Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Egypt Holiday


Books: I was weak in history, just did not enjoy the subject ( like so many other subjects!). So, I decided to read and get some basic knowledge before embarking upon the Journey!


I am hooked to the world of web. But, I was not satisfied with the initial results. Decided to pick up Amitav Ghosh’s From the Antique Land. I walked up to the top book store here. The salesman, a fellow expat from my homeland said, 'not availabe/not heard of'!!! He thrust a copy of Lonely Planet (LP). I was reluctant seeing the price-tag! I went by his strong reco and picked up. As I flipped through the pages of LP, I was overwhelmed by the sheer depth of information. I kept dipping into the info all along the trip and tagging it/making notes….
(I have lost the book and I am desperately trying to retrieve it thru my travel agent/Cruise)

I continued to look for Amitav Ghosh’s book all along the journey in Egypt. No luck ! Even Cairo’s leading bookstalls did not carry a copy of it. People were not even aware of the book, though it is rated as one of the best on Egypt!!

I also got to know more about their famous author, Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. As I read more about the author, I was interested! He led the life of a common man, almost like R K character, like visiting cafes, getting together with friends, etc. But, he was not allowed to write for sometime by the establishment and was even attacked by radicals!! Hence, I was keen to know about his thoughts than to read his famous books such as the Cairo Trilogy, etc. I was very fortunate to see a book in the most unexpected place, at the Nubian museum and was quick to grab it, Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber. And, I read it just like I would read an ‘unputtable’ fiction!

A separate posting is planned for some the thoughts that stuck me. But, would like to share a favorite…Friendliness can develop only when there is sense of spiritual closeness...

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