On to Cairo

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Our initiation into Egypt was abrupt and entirely appropriate. We landed after another acceptable flight on Emirates, making our way to the back of a long and disorganized line in passport control. People cut in front of us but we were so very Canadian in our response - we made room for them. Repeatedly. When finally a merciful officer indicated that we could go to an empty window across the hall it felt like we had won the lottery until a man who was obviously representing a group/throng/mob thrust his arm in front of us waving a handful of passports that the guy behind the glass accepted without looking up. We waited and waited, less patiently than I would have liked to report. We finally made it to the front of the queue only to learn that we needed visa stickers. Paul dutifully fought his way to the other end of the hall to the visa booth. The vending machine, of course, wouldn’t accept any of his cards so he had to run a few more laps around the airport to get all the paperwork in order. Finally we were made legitimate guests in Cairo. A happy result of the 120 minute long fiasco prior to getting through to the baggage carousel was that when we got there our suitcases were nicely set aside, close together in the unclaimed luggage pile.

We were met by a tour operator who took us to the hotel that Paul had found in his Lonely Planet guide. This hotel is nothing to speak of - it doesn’t even have a façade. You get to the main desk on the fifth floor via a rickety, old fashioned, gated elevator that can only take three people at a time and won’t work unless you close both sets of doors but the inside ones naturally open inward so when you get in there with your luggage you can’t close the doors so you don’t go anywhere but you don’t know why so you keep hitting the up button and nothing happens so you get out and reload and the whole experience makes the two others who drew the short straw and had to wait for the second shift laugh and mock you. At least that’s how it was for us. The hotel, once you learn how to get to it, is adorable. It’s old and gaudy but they tell us it’s authentic. There are little balconies from the little rooms that overlook a frenetic market that goes until after midnight, and the traffic sounds close. It’s much better than I’m making it sound. Our only complaint, and it’s a soft one, is that we seem to be right next to a mosque so the call to prayer in the middle of the night makes the sirens of Reefton seem melodic, sweet almost.

After an interrupted night we headed out to Giza where we happily anticipated seeing the Great Pyramid. Great is inadequate. It should be called the Unbelievable, jaw-droppingly fantastic Pyramids. We caught glimpses of the structures between the houses as we neared the site, but when we got there it was more than we expected. Emotional, even, although that sounds goofy, doesn’t it? These huge monuments were just sitting there, nonchalant in the middle of the desert not caring that they’ve seen it all in the last 5000 years. So wild. There was a conspicuous tourism police presence there. Everywhere, really. They have big scary guns and walk around holding them with both hands, but the few cops we spoke to were very nice. They would let you take their picture and seemed anxious to take yours; for a few pounds they were even willing to give you back your camera. We spent enough time climbing around and over the pyramids then allowed ourselves to be ushered onto camelback for a quick (ie. Short, not fast-paced) lope through the desert. Having been on one for minutes just last week, we were all experts at everything camel so were surprised when the beast Josh and I were on was behaving strangely. It turned its head, seemingly trying to eat us, made a deep vibrating roar while at the same time a saclike structure billowed from its mouth. The guide laughed, explaining that the camel was welcoming us, which was no doubt because at the same time all this business was going on in front, it was evacuating air from behind. Flatulence is always funny to Josh and Paul who were fascinated, but I was fixated on that pale pink, fibrous, membranous thing protruding from its mouth. It was too delicate and floppy to be a tongue. It might have been a cyst. It is something that might just keep a person up at night wondering.

After the pyramids we set off to see the sphinx and get a quick lesson in embalming. It seems we know less than we thought about the process of mummification. You might have to keep a body in salt for forty days, or maybe seventy. Then you have to add seven or eight secret herbs and spices and then do magic and perhaps kill a chicken and then it works. Maybe. The highlight of this leg of the day would have been the paint and fine details visible on the sphinx, until as we were walking across the causeway a boy approached our Adrianne, commented on how beautiful she was, suggested she marry him and, to seal the deal, offered 2000 camels as dowry. She was horrified. We are still considering it.

After the sphinx we headed out to Memphis where we saw statues dedicated to Ramses II, the love interest of our guide who tells us she plans to marry him one day. She’s a great ambassador for Egypt and for this particular king as her enthusiasm is contagious. She took us into “the factory” where a huge incomplete statue of R II had been revealed in situ when the local waters had dried up some 40 years ago. We were made to admire his muscular legs and perfect abs and all admitted that yes, he was a most handsome ancient king. The fact that he was hot was less impressive than the fact that he united the two parts of Egypt that had been separated into antagonistic factions in the north and south. He was an effective king - he represented the gods well.

En route to Sakkara, our next destination, we stopped at a “carpet school”. Our guide explained that we were stopping there because Paul had asked what it was as we passed it the first time. As we walked in I noticed two very young boys who had been lolling in a corner jump to attention and start furiously knotting on a huge frame that looked impossible to complete. We admired the small fingers and agility of all the children we saw making these rugs and told the “teacher” that indeed these carpets were lovely. That was what he was waiting for before forcing us into another huge room, insisting we sit on five plastic chairs expectantly lined up in one corner. He then, predictably, unfurled about 40,000 carpets, explaining why we couldn’t consider leaving without them. We did, though, eventually.

Onward to Sakkara where we saw more pyramids, this time actually climbing deep into the bowels of one to admire the carvings and paintwork on all the walls and ceilings. Ancient people were special folk - determined, visionary, creative and strong. The inside was far more impressive than the outside, and the outside was pretty cool. We spent some time exploring all the outbuildings and walking around in the desert hoping to discover another tomb until we realized the place was closing and we had to leave.

A quick stop to exchange some of our Egyptian pounds for minute amounts of papyrus (the guide was nice and she let us touch the plant) and we headed back into town to catch a dinner cruise on the Nile. Unlike the best two hours of our lives (as the cruise on Dubai Creek predicted it would be) this was actually fun despite our fatigue. The best part was when a guy came out and started spinning around and around. I was sure the finale would involve vomit, but this man managed to keep twirling in one place for just over 20 minutes without recycling his dinner. To break the monotony he swung his dress around, he did a sort of juggling thing with trays, and he even poured himself a glass of water over his head. It sounds lame the way I tell it, even without reporting on the dwarf that was in the mix for a bit, but it was like nothing we’d ever seen before. The cruise over, we headed back to the hotel, thanking Ramses II and all before and after him, for fresh sheets and toothbrushes.

Tomorrow we conquer Alexandria, inshallah. We’re leaving at 7am.

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Photos

Going native in Giza
We all indicate how much we know about camels.

Comments

[Heidi]

Sounds amazing! I love that picture. Been to Cairo once, but never rode a camel. Regret it now. That hotel - all I can say is that I hope you are taking pictures!! Heidi

[Bella]

Maadi?
I visited egypt in 2004- loved it- especially miss Maadi- will you be going there? please post pics!