Everything in Egypt is a transaction! There have been lots of times when I have wanted to look at something only to feel too harassed to even slow down. There are stalls everywhere and the sellers come right out to meet you and push their postcards, books, t shirts, linen, scarves etc. Wandering around the sights are random men, who offer their help or to take a photo and you OWE them. I paid two Egyptian Pounds for two squares of toilet paper! The ladies hang out all day in there, so I guess they deserve it!
We pay when someone carries the bags that we are quite capable of carrying ourselves, we pay our drivers and guides, even though we have paid for the tour!
Of course the money is nothing compared to our dollar, but still it seems weird to be handing out money all the time. It seems the setup is a bit of a money go round because our guide handed money out too. We met a little kid called Ahmed, who walked with us quite a way and told us he wasn't at school because he was 20! He got a handout from our guide and I think it was mostly because he had so much cheek! A couple of kids sang an African version of 'she'll be coming round the mountain' complete with drums and foot stamps and our guide paid them too. Probably to shut up, they also tried on Frere Jacques, which we barely recognized for the tune, but the words bore absolutely no resemblance!
Probably the most gutsy salesmen were the ones that came up to the cruising boat and threw a rope around anything to get a tow along and then attract the attention of the passengers. These guys stand in their little boats, and throw their products up the three storey boat, to be caught by tourist buyers. If someone buys something they put the money in a plastic bottle and chuck it back down, to be caught by the boaties. To be honest it looks more like surfing than boating as I would guess the cruise boat is motoring along at at least 50km and neither the product nor the money ever looked like it wasn't glued to their hands. This all ended when the man who has the shop on board, selling the same stuff got wind of it and came up to shoot the salesmen through. I suppose it's all down to the delivery, because I truly doubt the German tourist wanted those fake Egyptian robes sold downstairs, but when they are offered by a surfing man, throwing it up and down against the odds..... now that's a sales pitch!
I It has been very hard for Egypt, over the last few years as they rely heavily on the tourist dollar and the unpredictable politics of its neighbours has lead to great poverty, but it still makes it tough when you have no idea who to pay, when? Nothing is as it is in NZ!
We pay when someone carries the bags that we are quite capable of carrying ourselves, we pay our drivers and guides, even though we have paid for the tour!
Of course the money is nothing compared to our dollar, but still it seems weird to be handing out money all the time. It seems the setup is a bit of a money go round because our guide handed money out too. We met a little kid called Ahmed, who walked with us quite a way and told us he wasn't at school because he was 20! He got a handout from our guide and I think it was mostly because he had so much cheek! A couple of kids sang an African version of 'she'll be coming round the mountain' complete with drums and foot stamps and our guide paid them too. Probably to shut up, they also tried on Frere Jacques, which we barely recognized for the tune, but the words bore absolutely no resemblance!
Probably the most gutsy salesmen were the ones that came up to the cruising boat and threw a rope around anything to get a tow along and then attract the attention of the passengers. These guys stand in their little boats, and throw their products up the three storey boat, to be caught by tourist buyers. If someone buys something they put the money in a plastic bottle and chuck it back down, to be caught by the boaties. To be honest it looks more like surfing than boating as I would guess the cruise boat is motoring along at at least 50km and neither the product nor the money ever looked like it wasn't glued to their hands. This all ended when the man who has the shop on board, selling the same stuff got wind of it and came up to shoot the salesmen through. I suppose it's all down to the delivery, because I truly doubt the German tourist wanted those fake Egyptian robes sold downstairs, but when they are offered by a surfing man, throwing it up and down against the odds..... now that's a sales pitch!
I It has been very hard for Egypt, over the last few years as they rely heavily on the tourist dollar and the unpredictable politics of its neighbours has lead to great poverty, but it still makes it tough when you have no idea who to pay, when? Nothing is as it is in NZ!
No comments:
Post a Comment