Every other place I have lived, rain was a nuisance if you had to walk in it, but at least it would clean your car and perhaps the sidewalk a bit. However, this is certainly not the situation here. The rain actually makes things more dirty more dirty because it brings down part of the ominous brownish-black cloud of pollution that hangs over the city. Urban legends abound (at least among the expat community) about it running clothes and burning or stinging one's skin, and I was surprised and somewhat mortified to see men standing out on the sidewalks like they do any other day, as if nothing was different about the weather that evening. As for me, I ran to and from taxis and doors as fast as possible, with my scarf wrapped around my head. I survived, but evidence remained in the form of sooty, black spots from where the ran had managed to land on clothes or on my face (extra yucky).
2 comments:
Wow! That pollution sounds really nasty. Not something I would have expected. Your description reminds me of the pollution (mainly from the coal) that hovered over London in the mid to late 1800s soot got on everything.
The view from your apartment looks nice. Is it possible to see the pyramids from anywhere in the city or is Giza too far away?
Glad you're settling in, and look forward to reading about your next task. Monica
Yes, there are apartments here in Zamalek from which you can see the Giza Pyramids, but mine isn't one of them.
The pollution is really nasty, but most of the time you don't notice it when you're here. Even though that cloud of crap hangs over the whole city, there is a noticeable difference in air quality from one neighborhood to another. I am glad I did not choose to live downtown, which would've been cheaper and also closer to my work, but it also is so much worse for car exhaust fumes. Every time I go there, even if only for a few hours, most of which are spent indoors, I get tired quickly and end up blowing black stuff out of my nose later.
Zamalek is just a little calmer and a little cleaner, plus there are actually some trees and the occasional embassy with a lawn.
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