Salonaz Sami examines a phenomenon Contrary to what you may believe, "cruising" has to do with neither ships nor bodies of water. What it is, rather, is driving around; and though you might think this is idiotic in the light of Cairo's traffic conditions, the phenomenon is spreading with enormous speed among the young all through Egypt. Today the more popular "strips" in Cairo are Qatamiya and the Ring Road; Zamalek used to be quite popular, and the Rimaya Square area near the Pyramids still is. That the Americanism has been incorporated into Egyptian Arabic -- yekarwiz is "to cruise" -- should be indication enough of the importance of the phenomenon. Make no mistake, however: cruising is not driving; it is specifically aimless driving, and often extended at that. Its popularity may have to do with lack of public space and a culture that does not respect pedestrians -- being in a car spares a woman the harassment she will most definitely otherwise encounter; it makes smoking illegal substances relatively safe for young people living with their parents; it often facilitates rather more than a kiss -- but, though it can also be an expression of the newfound confidence an 18- year-old will feel once (s)he has obtained a driving licence, what it most definitely points to is restlessness: the inability to remain in the same place for any length of time. "There is a pleasure to driving in itself," Ahmed Helmi, a 29-year-old self-avowed "cruiser", explains. "The feeling of control that you have over your car. Of course," he adds with a laugh, "the easier to control the vehicle the more pleasure." But it is also about boredom, Helmi says. "When you want to hang out with your friends there is nothing to do but to go to a café or the movies. And the cafés are all the same." Cruising gives you access to "new places and new faces", Helmi laughs again. It also enables bonding: nothing makes for confessional intimacy better than being stuck together in a car. Indeed at times a "night cruise" will involve several cars chockfull of people crawling bumper-to-bumper along a predefined strip. For Mohamed Fouad, a 22-year-old Alexandrian, cruising is simply "a good way to spend time, but only if you have AC". It involves movement and discovery, a sense of company and of place. "When I get bored of staying in the house, the only thing to do is to hit the road. Just press on the accelerator. There's a lot of freedom in that." Besides, Fouad suggests, it is something you can do whenever, wherever. It has no prescriptions or bounds. Other young people, like Hind Maarouf, are not so readily familiar with the concept: "my first cruise was boring, and I sat through it thinking to myself, 'for God's sake, we're just driving around Cairo,' where's the pleasure in that?" Cruising grew on her in due course: "You get used to it, because it's a time for catching up with your friends. On the other hand, you're seeing different things all the time. But don't get me wrong -- it's not something I'm crazy about and it still feels rather strange. A waste of petrol, and risky too -- because it usually involves very loud music and inattentive driving. In the West it's for bored teenagers in small towns where there is nowhere to go. I will only go if it's the only way I can see a given friend. After all, everyone seems to be doing it here." Rani Rabie, 28, agreed: "I will only drive to get from A to B. I don't know how to drive around just for fun. It's a waste of time and fuel. Still, say I haven't seen a friend in a long time and they come round and pick me up -- then, I enjoy it." Certainly in the West, "cruising" is a perfectly acceptable pastime for the young, with clubs that organise races and "drifts"; such activities are rare and frowned on in Egypt, however, with the Nasr City strip of Ring Road, for example, frequently raided by traffic police on the pretext of car defects or licence check- ups. Cruising is usually done in groups but there are those who have turned it into a solitary activity. "Sometimes when I'm down," says Fouad, "the only way I can cheer myself up is to go cruising alone, and think about why I'm down. I usually go down the same strip along the shore, because the sea gives me such a relaxed feeling, like I'm putting down a huge burden. And there is no rush because you're not going anywhere. Still, driving fast is always a thrill, although my car is in a mess. But partly because of the condition of the car, in the summer when the streets are packed with people I prefer to stay home or see my friends at a café." Yet, there are people who do it with the most unexpected objectives. Menna Hossam, 18, for example, was trying to lose weight. "My friends and I wanted to avoid all of our regular hangouts, where we would be sure to take in plenty of sugar and fat; besides, we often avoided them because we were broke and couldn't afford to go. That would leave us bored, so we would cruise instead. Not that young men and especially Gulfie tourists leave us alone -- oh no, they chase us with their cars, especially when it's late. That's very annoying. And no, there's never any plan. We just get in the car and decide to cruise. It just happens."
