On Egypt's north coast the streets are crowded, lines of cars queue up in the streets, the restaurants are all fully reserved, and children are enjoying their summer holidays before having to go back to school. The cafés are full, the beaches teem with people from all walks of life, and people seem to have left their worries behind them, determined to enjoy themselves by the sea and in the sun. Can it be true that these holiday-makers have really forgotten the present turmoil, including the trial of ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, the deaths of police officers, the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood members and more? Is it safe even here on the north coast to hit the road with family or friends without lurking worries of carjacking or theft? Whatever the case may be, the north coast is the only part of Egypt where there is no curfew and where people can enjoy themselves outside in the evening without worrying about how to get back home. For many people, summer vacations were ruined this year by the country's political situation. The unrest started with the 30 June Revolution and the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya and the Nahda Square sit-ins in Cairo, followed by the curfew and month-long state of emergency. As a result, for people like Mahmoud Keshk, an employee of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, summer seems to have been cancelled this year. “I don't feel it's safe to go out now, especially to places where there might be Brotherhood demonstrators. The curfew is like hell and of course one cannot move easily as a result. The upheavals are really affecting me psychologically,” Keshk said. Nevertheless, some people refuse to be defeated by the upheavals and insist on taking their summer holidays no matter what. Such people include Jaidaa Al-Shammaa, a Masters degree student at a prestigious German university who had just arrived in Egypt for her annual holiday when she was confronted with the first days of the curfew. Al-Shammaa is taking her holiday in Alamein, 110km from Alexandria, and no curfew is being applied there. “I am enjoying things to the utmost, but I keep checking the news just to be sure,” she said. “The only problem I have is that I am afraid to drive alone to Alexandria. I only do so when my father drives behind me, so that he will be there if anything happens.” Al-Shammaa is not alone in being reluctant to drive long distances. There could be problems with gangs or even with thieves wanting money. Such cases reported in recent months to the police remain untypical, however. Even so, people are cautious and fear that anything could happen on the road. Mohamed Samir, a 29-year-old accountant at ELAB, a petroleum company, who had accompanied his family to the Marina resort on the north coast, said that “I think the road is safe because of the army checkpoints. I have not experienced any problems on the roads.” However, even Samir has had difficulty separating his desire for a holiday from what is happening in the country as a whole. The summer has lost its taste and fun because of the terrorism happening in the country, he said. Enjoy things as much as you can, even if only for a few days or a few hours seems to be the slogan of today's holiday-makers. Trying to take a picture of the family together on the beach is apparently the ultimate happiness for many mothers trying to hold on to moments with their children or grandchildren. For Mona Abbasi, who works for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is staying at Marrasi, one of the resorts near Alamein, while the immediate holiday environment is safe enough, things are not over yet as far as the rest of the country is concerned. “You find groups of people on the beach having discussions on the present situation. Kids are enjoying their time without fear, as this is a closed community, but their parents are keeping a careful eye on them all the same. The roads are safe, and I have not heard of any problems. We are enjoying our stay, but people lack security elsewhere in Egypt,” Abbasi said. Rasha Magdi, who had decided to spend a week at the Omraa Al-Behar resort, agreed. “We are trying to enjoy ourselves as much as we can. However, the news follows us everywhere, especially the massacre of 24 soldiers and what is happening in the country day after day. Whenever I decide to avoid watching TV or opening Facebook or Twitter, I keep doing so anyway, almost unintentionally. But this has been a great break, and at least we are not subject to the curfew in the resort. We all needed this holiday very badly,” Magdi said. According to 35-year-old Marwa Tahio, who has been driving alone more than six times a month recently, it is also safe for women to drive on the north coast. Tahio drove her mother to the Al-Marwa resort earlier this month to let her enjoy her summer holiday, and since then she has been driving to and from the resort on a regular basis. For her, the roads are safe because of the army checkpoints. Police officers along with army officers examine everyone in every car, and not a single car can pass without a thorough inspection. This makes Tahio feel secure, not only as a woman, but also as an Egyptian citizen who could be exposed to a terrorist attack. “I say ‘chapeau' to all these soldiers and officers standing outside day and night to make us feel secure. ‘Chapeau' to all these men sacrificing their lives to let us drive securely and make us feel safe and sound,” she said. “My mother is enjoying her stay here very much. It is good for her to be away from the street turbulence caused by the Muslim Brotherhood. There is no curfew here, and anything is available on the north coast,” Tahio added. The area is one of Egypt's most outstanding areas of natural beauty, a place where the sand dunes are bountiful along the sea and where one cannot help but spend hours and hours in the pure and warm sea water. This year, all sorts of beaches are open, both private and public. There are also new beaches, especially at the Marina resort alongside its famous lake. There are water sports, and holiday-makers can enjoy water-skiing and parasailing in Porto Marina. There are good restaurants, and the shops sell goods at very competitive prices. The north coast is the best place to go on holiday this year, said Ahmed Abdel-Hamid, a 30-year-old marketing manager, who was enjoying sitting in one of the cafés in the famous platform area of the resort. “As you can see, the place is full of people who are totally fed up with politics. Families are sitting, drinking and eating, smoking shishas, playing tawla, or just chatting. This is one of the few places where everyone can sit together and enjoy their time under the moonlight,” he said. Yet, even at such pleasurable moments, people obviously cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in the rest of the country. Following the news is a must, even while sunbathing on the north coast. However, perhaps present circumstances only accentuate what many people have always taken for granted. Security is precious to everyone. Even if it cannot be seen, its absence is always felt.
