deployment in your region. Can you help me?
— Mary, Huston
Dear Mary
I hope that you see your son safe and back at home soon. I too am a mother and I know exactly how you feel.
Frankly, most Americans and Europeans who visit the area buy gold — either jewelry or small ingots. It’s not cheap but it’s worth it because of the resale value, and the design is usually typical of the area. Articles of clothing are also a possibility as well as rugs and carpets. My own choice is always gold — valuable and special. Best of luck.