Letter: Foreign air that takes your breath away

Sir: Reading Sandra Barwick's article 'Maybe it's because they're not Londoners' (5 June) brought to mind memories of a trip to Egypt in April. We spent five days enjoying the enthralling sights of the Temples, the West Bank, the Pyramids and the magical Cairo bazaar. All the time we lapped up the history of this splendid country, we stayed in luxurious hotels, cosseted from the intense poverty and fear of civil unrest that surrounded us.

An unforgettable hot-air balloon trip took us across the West Bank where we landed, somewhat unplanned, in a field. We were greeted by hordes of Egyptians, both young and old, as they ran barefoot from their basic homesteads to gaze in wonderment at eight tourists who had arrived on their doorstep.

Surely by their very definition, don't tourists always breathe different air?

Yours faithfully,

SOPHIE A. JONES

Warrington,

Cheshire

(Photograph omitted)