What began as a trip of a lifetime in Egypt quickly turned to chaos for a Moose Jaw couple.
Merv Nidesh and his wife Sharon Wagner were in the country for a cruise, but after a week and a half of travelling, they quickly became aware of what was happening on land.
“We were cruising the Nile and we didn’t have any English-speaking TV on the cruise boat,” Nidesh said.
Back on land, Egyptians were uprising against President Hosni Mubarak, the country’s leader for nearly 30 years, hoping to oust him from his political position.
Fires burned in cities across Egypt, and more than 100 people were killed in demonstrations that began on Jan. 25.
When news finally reached Nidesh and his wife, fear began to take hold.
“My wife was more troubled than I was and wanted to leave,” Nidesh said. “I resisted because the last two days that we had slated was Alexandria, the library, and on Saturday, the museum in Cairo.
“We wanted to finish the tour and see that.”
Wagner, however, became more concerned about what could happen after hearing President Mubarak speak.
“When my wife saw what he had to say, that he was not leaving, she woke me up and said “˜There’s going to be trouble’,” Nidesh said.
Immediately, the couple tried to get out of the country, but cell phone service was cut and the internet was shut down.
Nidesh and Wagner were able to get a hold of someone in the Canadian Embassy, who confirmed they should get out of Egypt as soon as possible.
But it wouldn’t be easy. To get to the airport, Nidesh and his wife would have to cross the Nile, but bridges are often a hotspot for protest activity.
“We managed to get a real good cab driver,” Nidesh said. “And away we went, at breakneck speed. It was a crazy ride.”
A crazy ride that would also turn into an eye opening experience.
“That’s when we saw a police station burned,” Nidesh said. “We saw the burned police cars on the bridge, we saw the aftermath of what happened the night before.”
When the couple finally got to the airport, they could not believe what they saw.
“It was complete chaos,” Nidesh said. “Pandemonium. Three thousand people trying to enter.
“Eventually we were fortunate enough to make our way to Air Italia.”
Nidesh and Wagner were worried they would not be able to make their flight.
“We got to the counter and about five minutes before it was set to leave we got our boarding passes and then had to fight the crowd,” Nidesh explained.
Then, something amazing happened. Amidst all the panic, there was an unexpected show of kindness.
“We went through the line up one at a time, begging to go ahead of them,” Nidesh said. “Everyone let us go ahead.”
After leaving Cairo on Saturday, the pair landed in Rome. Then, a flight to Toronto followed by a plane ride to Regina.
“It’s just a wonderful sense of relief,” Nidesh said. “A wonderful sense of relief.”
Among the relief is reflection, for those they left behind in Egypt.
“I feel for the Egyptian people,” Nidesh said. “I feel for them of all religions and all walks of life. That’s the positive experience. We got help.”
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