bhalomanush

@AnirbanM
879 Followers
111 Following
2.8K Posts
I am the sum of every book I read, every river I swam in, and every train I waved at.
Websitehttp://www.animahapatra.com/
Newsletterhttps://gyandemic.substack.com
Columnhttps://www.hindustantimes.com/author/anirban-mahapatra-101640774047900
bhalomanush1d ago

My thanks to our wonderful coordinator in Luxor, Mustafa, who took us to a great restaurant despite having minor surgery earlier in the day. Another simply delightful Egyptian meal in a rustic setting: lamb shank tajin, shrimp tajin, Egyptian falafels, and koshary.

Pro tip: If you visit, do it with as private tour and dedicated coordinators and guides. You will not have to navigate the chaos, fixes schedules, and local hassles. They will fast track you everywhere. Well worth the extra money.

Show threadbhalomanush4d ago
Caveat emptor. Just wanted to get that out of my system before I unload some amazing photos. 😆 The pyramids are spectacular. The GEM is one of the best museums I’ve seen in the world, and architecturally by far the best.
Show threadbhalomanush4d ago
And I want to be clear here. I have no issues with paying 10X-20X of what locals pay as a foreigner here. That assumption is already baked in.
bhalomanush4d ago
Some countries give you both the wonder and the warmth. Egypt gives you the wonder and asks you to endure the rest. The transactional texture of every human interaction in Egypt does add up over time- and I grew up in India so I know all about this. But Egypt is on another level altogether because the service doesn’t match the price point either. Yes the monuments make up for it. But only once. Not a country I would visit again.
bhalomanush6d ago
Sabah al-khair
bhalomanushMar 30

The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is about 4,600 years old today. When Herodotus saw it in the 5th century BCE, it was older to him than the Roman Empire is to us.

That stretch of time becomes easier to grasp if you line it up with India. The age of the great pyramids at Giza sits alongside the Indus civilization. The great temples of Luxor belong to a time when the Vedic world is taking shape. And by the time Greek writers arrive in Egypt, you are close to the age of the Buddha.

bhalomanushMar 29
4500 years of building compressed in a single frame. The new areas are uninspiring and won’t last as long.
bhalomanushMar 29
Cairo: I have yet to come across another city in the world that feels like Delhi from landing to the design of the airport to the pollution to getting to the hotel (and the security and rooms) ❤️
bhalomanushMar 27
In case you were wondering where the U.S. stands on slavery
bhalomanushMar 25

I stood in front of this exhibit at the CDC Museum in Atlanta.

It feels surreal to see COVID-19 as museum history when the memory is still so raw.

I’ve followed emerging infectious diseases my whole life, from HIV/AIDS to hantavirus to SARS to Ebola, and the last panel always hits different when you lived through it.