On a recent trip back from Paris, I met a few French tourists on the plane. The moment they found out that I was Egyptian, they started asking me several things that worried them about Egypt. One of them said that friends of his told him that they had chosen the worst time of the year to visit Egypt because of the blinding, chocking black cloud. "As you know, in Europe, " he said "we've almost stopped smoking altogether as smoking is no longer allowed in any public place, so is it really true about the black cloud? "It's not so bad, I said. "In Egypt, air pollution is year round not only this time of the year. Vehicles, especially those that are part of the public transport system, emit double and triple the fumes attributed to the black cloud. Their fumes are even sometimes blacker than our dark cloud which people use to tarnish Egypt's image. "It's true, said his wife. "We were told that Egypt is one of the most polluted countries because of car emissions. "Not to that extent, I said. "You can't really lay the blame on cars alone for the pollution that distinguishes our beautiful city. You may not know this, my dear Lady, but Egyptians are one of the heaviest smokers in the world and you can't underestimate the amount of smoke produced by young people puffing on cigarettes, shisha and other herbs. I don't want to scare you but we're very good at putting up no smoking signs at all the places frequented by tourists, like Egypt Air planes, and airports so all you have to do is avoid going to any restaurant, bank or hotel lobby and try not to speak to any Egyptians because we're avaricious smokers. I also advise you not to visit any of these touristy cafes in local markets like Khan El Khalili in Hussein if you have no tolerance for shisha smoke. "Some hotels have now set up these cafes on their own premises so you can simply watch them form your hotel window with a little mask you can easily get from any pharmacy. I've seen some Japanese tourists using them even though some may think it's a bit excessive. Egypt is indeed the tourist destination of choice and as long as you steer clear from any of the places I've just mentioned, then your life will not be in danger, neither in Cairo nor in any other Egyptian city. Then another lady mustered the courage to say: "We also heard about the inherent danger on the city streets. I immediately cut her off, saying "Terrorism? No, no, no, we don't have any terrorism here at all and you shouldn't believe everything you read in the Western press. She replied calmly: "I didn't mean terrorism, that is found everywhere in the world. I meant road accidents. Terrorist attacks are exceptional. They are a few and far between but what we were told was that simply walking in the streets of Cairo could endanger the lives of both motorists and pedestrians 24 hours a day. "This is inaccurate information, I said, "true that we have a very high rate of road accidents, but this doesn't only apply to cars. Tourist buses too often overturn, not to mention ferries and trains that crash into each other then catch fire. The lady's jaw dropped. "They burn? How? "They simply catch fire, I said. "Have you never had a train burn down in your country? The lady turned to her husband inquisitively. "I don't remember any burning trains, at least not in my lifetime, " he said. "And did not fire ever touch the Paris Opera House, the National Assembly building or the Comedie Francaise theater? They looked at each other in amazement just as the pilot announced that the plane was about to land in Cairo Airport. That was when our conversation came to an end and I wished them a happy and enjoyable stay in Cairo. Mohamed Salmawy is President of the Arab Writers' Union and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo.
