The high that I'm experiencing from seeing Cairo is unfortunately being snuffed out by a horrid case of gastroenteritis, probably from consuming contaminated food or water in Egypt. It's still a developing country and food hygiene there is really poor. Brian, however, is feeling good, and we're still reeling from having stood next to the pyramids at Giza only 2 days ago.
The trip started out a bit rough; after an overnight flight with a screaming baby, a hotel reservation mix-up and an hour's sleep, I spent a 9-hr day at my English teaching conference with colleagues Jeremy and Steve. But it could have been worse; you have to buy visas at the Cairo airport upon landing and it's a big mess. Thankfully, Brian, who had taken a different flight than us (through Istanbul rather than Milan), had Egyptian pounds and visa instructions waiting for us when we landed. What a man!
We crashed in our rooms at the end of the day. Bri and I did get up long enough to eat something and consequently, met a really cool Canadian dude who lives in Cyprus. He invited us to stay with his family on the island... maybe someday?
We dragged ourselves to the conference the next day and *whoopee*, it was much better. I picked up many helpful tips and clarifications for teaching IB English. Bri went exploring in the city center and met some friends...
In the evening, we travelled to the Khan al Khalili market, which boasts loads upon loads of fabric, copper trinkets, shisha pipes, rugs, etc. We let ourselves get lost in the fray and then nestled into a little cafe where we smoked shisha pipes and drank tea. Skinny, stray cats are everywhere in Cairo and they clamored around our table, looking for food.
The streets were filled with people, as it was the end of Ramadan and celebrations were everywhere. But there was no alcohol; Muslims can't drink.
The next day, after conference talk, our touristy excursions led us to the pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. We found a cabbie who drove us past a bunch of major Cairo sights on the way. He would literally stop his dilapidated little black and white cab on the side of the interstate and let us get out to take photos. This is significant because the traffic in Cairo is ridiculous; people don't pay attention to center lines and even reverse in the middle of a crammed road if they miss a turn. We saw the City of the Dead, where roughly 5 million Egyptians (the total pop. of Cairo is 22 mil.) live in cemeteries/tombs because of a housing crisis. They have no electricity, sewer, etc.
We saw the memorial for former Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981. He was considered one of the most influential Arabs of the modern world and was named as "Time" Man of the Year in 1977 for trying to bring peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Of course, we visited the River Nile, though you can't see it much in this photo. The section that runs through Cairo is blatantly dirty; you shouldn't even stick your hand in it.
We were surprised when we approached Giza that development had crept right up to the pyramids; what a shame. I read, though, that recent efforts are curtailing further growth in Giza. The cabbie dropped us off at his buddy's camel and horse rental outfit and we mounted our beasts and set off toward the pyramids, led by a tour guide and a group of 10-yr-old-looking boys. They kept telling us the 2-hr ride would make us "walk like Egyptians". Ha!
The pyramids, for lack of better words, were enormous, phenomenal and mystifying. The group that we visited were built over a span of 5 centuries about 2,500 years before Jesus Christ was born. They were constructed as Pharoahs' tombs to "launch" the leaders to the heavens after death, to ensure the survival of the Egyptian people. Each pyramid consists of over a million stones that way over 2.5 tons each. It took thousands and thousands of Egyptians to build them. The tallest one reaches about 480 feet into the air. Unfortunately, the area around them is littered with garbage and water bottles.
The half-human, half-lion Great Sphinx is also in Giza. It was built in the 3rd millenium BC and is the earliest known monumental sculpture. It's a riddle; no one knows who the Sphinx is modeled after, who built it or what happened to its nose. It faces the rising sun and guards the Giza plateau.
We travelled to Old Coptic Cairo next, which dates back to 6th century BC. It's mainly known as Babylon, from when the Romans built a fortress there in 38 AD. It's been the Christian stronghold of Cairo and holds St. Sergius Church and St. Barbara Church, where the Holy family (Joseph, Mary and Jesus) were said to have stayed. It was interesting but I was so pooped from the day - and suffering mega stomach problems - that I didn't pay as much attention to it as I should have.
To relax a bit, we took a felucca boat ride on the Nile, which was lovely until it started raining and the wind churned the water into whitecaps. It only rains in Cairo like 5 days a year and we just happened to be on a topless boat when it did!
After one more stop at a streetside cafe for tea and shisha, we boarded the plane at 3 a.m. to go home. I'll carry this fascinating city with me forever. Hopefully not in the form of stomach parasites, however. ;)
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