Robbed in Egypt
Travel and the search for authenticity
Before myself and my three companions left the safety of our homes in Blighty last week, we knew that in the adventures ahead there were a few traumas that at some point or another on our journey we would have to face. We knew that long nights of vomiting and diahorrea would become comfortable normality, that regular showers would become a distant memory, that hot showers would become a barely believed myth and that we would be risking almost certain mild peril in every destination that we visited. We also knew, with our packs stuffed with expensive cameras, solar powered gadgetry and plastic currency, that we were bound at some point to get robbed. We prepared long and hard for all eventualities; mountains of Imodium, rehydration sachets, all purpose soap, dry soap and SAS survival guides weigh down our secure bags, protected from slashing and pick-pocketing by exomesh cages and security alarms. But despite all of our best forward thinking and planning, none of us were prepared for the foe we would meet only hours after we'd stepped off the plane in our first destination – Cairo, Egypt.
McDomination
McDonalds gets everywhere. They're clever about it as well – in every country they assault they make sure they do their best to appeal to local sensibilities as well as offering their typical stock affair of salty, meaty, rapidly cooked delights. In Egypt, this attempt takes the form of the McArabia – a comfortingly familiar piece of reconstituted beef formed into a slightly too flat kofte-like shape, accompanied by an “exotic” pitta bread and a minty yoghurt sauce.
Crossing the road in Cairo
I have to admit that I wasn't quite prepared for just how unfamiliar travelling in Africa would feel right at the start. And once that shock was over, for then just how familiar travelling in Africa would feel once a few days had passed. With new countries, new cultures, new languages, new companions and a good few years since I last attempted anything similar I guess it was only natural that it would take all of us a few days to find our feet.
"We're not terrorists Mr Brown": The use and abuse of exceptional law
The Reality Checkpoint: some thoughts on graffiti
To some people, graffiti is an art form; sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, but always poignant. To others it is an eyesore, linked to gang warfare, crime and the degradation of good "traditional" values and neighbourhoods. But whatever meaning people may find in graffiti there is one point on which I suspect they could all agree; graffiti has the power to change things.
