On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 6:24 PM, Filip Maljkovic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just to briefly add my two piasters to the table: > I was, too, ripped off several times by several people, like most of the > visitors at one point or another. We all experienced the chaotic > Egyptian traffic. There were some other minor inconveniences, but if I > sum it all up, I don't mind them. After the conference, I traveled a lot > with some Wikimedians; we visited the pyramids of Giza, I rode a camel, > we saw the way the people in Cairo and Alex really live (outside of the > travelers' paths), we went to Luxor and saw wonders... All in all, I > think this was one of my best trips: seeing and experiencing the best > and the worst of a country makes you really appreciate it. And, at least > in my book, the good things pretty much outweigh the bad things. And I'm > sure most people would agree.
Indeed, and in case I wasn't clear in my previous e-mail (actually, when I wrote it I was afraid I was sounding too defensive of Egypt, and tried to tone it down), my arrival and stay in the country was just lovely. I experienced things not seen in the U.S. and apparently a severe annoyance to some, but—and this is what I was really trying to get at—I really wasn't bothered by them. For sure, the things I saw and did were well worth the sweltering heat and occasional inconvenience, and I echo Filip wholeheartedly. One thing I always kept in mind was that the American twenty in my pocket was more than a day's wage, which made it hard to get mad about being overcharged L.E. 5 for cab fare. (At one point, I was chastizing Phoebe for giving a cab driver L.E. 10 for the ride down the corniche from our hotel, at least double the going rate—"it's a buck," she said, "and it'll make him really happy." It dawned on me that in the U.S. I tip snotty waitresses more for less.) > But we're talking about cultures and geography. The conference itself > was done very well, IMHO, and it was more or less as good as the last > years'. I sure hope I'll be able to attend the next one (although I wish > the conference be set as early in August as possible). You're right; the organizing team certainly couldn't do anything about Egyptian culture if they wanted to. I can pick nits, but as far as actually pulling off a conference goes, they did superbly. Austin _______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l
