The worst first night... EVER!

---

The plane screeches to a halt. I have never been so excited to land in a new country. Egypt for me has always been a land of such illustrious history and magnificent aura that it almost seemed unreal and yet with a turn of my head, I see it out the window.

Immigration varys across the globe but Egypt has to be the worst I have ever been through. I know I had to apply for a visa and I knew I could get one at the airport. How I go about doing that is not something I knew. Usually visa application forms are handed out on the flight in. No such form was given to me. I join the very long line to get through customs and I asume I just apply with the officer. There is no information on how to get one. I see a few Australians behind me filling out forms and ask them where they got them. I got one and filled it out, so this must be my application form. After lining up for about 15 minutes I finally get to the customs officer. He flicks through my passport "WHERE IS YOUR VISA?!?!?!"
I wasn't expected to be yelled at by the first Egyptian I met. I murmured like a little child in trouble "Ah.. your giving me one?"
"NO! YOU GET FROM THE BANK. THERE!!" He points and shakes his head as I walk away.
I hand over US$15 to the man in the bank and in return he gives me two little postal stamps. By this time the line had got so long that it took me another 20 minutes before I got to the same officer. I hand him my passport, immigration slip and two little postal stamps.
"YOU! STICK HERE!"
I lick the stamps and put them on the page. He slams down his immigration stamp like a judge slamming down his gavel in disgust. My passport is litterally thrown back at me.
"THAT'S IT! MOVE NOW!"
A far cry from the lovely lady I had going into Oman.

I make my way to the luggage belt where I wait for my bags. For 10 minutes. As the bags being pulled off got less and less, I really hoped that my bags were put on the right flight. The last thing I felt like going through right now was a wild goose chase for my belongings. As I roll my eyes in frustration, my sight glances past my little blue bag way on the other side of the belt. Then I see my back pack. Someone had moved them off the belt for some reason. I move swiftly over hoping someone is not about to claim them as thier own. I pick them up and off I go.

I aquire a taxi to take me to my pre-arranged hotel. We are screaming down the road into a parking lot of cars. I have seen careless driving in my days but the traffic in Cairo is just downright NUTS! Not many people have thier lights on even though it is night time, they just seem to use the street lights and flash each other when necessary which seems to be all the time. The cars start to flow then we get moving, fast! Ducking and weaving in and out of other cars like we are in a movie car chase. I watch the car in front of us that isn't swaying like the rest of the traffic and we are coming up to him at a rapid pace. He suddenly pulls violently to the left exposing 2 men trying to cross the road. The first one dives out of the way of us but the second one isn't so lucky. A tremendous thump shudders the car and the man is thrown right up the bonnet, over my door and I hear a crack as he hits the pavement. I look back in horror to see if he is OK. Amazingly he gets up and doesn't seem too hurt. My taxi driver swings open the car door, storms out of the car and the two men start yelling at each other. The man who got hit pushed the taxi driver and he pushed back. Inevitably, punches were thrown and my taxi driver/pugilist, was engaged in far from playful banter with two men. This unscheduled boxing match was taking place right infront of the taxi which, by the way, was still in the middle of the road and the huge swarm of cars behind us were flashing thier lights and beeping thier horns. The meter was still ticking and I thought how funny it would be if he tried to charge me for this. After the driver was beaten and the two men escaped this raving lunatic, he got back in the car and steamed off down the road. He was obviously upset and trying to tell me his side of the story. Granted, these two men should be taking more care crossing the road but not only do I think fighting is a pitiful last resort, it was just unprofessional.

We make it to The Cleopatra Palace Hotel. The next rocky then wanted to charge me full fare that was on the meter. I told him where to stick it and threw him what I thought the trip was worth. He got out of his car ready to engage in another bout with me but I was safely inside the lobby and security stopped him.

Just when I thought my night couldn't get any worse. It did. I gave the man at the counter my receipt for my stay and claimed he had no reservation for me. He refused to let me stay without paying. I was not in the mood to put up with this at that point in time and there was no way I was wandering the streets looking for another hotel. In protest, I put all my bags on the counter and told them I was not leaving untill I was given a key. They exchanged words amongst each other and relented. I was given a key and lead to the lifts, or lift. One was broken so I was forced to wait for the other to come down. The door finally opens and in I was greeted by the lift operator. I noticed, after the door had closed behind me, that there was a funny looking black door on the other side. After manipulating a combination of keys, switched and buttons, the lift begins to rise. I notice that this funny looking black door began to move also. It became obvious that there was no door on that side and I was told to stand back so I don't get caught. The door is opened manually and I was lead to my room. I can put up with a lot in rooms but this was far below my level of acceptance. He struggled to get the door open and lead me into the dirty, worn down, horrible room that had the worst bathroom I have ever seen. Ever. The only upside to this was I had a pretty good view of the Nile but it wasn't worth it. I has already paid and put up a fight when they didn't want me to stay so I swallowed my pride and stayed. The concierge puts my bags on the bed, quickly flicks his hand in and out and stands there looking at me with a goofy look on his face. AHH a tip. I give him one whole Egyptian Pound and he looks a little dissapointed. He grudgingly accepts it and leaves.

As I hadn't eaten much that day, dinner was a desirable option. I wandered through the streets of Cairo looking for a good restaurant or café. I was in the most central part of Cairo so it was all McDonalds, Pizza Hut etc.. Me being me, I wanted something a little more traditional and settled on a little place that looked like a fish and chip take away shop from back home (yes I am aware of the irony of settling on a place that looked like home instead of opting for the maccas or instead of really searching for a traditional restaurant so there is no need for pointing that out) It had an upstairs seating area to relax so I was sorted. I was ignored for 10 minutes and finally served. Once I had recieved my "meal" I headed upstairs.
"NO! That is not ours, you eat here"
Here being really nowhere as there was no room to move in this tiny shop. I was forced to squeeze in between the wall and a metal bench to eat my meal standing up. A big personal no no. I put a peice of "chicken" in my mouth and bit down. There was a big crunch as if it had been cooked in dirt. I spat it back out and left. Food would have to wait.

At this point I was pretty much in a bad mood so decided to relieve myself by going for a walk. Crossing the street in Cairo is similar to crossing the street in Hanoi (see my Hanoi entry for thoughts on that) The only difference is there are few motorbikes, it's all cars. You just have to walk and hope. As I stand on the edge of the road and hesitate for a while, I see some locals just walk out and let the cars dodge them. My golden travel rule of "do as the locals" was put into practice. I walked out and jumped back in again. Unfortunately I had left my balls of steel in my other pants. I managed to cross a few times but mainly tried to avoid it. I now know why we hit that man on the way in. People just walk all over the road and don't really look where they are going or what the traffic is doing. My golden travel rule of "do as the locals" was regressed.

Cairo. Dirty, smelly, in your face and damn noisy. It apparently is a city that you either love or hate. At the time, I wasn't liking it one bit but I never down a place on first impressions. I was determined to like it or at least try.

The next day I moved out of hell hole central and down the road to a nice quiet hotel called The Cosmopolitan. It is even older than the Cleopatra but everything works. Even the old 1920's style lift. The staff are friendly and the building has an old style charm so I was much happier.

I ventured out to see some of the sights of Cairo. Most people would head straight for the Pyramids or the Egyptian Museum, but since my parents are on thier way, I am leaving that untill they get here. However, I went to some of Cairo's lesser known attractions like the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar. In the heart of Islamic Cairo, Khan Al-Khalili has a reputation of being one of the great middle eastern bazaar's. I wandered around for a while and wasn't overly impressed. The streets (or dirt tracks) are very dirty and I guess I am kind of tired of seeing the same old things. Shirts, toys etc.. Something that did catch my eye were stands and stands of water pipes, that are used for smoking the infamous sheesha. Mosques are dotted right around the area and one of particular interest was the Mosque of Sayyidna Al-Hussein which is just near the Midan Hussein which is the "gateway" to Khan Al-Khalili. It was free to enter and although very impressive, Al-Ghubrah in Muscat was still far superior. One thing that was interesting about it was the room where a large silver cabinet is kept with the Koran sitting on the inside. Many men were leaning up against the railing that surrounds it and praying. I don't know much about islam so I didn't really know the significance of it. There was also a big silver door that men were touching and praying to. At the end of the room was a vaulted niche which is called the Mihrab. This faces the direction of Mecca which is to where muslims must pray.

After coming out of the mosque I heard loud chanting across the Midan so I went to investigate. Across the road, on the other side of a large elaborate gate, were hundreds of men chanting words in arabic. It was obviously a protest against something and I asked a police officer what they were protesting about. He just shook his head so I asked what they were saying. He said he didn't know. Slightly confused I asked another man who was watching the proceedings. He just shook his head and said he didn't know either. I figure I was given the cold shoulder as they obviously knew what was going on but didn't want to tell me as I'm sure they don't agree with the protesters point of view. As I headed back I saw a fabulous looking mosque and raised my camera to take a picture.
"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP! YOU!"
A police officer, who was brandishing an AK-47, rushed over and demanded I not take a photo. He grabbed my camera off me and was about throw it to the ground when I told him to stop.
"YOU DO NOT TAKE PICTURE OF THIS!"
He thought I was about to take a picture of the protesters but I insisted I was pointing away from them. After an agreement to let him watch me take a picture of the mosque and nothing else, I was handed my camera. I took my shot and away I walked. They don't know what the men are saying, bullshit!

I had been in nothing but trouble since I landed so I thought I would head to the Citadel where the masses of tourists may not make me stand out so much. I got lost along the 1km walk from Khan Al-Khalili and ended up at the Mosque of Sayyida Aisha which is a small ways from the Citadel. I had a look in the huge mosque which is more like Mecca than the mosque's I had seen. There was a huge court where muslims do thier walk around the centre 5 times. I also climbed to the top of the tower which over looks the mosque and gazed at a great view of Cairo. As I was sitting up there enjoying the sights, the midday prayers started. Because there are mosque's everywhere, it is like being in the middle of a field filled with cicadas. The wailing prayers resinated throughout the city and almost became deafening. I climbed down and headed for the Citadel.

Started back in the 12th century, the Citadel looms over Cairo with stunning grandeur. At the centre of the Citadel is a large mosque. It seemed the only real attraction of the Citadel so I went in. The main prayer hall was marvelous. 4 massives domes in the roof were the basis for a larger and the biggest dome in the middle that went even higher. Chandeliers and lights strewn across the roof give the room a warm glow. I exit the room and head out to the edge of huge terrace to view the city. A massive smile hits my face when passed the smog and seemingly endless buildings, I lay eyes, for the very first time, on the Pyramids. All my life, if there was one thing I wanted to see, it was the Pyramids of Giza, and there they were, just a few kilometers away where the city meets the desert.

The next day, I took a walk over the Nile to Zamalek Island, which is an island in between the east and west bank of Cairo. There was the Cairo Opera house and the Egypt Tower, both of which were far from impessive. I then jumped on the Metro and headed for Mar Girgis station in Old Cairo. Old Cairo was once known as Babylon and is so old that it pre dates the coming of Islam. That being the case it is the seat of the coptic christian community. The Coptic Museum was closed for renovations so I checked out Al-Mullaqa or the Hanging Church. It was a pleasent little church and after seeing so many mosques, it felt a little wierd being surrounded in christianity.

I arrive at the Metro station, purchase my ticket back to Sadat, see the train is about to leave so I run to the train and jump on just as the doors close behind me. All conversation ceased and all eyes were on me. Being a westerner, the last thing I have to worry about is which carriage to get on, but here it appeared I had hitched a ride on the female only carriage. The train pulls away and I am left to hang on to the railing with about 40 muslim women staring and giggling amongst themselves at me. I lowered my eyes so to not look at any of them. The laughing got louder and louder and I couldn't take it any more. The next station couldn't come quick enough. I fell out of the carriage and took a huge breath as if I had just come to the surface after being underwater too long. I heard the giggling turn to a roaring laughter as the doors close and the train pulled away.

After a few days wandering around and getting a feel for the city, I can't say I love it or hate it. True it is, that it is a harsh city and it is far from easy going. After talking to some of the friendly locals and getting a handle on crossing the roads, I feel it is a place that grows on you. It's not a place I would like to spend too much time in but it is an amazing mix of ancient to modern, muslim to christian and loud to bloody noisy.

My parents will be joining me tonight. Over the next few days we will be taking in all the major sights. I'm glad they're coming cause I am really keen to get out to the Pyramids. The next blog will have all about that. Thank you to all who have left comments, keep 'em coming.

Untill next time PEACE! CAMO
P.S. Hope everyone has a good Valentines Day

---

Photos

Cairo by night
That's the Nile in the centre

Khan Al-Khalili
One of the back streets in the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar

Mosque
The picture that almost got my camera smashed

The Northern Wall
This is the northern wall that is a few minutes walk north of Khan Al-Khalili. It was built in 1087 as the main entrance to the new walled Fatimid City of Al-Qahira. If you look closely you can see different coloured blocks that indicates constant renovation

Water pipes everywhere
Capable of smoking A LOT of Sheesa

Citadel
As seen from the Mosque of Sayyida Aisha

Gutters
The gutter system that runs all the way around the mosque

Self Portrait
Taken in the mosque of Sayyida Aisha

The Mosque of Sayyida Aisha
From above

Me in Mosque
In the Mosque of the Citadel

Dome
The highest in the Mosque at the Citadel

Cairo
The view from the Citadel terrace. If you look closely, you can see the Pyramids in the backround.

Crossing the Nile
Heading for Zamalek Island

Al-Muallaqa
The Hanging Church

Comments

[ian miller]

cairo
Camo. Your thoughts on Cairo come as no surprise even though I have not had first hand experience. I will be interested in your parents' impressions

[Julie]

HEY!!!
Hi Camo, Glad to hear you are safe and well. I am sorry to hear about all the hardships you are having, but it definately adds to the great Blogs I am reading. What not to do when entering a country, travelling by train, crossing the road - all those things we take for granted. I hope you have a great time with your folks. Take care and talk to you soon!! J

[alaa]

interesting
I guess if you had a local friend you would have had a much easier and more pleasent time. and I hope you know by now that no one pays by the meter, the meter rate was fixed some time in the 70s al hussein mosque supposedly has a piece of Al Hussein's body buried in it (that's what you saw people touching while praying). while Egypt is a mostly Suni muslim country for most of it's islamic history it was Shiia muslim, many traditions and ceremonies (frowned upon by suni scholars) are still present specially among the lower economical classes. the mix of beliefs and cultures is even more intricate and more interesting than you could possibly imagine the protest I can guess if you tell us the date. Cairo in one sense means the victorious city but in another sense it also means the tyrannical city. and for that alone we love it.

[Johnny*]

wow - what a horrible first night. dont let it get to you, ive had heaps of friends go to egypt and say its beautiful...the best is yet to come!

[Bev]

The Worst Happenings make the Best Memories
I'm sure you will agree with this, but what a bizarre intro to a country - make a hood ornament out of a local. No wonder your Mother is coming to get you!!!