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River Nile
crosses downtown Cairo If I was asked to summarize Cairo in 15 words, I would say - charmingly chaotic environment, consciously obedient people, overwhelmingly polluted air, shockingly cheap prices, astoundingly rich history. Since Egyptian history is well documented and I know little of it, I will spare my rambles and leave it up to my photos. Instead I want to share some of my observations on the environment and people.
In the Istanbul blog I said it's impossible to get lost there. Well, in Cairo it's very easy, and could be unpleasant. The moment I stepped outside of my hotel, I was bombarded with fast moving vehicles, slowing moving pedestrians, incessant honking, high pitched yelling, and flashy stores. I tried to navigate poorly marked streets with signs that disappear and reappear randomly, all the while dodging obstacles, avoiding stepping in piles of trash, and seeking shelter for the stammering heat. I got an instant headache. I thought the streets of Turkey and China are bad; imagine no stop lights, pedestrians swimming across the turbulent and never ending vehicle traffic, which treats 4 lane road as 6 lane roads with roadside parking. Crossing streets here requires a blend of bravery, stupidity, and fast
twitch muscles. However, if you are a normal tourist, you don't have to deal with it since the cabs cost 20 Egyptian pounds for a 20 minute ride (1 USD = 5.7 LE).
In all of the countries I've visited so far, I know people recognize me as a tourist because they stare at my face first. In Egypt, I know because people stare at my legs first; I'm wearing shorts. I didn't realize the degree of Islamic conservatism in Egypt until I saw people praying on busy sidewalks during middle of the day, 5 times per day, even 4 in the morning. Yes, 4am, streets are still crowded, and people are about either eating or praying. Pretty much all women have head scarfs covering hair and ears, and it's not uncommon to see the full burka. In the metro, there are man and women carts, although a small minority of women (mostly teenagers) don't follow the norm. Even with the head scarfs, women here find ways to express their femininity, either with thick makeup, excessive perfume, tight and flash clothes, or flirtatious whistles.
Egyptians are immensely hospitable. People say "welcome to Egypt" with a smile and walk
Babylonian Ghetto
Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo) is considered to be the site of Babylon away without trying to sell something. Locals are very patient and detailed when providing directions. Environment aside, it's a very tourist friendly place to visit. There is little if no theft, especially with white uniformed police visible every 30 meters.
Of course, there are some rotten apples. I just experienced my first scam, or attempted scam. An "ancient Egyptian history PhD" asked if I can filled out a quick survey for his dissertation (he actually used the word dissertation), which he will turn into a 100 page book to be given to tourists for free at the airport. Strike 1. At a local tea shop, he asked me list of random questions, mostly about what I know about Egypt. "I knew little" I said. "Here is a strange question for you. Do you believe in Pyramids are built by aliens like most American tourists do?" Strike 2. After trying to convince me there are only 11 pyramids in Egypt (there are between 110-114), strike 3, and I decided to leave. Of course, he only had 250 LE bills (which doesn't exist) to pay for the 1.5 LE tea, thus he begged me to break his change. Deciding this is
Global Warming
Deserts surround fertile lands beside Nile, but emissions are eating away the land a half decent story, I paid for the tea and left him behind. For the Alchemist readers, while we talked, the tea shop keeper came over and conversed with him in an instructional tone, with couple of glances at me. This happened the day before I went to see the pyramids.
Tomorrow I'll join the tour group to go from Egypt to Jordan overland. Not sure how traveling with a large group (8-12) will turn out after 3 weeks of solitary roaming. No photo of Giza / Sphinx yet as that's with the group.
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