My Dream to Be Free

by Juergen Stollin

  Also I had such a kind of friendship with some of them and we discussed about Islam and the traditions of Muslims and much more.

  Also all of them tried to teach me Arabic. But now and then they joked with me and my Arabic language. Sometimes they taught me a phrase which would have been better if I had not remembered it. Yet it was precisely these words, which remained in my memory very quickly and over a long period! Of course I learned the profane words first of all, but that is the case for everyone, who learns a language on the street.

  I came to know that much of their day-to-day life, which seemed strange to me before, had a meaning.

  I cannot judge if my questions were always supplied with the correct answers. But my curiosity was satisfied. So I understood why the water for going to the toilet was so important. The Holy Quran was written on paper, so cleaning the butt with paper was not allowed.

  The question as to why a man is allowed to have so many wives, I got the reply that in earlier timesthere had been wars almost always wars and some men had not come back because they died.

  This empowered another man, for example a good friend, if he could afford it, to include the widow and her children into his family. So that is how some men had more wives and this was allowed because it was fulfilled a good purpose. The women were safe again, had food and accommodation. It is not so much a question of sex, which many in the western hemisphere did not understood.

  Also the completely well-done, simmered and cooked food made sense because it is always hot in the east and there were no refrigerators.

  That's why the tourists wondered why there were no soft-boiled eggs for breakfast in the whole Arabian region. It is still so to this day.

  Even the cellars, which served as storage warehouse for us in the cooler countries, did not exist. It was important to have the eggs well fried or boiled because of salmonella.

  There was also a lack of pork, because the pigs have trichinae and also pork spoils faster than the meat of lamb or goat. Quite apart from that, the pig is really an omnivore.

  Praying, like a Muslim, also had meaning, because one moved. If you were leaning on your knees, with your whole body down to your forehead, and up to five times a day, that could only be good for fitness.

  Who should have something against it that you washed your hands, face and feet several times a day or that you rinsed your mouth after a meal?

  Now and then, it seemed a bit distorted when it had to be improvised. But in general this was only beneficial in harmony with the health and welfare of the individual.

  Nothing should be brought to the lips, which could change consciousness, i.e., alcohol and drugs. But how it was ultimately managed, was left to each individual.

  One should also keep in mind that Islam as a religion, was several years younger than Christianity or Judaism. We should better keep our mouths shut as to what happened in the sixteenth century. Witch burning, crusaders, the long dresses and head scarves, the power exercised by the church.

  Looking at the date of an Islamic calendar, it had to be clear in which period they were living in. Of course, modernity was not diminished. It was precisely this balancing act of ecclesiastical duty and the modern era that did not make it easier for an individual to choose between strict faith and the modern age.

  But here also it was considered that everything was fine, if the fanaticism remained within limits or did not show up at all.

  Only I could not understand, on the one hand, that the chambermaids did not like to make the beds as part of their job, for example. This was because possibly unmarried could have had sexual intercourse in the beds. But they laid claims on the money from the hotel. Making the beds were simply part of the tasks of the hotel and thus also part of the duties of a chambermaid. Or a taxi driver refused a ride, because you had a bottle of wine with you. The word "Haram", which stood for sin, was abused so often. Everything that one did not like was “Haram" and thus taboo. Why was the Koran misinterpreted so often?

  I also believe that today it is like the Arabic script, one of the most beautiful scripts that I know.

  You can write them in a thousand different variations. By now I was already a legend in the Sinai. Not too many Germans and Europeans managed a restaurant as a private person. But the two restaurants in Sharm and Dahab were not enough for me. A delicatessen-shop also had to be opened.

  It was Renate’s desire to be her own boss once again and so she got this delicatessen shop and three girls as staff.

  Chocolate, pralines, pumpernickel, varieties of exquisite cheese, sausages in different flavors, dressed salads, various pastries, smoked fish and meat products and many other delicacies were available.

  But the shop was running only very sluggishly.

  I had the feeling that the market for a "deli" in Sharm was not yet ready.

  But the investment was enormous and so I had to try to make the best of it. Since my main business, the pigeons House, so went well, I was not worried. My staff was good and I noticed that on account of the food items, which they produced in the restaurant. I could say with pride that I had the best trained staff in the Sinai.

  No wonder, there were also all five star hotel-cooks. It was nothing to do with me that they felt more comfortable with me than at the big hotel.

  There were a lot of private houses and hotels of the middle and higher class in a new development area. But buildings are being constructed increasingly. Very many of the residents there, mostly foreigners, complained that the whole area did not have a small restaurant or even a café. This gave me the idea of making inquiries in this direction. My investigations showed me that it was time to open a café in this new development area, according to European definition of value.

  I found a property that proposed itself for my purposes. A huge villa with a kitchen and restaurant, i.e. café-restaurant, with an outdoor terrace on the ground floor. There were six spacious bedrooms, a lounge and a huge master bedroom on the first floor.

  There was a large terrace on this floor as well, from which you had a view to the whole region up to the sea. This terrace was also accessible through a separate staircase outdoors, it was not necessary to go through the house. The icing on the cake was that the house also has a roof terrace, which stretched over the entire building - huge! My plan was clear: Ground floor: Kitchen and café-restaurant with outdoor dining. First floor: 6 double bed guest rooms. Each room with its own balcony and bathroom. The large master bedroom was for Renate and me!

  There was of course also the bathroom and balcony. I had to keep the lounge as a community room, TV and reading room or the like. At the top of the roof there would be a bar, which was to be open only in the evenings. Cocktails and B.B.Q. with a beautiful view over the yacht harbor. All this in moonlight!

  Now the only thing I had to do was to convince Renate that I had been looking for exactly something like for a long time. And I still had to make an agreement with the landlord. My idea took a specific form and I did everything to change the idea into reality.

  The owner of the villa knew what he had. He had put up this villa for sale, but nobody wanted to have this monstrously large villa.

  After another month, during which he had sold the villa, the owner and I sat down together and drew up a contract, which we took to a notary, to make it legally binding. For me it was very important that this house could be used commercially.

  The ten thousand Egyptian pounds rent per month were also quite a boat load of money.

  Considering that an Egyptian received a salary of 120 pound per month, the rent of

  10 000 was quite high. I guessed I would do well with the rooms and the Café, plus the terrace bar on the roof.

  After I signed the contract, nothing happened initially. I was able to rent the rooms well. The roof terrace was also a success; I had problem only with the Café. The approval for the official opening was delayed again and again. But they allowed me to do so and so I went ahead with the opening without the blessing of
the authorities. Everything was in a perfect harmony.

  Renate and I had long working days but it was worth it. Occasionally there were also difficulties. They did not want to give me a new residence visa. Since I was independent now and there was no hotel chain behind me, I had to regulate the visa formalities on my own. I quickly found out to whom and how much I had to pay and my visa was valid again for a whole year.

  In the meantime I also managed rendezvous point at the mangroves. I restored a building built by the Israelis, which had been in a very dilapidated condition.

  After I brought the old power generator back to life again, I bought a stove, fridge as well as other necessary kitchen equipment and began to operate this open air restaurant.

  I did not have shortage of staff. Sometimes I thought that it was going to be a bit too much for me, but when I saw my bank account at the National Bank of Egypt, I forgot the stress and made my inspection trips from Sharm to Dahab and to the mangroves. Of course I also checked the delicatessen shop.

  There were moments, when I felt very satisfied and finally realized that I could lead a respectable life through hard work - in any case better than with the risk and dangerous enterprises.

  How I had wasted my time and had played with my health and freedom. I could have avoided the trips to Australia, the whole smuggling, and everything else, if I had met a woman like Renate earlier.

  A believer would now say that God had wanted it so - insha'allah. But I think that I had simply been too weak to clearly say “No!” in certain situations and to certain things.

  I was also too weak to stop smoking. I had all the vices under control thus far, which I could do without, I only could not wean myself off of smoking. I had even given up making advances to women. Here my pig dog was stronger than I was.

  There were still two years for the contract with the Pigeons House to come to an end; after that we could sell everything and perhaps return to Germany. But we still had to take on the daily struggle with the staff, the Egyptian authorities and with the guests.

  If there were holidays in Israel, we had especially a lot to do, because many Israelis came to the Sinai on such days. They came to Sharm to do diving. They came to the Pigeons House for meals. Due to my good, inexpensive food, I already had some friends in Israel, who came to Sharm for every celebration.

  It was a day, when everything was a bit stressful and was not going on as usual. It was dinner time and the restaurant and the terrace were fully occupied.

  Sometimes I helped in the kitchen and sometimes in the restaurant or on the terrace.

  Renate made herself useful at the checkout and was full of stress. Then she came to me and wanted to confirm with me, that the two policemen with their motorcycles did not have to pay for half a chicken they were taking. Yes, this was so, because I had made a deal with the boys from the traffic police.

  A few days earlier, I had had an accident while coming from the Mangroves. A female employee of another hotel had run in front of my jeep and I could not apply the brakes fast enough. She had been injured and had to be hospitalized. Of course a report was made. Who was guilty here was the question.

  My version was quite simple: She was the one who had run in front of my car. But that did not look good for me, since the moment in which a person suffered physical damage, the driver was always guilty.

  It reminded me of Afghanistan and the shepherd boy.

  There was only one special circumstance, which acquitted the driver. And the protocol, which my motorcycle friends had prepared, took place as follows:

  I had not been faster than 40 km/h). I had sounded the horn. I had made an emergency braking.

  There had been sand from an overloaded truck, on the tarred road. It was drizzling slightly and the street had been wet. I had not expected that the girl would run onto the road without checking if a car was running on the road. She had been also wearing a hood on her head, so that she would not get wet, and thus her visibility had been limited.

  It was recorded exactly so in the protocol, without me having to say a word. I was not proven guilty but I got two motorcycle police officers as friends in the bargain.

  And two half chicken with French Fries were picked up by a motorcyclist every day. That's how it went.

  It was once again a high-level official visit in Sharm one day and all the roads up to the airport were cordoned off for security reasons. But I had to go fresh sausages had arrived by flight for me from Cairo. But there was no opportunity for refrigerating the goods and they had to be taken to a cold store immediately. One of my motorcycle policemen escorted me to the airport and back. My sausage was saved! So the half chicken were quite all right.

  But not much later, a waiter came to me and told me that a guest wanted to know if he did not need to pay his bill. I wanted to know who that was and the reply was that it was the mayor of Sharm.

  Now I saw the whole caravan of the Mayor and some soldiers, who accompanied him always. Immediately I went out and told him that it made me very proud to welcome him at the Pigeons House and of course he was my guest with his entourage!

  I had learnt so much from the Orientals!

  Hardly ten minutes later, the waiter came back to me and told me that a table with twelve people did not want to pay and that they wanted to speak to the manager. So I went to this large table with twelve persons, who did not want to pay. What was going on? Did my guests think that the it was the open house day?

  Perhaps they had read the small placard, which I had hung up at a location near the check-out? It was written that everything was for free the next day.

  Had they all been here yesterday?

  Then they would have to read again that it was tomorrow, with not having to pay. It was an old joke available in almost all languages and almost all over the world.

  So I presented myself and asked then what I could do for them. One man who looked like he was ready for retirement, said they wanted to make a complaint to the owner or the tenant. I told him that he should get started with it, since I was the one, he wanted to speak to.

  He asked me if I was a German and I was already prepared for the tirade of insults that I was a Nazi pig.

  But he only said that nobody wanted to pay because the food was inedible. On the table there were still the used plates, soup bowls and an oval service plate, on which there had probably been a whole large fish earlier because I could detect a fish bone of a sea bass for at least three people. I called the waiter and asked for the order and the bill.

  The order said very clearly that they had ordered sea bass for three persons, four pizzas, two chicken, two Shish Taouk, one Spaghetti Seafood and twelve tomato soups.

  I could not believe this. All soup cups were empty and the paper napkins lay crumpled up in them. The big plate of fish was empty except for the fish-bones and fish head. Even the garnishing was missing because only the outer edges of the lemon slices were remaining, the rest had been squeezed out. Even the decor parsley was gone. The pizza plates were empty, except for a few mushroom residues. I assumed that one of them didn't like mushrooms.

  Out of the Shish Taouk, a skewer with turkey meat, tomatoes, onions and peppers, just the onions and peppers were remaining in one of the plates. There was half of the spaghetti still on the plate.

  Now I mentioned with the sweetest smile that I could conjure up, that of course almost everything had been eaten.

  Why was there the opinion at the table that they did not need to pay?

  They said that the food had been cold and there had been sand everywhere in the food, the pizzas had been burned from below and didn’t taste good!

  The chicken had not been done and had been still bloody. The Shish Taouk had not been turkey meat, the spaghetti had been too oily and there been almost no seafood in the sauce. The only item that was okay was the soup but even that had been very diluted. Also they had to wait for the food for a long time.

  They said that they were very angry and that their holiday
was spoiled by the bad food.

  They also said that they did not have any fun staying in Sinai any more and wanted to drive back to Israel immediately and tell everyone there how badly they had been treated in Sharm el-Sheikh and how bad the food had been at the German restaurant!

  I permitted myself to ask them why they had eaten everything, even though it had not been enjoyable. The reply was that they had been hungry.

  I had to restrain myself, otherwise I would have wrung the guy’s throat. If something is not OK, you just send it back and you will get different food. But you cannot eat everything and then say that it had not tasted good and then refuse to pay. That was my opinion and I said this to them clearly. I asked angrily what liberties they thought that they could allow themselves. And I made it quite clear to them that I would get the police for being bill-dodgers.

  The Israeli said, why I didn't get them gassed immediately, since that was something we Germans were so good at. Again my jaws dropped at that.

  What kind of an idiot was he again! He was one of the very tough ones.

  The man next to him got up now and tried to reconcile.

  He was ready to pay half of the bill. But that made his countryman, who wanted a duel with me, even more angry.

  He wanted me to get the police and hyped it up by saying that Egyptian police were as fascist as we Germans were.

  Of course the whole conversation was in English and the other guests, foreigners, Egyptians and also Israelis, were following the conversation and the facial expressions that were made in the process.

  My opponent remained tough and didn't want to pay a cent and that too not to a German, of all people.

  Gradually I started to explode and did not think any more what I was going to reply. But what I said had its effect: That shitty Austrian should have done his work better, then I wouldn't have had this trouble!