Weekend

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Last Thursday we (the three brothers, several cousins and a good friend) went to El Hussein, an area downtown Cairo famous for its bazaars composed of a couple hundred shops selling Egyptian/Oriental products. We strolled around for a bit, bargained with the shopkeepers and bought some gifts for folks abroad. We then all went for some sheesha and fresh juice at Eid Sons' Cafe in front of the large Mosque. Getting a table at a cafe in the area is an interesting process. Each shop has no less than 3 of its own peddlers, each ferociously trying to get you to sit at their cafe claiming they have unheard of service and prices. We eventually just chose the one who freed up enough space for us at a decent sized table (this area is almost ALWAYS packed - during Ramadan it is near impossible to find a place to walk in let alone get a table)

While seated we were fortunate enough to have live entertainment in the form of a very "balady" man playing the "tabla" (hand-drum) and singing his heart out all the Egyptian and Italian songs in his repertoire. Omar had just purchased his own tabla so we had a good laugh watching the two try to sync up. (Videos will be posted shortly)

Friday morning, the family plus Omar drove up to the North Coast (near Alexandria) to spend a weekend playing volleyball on the beach and lounging poolside. It was the perfect cure to a pestering jetlag and a good chance to spend some more time with Omar reminiscing over childhood memories. (pictures posted)

Sunday, around sunset, after returning to Cairo the three of us went horseback riding around the Pyramids and the Sphynx; actually I rode a horse while Ahmed and Omar rode camels. Once again, the ability to bargain came in useful as each encounter was met with a negotiation of prices (soft drinks, souvenirs, even the rental of turbans to wear while out in the desert. We were pretty sure the tourist police officer who let us in scammed us out of paying for a "foreigner" priced ticket for Omar since his Egyptian passport had expired and he hadn't picked up his Egyptian ID yet. It was kind of obvious he was in cahoots with the tour guide taking us out. Anyway, we had a great time riding - reminded us of winter and summer trips during our childhood to a little Ranch-type resort for riding in upstate New York called Rocking Horse Ranch. We took some great pictures and Omar got to witness first hand for the first time as an adult what it's like to have to deal with the locals when organizing trips/dealing with bureaucracy/corruption. As for me, I hadn't done any of this touristy stuff since the last time he came around probably and it was kind of refreshing to get in touch with my roots, even if only by visiting Egypt's prominent historical sites.

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