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Published: November 11th 2006
After a long and tiring journey, I've arrived in Cairo, Egypt. This is a city alive and bustling with sights, smells and noises which cannot be adequately captured in pictures. Arriving at the airport I was greeted with the chaotic scene of local guides, taxi drivers and other miscellaneous vultures looking to draw first tourist blood. Luckily, my hotel arranged to send me a driver who I somehow spotted in the masses, holding my personalized greeter sign….sweet, I had arrived! En-route to the hotel, one quickly learns that the traffic lanes are mere suggestions; driving in Cairo can be a harrowing experience. My hotel staff was friendly and welcoming, and I retired to my room after a 24 hour journey to catch up on sleep, about 14 hours of it. Awaking rested and ready to tackle Cairo, I arranged a driver and guide for the day and was paired up with an affable chap from Liverpool named Nicholas. Nick works for the UN in Kabul, Afghanistan and is on a short Holiday in Egypt. Along our drive through the city, he shared some interesting insight into life in Afghanistan.
On our first stop, we toured some interesting temples in the
City of the Dead, and then headed for the Giza Pyramids. On arrival to the Pyramids, we saddled up our camels and headed off on a two hour tour around the Pyramids by a friendly and knowledgeable guide named Saeed. We tromped through the sandy dessert and ended up climbing up to the top of one of the smaller pyramids. The Giza sight is remarkable, but the effects of tourism are very apparent; empty water bottles and trash litter much of the area. After our time at the pyramids, our driver and tour guide Mr. Phillipe picked us up at the camel corral and drove us to spots along the Nile River for photos and scenic views. Like the pyramids, the Nile is littered with floating debris, but it remains very much the life blood of this city, and the entire region for that matter. As Mr. Phillipe said, "without the Nile, this would all be just dessert and it would look like Afghanistan". After Nile River sightseeing, we were dropped off at the vibrant and frenetic great bazaar, Khan Al-Khalili. We bid farewell to Mahmood and Mr. Phillipe and melted into the masses swarming through the bazaar. The Khan
Al-Khalili is a maze of old streets, alleys and passageways showcasing life which in many ways has not changed for thousands of years. Nick and I both wandered around in amazement and both agreed this was a scene straight out of Indiana Jones. Local men forged their trades in small dark corners, selling grains, perfumes, foods, and various textiles. The area is huge, probably several square miles, and overwhelming. The Hooka pipe, also known as Shisha is a popular tourist item here. We snaked through some dark tunnels and down some narrow dirty alleys, farther and farther into the maze, and further and further from anything resembling a touristy area. In many ways, I felt like I had landed on an alien planet, but the people didn't seem to even notice our presence as they went about their daily life. A local kid latched onto us (everyone is trying to sell you something) and showed us some of the more authentic areas of the bazaar. The spice market was amazing. Super pungent aromas filled the air and triggered some severe sneezing.
After three hours of wandering around, we opted to try and find our way back to the hotel
on foot, and got very, very lost. We quickly learned that the Egyptians can't read maps very well, and most of them have not heard of streets more than a block from where they are standing. As darkness covered the city, we finally made our way, ready to some R & R and a Stella at the Hotel Bar. Tomorrow the famous Cairo museum awaits and perhaps another trip into the Bazaar for some souvenirs.
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Jona
non-member comment
Yipee
Hi Michael, That is so cool you are seeing the world. And THANK YOU for sharing your experience. I love the way you write. And the photos are beautiful. I hope you have an incredible time on your journey. I have always loved to travel. Some time for soul searching, opportunities to meet new people, the interesting places you go, and the history is so rich. Have fun and please keep the blogs coming. XX Jona