Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Whole days spent among the trees To the delight of Heliopolitans, and picnickers nationwide, a facelift is giving life to one of the city's best known parks. Gihan Shahine takes a stroll down Merryland lane photos: Khaled El-Fiqi

Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters

For the 20-something generation, the Merryland park's stately trees and lush greenery are synonymous with fond memories of childhood. Not so long ago, Merryland was one of the most popular venues in Cairo: it was both a family venue and the favourite haunt of trysting sweethearts. Children played on the artificial lake, fed the ducks, went for boat-rides, bought balloons at the gate and cried when it was time to leave. That was the natural order of things.

For 26-year-old Gina Ezzeddin, Merryland conjures up precisely these images. "Playing with the animals in the park was my special treat when I was little, but the paddling boats and duck pond were great too. Merryland was one of our favorite places for a picnic, especially on weekends and during feasts," she remembers nostalgically.

For Laila El-Ganayni, memories of Merryland go further back, to the time when the park was still a race track and her late uncle, who was a great fan of the sport, took her to watch the races. "I still remember what it looked like at the time," she says, a meditative twinkle in her eyes. "The area was almost a desert and the horse track occupied Merryland and its environs."

Granada, the casino that currently stands in front of the Merryland's main gates, was part of the park back then: it was, in fact, the villa where King Farouk used to stay to watch the races. Following the 1952 Revolution, and as Heliopolis developed into a sprawling residential neighbourhood, a street was paved and tram tracks were laid down, separating the old villa from the horse track. The then governor of Cairo ordered that the area be turned into a public park, and the race track was moved to the suburbs -- which Heliopolis has now swallowed up in its seemingly insatiable expansionism.

Merryland, which opened in 1962, was designed by architect Sayed Ibrahim. During the '60s and '70s, Cairenes came to enjoy the sun amidst its lush vegetation, paddled in the artificial lake and sipped tea and lemonade at the "casino".

Merryland's young visitors grew up one day, and the park went through an accelerated ageing process of its own. Its wrinkles and bags were starting to show: the once "merry" walkways were anything but pleasant, the trees showed signs of neglect, the lush greenery grew wild and dusty, and the ponds were filled with weeds. The benches where lovers had once held hands and gazed hypnotically into each other's eyes now crumbled and cracked. One Heliopolis dweller summed up the prevailing view: "If you like wild dogs, mosquitoes and drug dealers, Merryland's the place to go."

Why, wondered yesterday's children, would no one come forward and offer the desperately needed facelift? Today, that question is more or less moot. The Heliopolis Company for Housing, a semi-private company that owns Merryland, has offered at least part of the answer.

The artificial lake area surrounding the former casino was formerly rented out at a very low price. The contract expired 10 years ago and the company was unwilling to renew it, since the rent was so low and the service offered at the casino was deteriorating. The tenant, however, disagreed, and a long round of court battles began. Eventually, last year, the case was settled. The area surrounding the casino returned to the company, which rented it to Mohamed Said, owner of Hotel Management and Tourism Enterprises, which owns a fun fair on the Cairo-Ismailia road and hotels in Hurghada and Sharm Al-Sheikh. Last year, a small area near the entrance of the park was also rented to a private company that manages a popular restaurant and café.

In a few months, Said is planning to restore the area surrounding the lakes to its former glory. An entertainment complex, dubbed "Merryland: The New Generation", has been built, featuring a chain of restaurants around the lake and the duck pond, a small fun fair, a disco and a dolphin aquarium. The opening of a nightclub is also planned for the near future.

"Five-star entertainment is our business," says Marwan Yehia, public relations manager of New Generation. But why Merryland? "Because we noticed that Heliopolis desperately needed recreation areas where the whole family can have fun. Most of the outings available in Cairo are downtown, and the city's few public parks have been taken over by working-class people. Others too want that kind of family outing."

 

"It's a lot of fun": Feeding the ducks, a paddle on the lake, bright balloons or dolphin acrobatics... New Generation managers say it has something for every member of the family, and is fast becoming a favourite spot for those in search of fresh air, greenery, entertainment for the children or dinner al fresco. For many, however, the price of such delights is too high for a Merryland outing to be more than a very occasional treat

Yehia has a point: Merryland is already attracting many visitors. During the feast, droves of day-trippers caused havoc at the main gates, their cars clogging the streets for blocks. The same happens every weekend.

Once inside, however, one is likely to forget traffic jams and parking problems. It's a cheerful atmosphere: music plays, children are laughing, there are multi-coloured balloons bobbing everywhere, and different delicacies vie for olfactory attention. Grown-ups are attracted by the cafés and restaurants serving Mexican, Lebanese and Italian specialties. Children are usually too impatient to sit down for long: how can they resist games and a boat ride on the river?

Then there are always the dolphins. "It's the first time a dolphin show is presented in the middle of a city," says Lyndon Ashurst, executive manager of the dolphin show. "The nicest thing about it, however, is that it's combined with other activities for everyone to enjoy."

During last month's festivities, the aquarium's 1,100 seats were all occupied by excited children and parents trying to maintain a modicum of responsibility. "The show is of a very high standard and the trainers are always keen on introducing new tricks," explains Ashurst. The trainers are Russian, and the dolphins were brought from the Black Sea.

"It's a lot of fun," agrees Sawsan Ibrahim, a physician who returned recently from a trip to the US. Sitting at the Italian open-air restaurant with her 10-year-old daughter Yasmine, Ibrahim explains: "Every time I visit the US, I wish we had similar opportunities for entertainment. Today, I'm very glad Merryland has been revived in a way that suits my lifestyle and can compete with similar venues abroad. It really feels good to have a chance for recreation -- a privilege that has long been missing from our lives."

For many, however, this "privilege" is still unattainable. Middle-class families find that spending a day at New Generation requires an independent budget. Most of the restaurants serve expensive dishes and even cafés have a minimum charge of LE20.

"Merryland is becoming our favorite picnic area, but I wish it had fast-food places as an alternative to the elegant -- and expensive -- restaurants," says Amira El-Hetini, a housewife. "My kids love the place and we all enjoy it, but we can't afford to pay LEl00 every time for dinner. Then you have to add the games and the dolphin show, which are not for free! Not many people can afford that kind of outing on a regular basis, I assume."

Yehia explains that the minimum charge policy is necessary to keep unwanted clients out. The prices, he argues, are not high when compared to the quality of service provided. And an area has been set aside for low-income families, who pay an entrance fee of LE1 a person.

In this area, fenced off from New Generation, several families have spread sheets on the ground and are unpacking home-made picnic baskets. Khaled Abdel-Azim, an accountant, sees Merryland as a good alternative to the traditional outing at the Giza Zoo. Although the Zoo is cheaper, Merryland is closer to his house and, sometimes, more relaxing.

The 50-feddan Merryland garden has also gained more attention in the past five years. "We have already put in place several projects to upgrade Merryland as a public park," says Adel Abdel-Moneim, head of the executive department at the Heliopolis Company for Housing. "Merryland has been one of our prime concerns in the past few years, as one of Heliopolis's prime landmarks and as a green lung for the area's inhabitants. This is why we have a whole department to supervise the park, and maintain its greenery and rare trees."

Some changes can already be noticed. Promenades have been paved, seats and benches mended, statues restored, restrooms renovated and fences mended. Lighting worth LE1 million has been installed so that people can enjoy a night out at the park, a special area has been set aside for children, and small kiosks and cafeterias have sprouted where families can buy food and drinks at lower prices. An outdoor theatre has also been built for summer concerts. "Since Merryland is so green, we also have many greenhouses to preserve and breed rare plant species, and also to sell plants and flowers to the public at much lower prices," Abdel-Moneim says proudly.

	weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg