I guess I'll get in trouble for saying this again. He is compelling and be speaks Arabic blah blah blah, but I feel these articles are more about him than Sayyid, over which we haggle with him vicariously over Egyptians pounds, approximately seventeen to one US dollar now. I know that feeling, but I wouldn't even ironically brag about paying fifty cents over the other wealthy foreigner a month. I would saying something here ironically in cutesy Egyptian Arabic and explain it, but I'd be my own worst enemy.
I have to visit often for family reasons, and they are the reason I avoid being more engaged about being outspoken over there about what goes on. I feel as a westerner we have passively let Egypt totally devolved and we should feel ashamed; these lip service articles only assuage personal guilt, as I see it. I dreamed of being a Hessler and now ashamed I am part of the clique when I visit old friends.
I know I'll go get down-voted for saying it, but oh well.
I would strongly encourage everyone here to visit, and go beyond what tourist books tell you. You cannot freely write on the details of the place anymore, and I learned the most about life from Egypt.
I feel you read a bit too much into all this. The guy is a journalist and his wife as well. I suspect they don't make much money from their job so they have to be a bit careful on how they spend it. And knowing they pay a bit more compared to some other Western guy in their apartment complex ... well, I feel most people would feel better about themselves as well given the circumstance. I feel it's just human nature. From his story it's clear it's hard to figure out the "proper" amount of pay, there are no clearly set rules.
I did find his writing compelling and added the book to my Amazon Wishlist.
In the past I visited Egypt once through a more adventurous travel agency. It was still an organised trip, but I was happy to see quite a bit of Egypt which included sleeping in the desert, sleeping in an oasis, have a small boat trip on the Nile, eat dinner with a Nubian family, visit the archeological museum and most important mosque in Cairo, as well as an important coptic church. And did see all the well known attractions such as the pyramids, valley of kings, Luxor, etc... It was fun and I'd love to visit it again in the future, but I feel it's currently probably too unsafe. Even back in 2005 when I visited there were military escorts with out travel group as we travelled to the south.
I visit 3 to 5 times a year. It's not that unsafe, in Cairo at least, as police reaction forces roll around in Jeeps and I have never seen people want to make such a fuss to get their attention; foreigners used to be interesting but stuff is so bad I feel tourism took a nosedive and over the years people don't bother foreigners has less of a payout and nothing really matters anymore. I feel the big cities must have more risk, unless we are talking Sinai where people are actively fighting the military and Egyptians not directly in that zone avoid.
Westerners continue to make vastly more than local counterparts, and those 40 pounds buy less in 2007 than they did in 2019 (6LE:1USD,17.8LE:1USD, it was even crazier for foreigners when black market currency flowed freely and was stopped violently, including dragging exchange owners and seizures by police in ... 2018). Letting foreigners say stuff like this and rationalize it is part of how we helped passively ruin it.
You are right. I do read a lot into it, but stuff like this has been bothersome to me for what you can guess is 10+ years now. That we all go wow, look at this foreigner's insight into Cairene culture in 2019 with pieces like this just makes me sad.
Those organized trips are fun, but it limits the people and experiences you have. I understand we gave limited time on this planet and vacations in foreign countries are scary and uncomfortable so the effort and risk/reward is high unless you're a crazy person like yours truly.
I said elsewhere I will read his Chinese stuff and have my sinologist friends read it with me too see if it similar and I overreact.
I have to visit often for family reasons, and they are the reason I avoid being more engaged about being outspoken over there about what goes on. I feel as a westerner we have passively let Egypt totally devolved and we should feel ashamed; these lip service articles only assuage personal guilt, as I see it. I dreamed of being a Hessler and now ashamed I am part of the clique when I visit old friends.
I know I'll go get down-voted for saying it, but oh well.
I would strongly encourage everyone here to visit, and go beyond what tourist books tell you. You cannot freely write on the details of the place anymore, and I learned the most about life from Egypt.