"Made in Thailand" as a status symbol

We had a 3-hour drive from Cairo to Alexandria today and had some interesting conversations with our guide, Mohammed. He mentioned that Thailand is what Egypt aspires to be – moving away from a more agrarian society to develop local industries and local manufacturing. That Thailand is considered a land of opportunity for Egyptians. He told us that Thai goods are coveted here – that “Made in Thailand” is considered just under “Made in Japan” and well over anything “Made in China”. It’s quite an unexpected viewpoint!

In my few days here, Cairo reminds me of Bangkok in the 1970s when I was growing up there. I think Egypt is probably 20-30 years behind Thailand in economic development.