egypt: cairo

Cairo. The capital of a country, the capital of an empire. Just hearing the name always makes one think of the pyramids, ancient times, the Sphinx, etc... Normally I visit a capital city first in a trip, but this time it was the 4^th big city of my trip. I was excited to finally see some of the biggest sights for which the country is known.

My flight landed in the morning, and I got to see a familiar place when I exited into the arrivals hall. Islam, the tour manager who had picked me up when I first arrived in the country again picked me up. He took me to a car and driver, and they took me to the same hotel in which I'd stayed the first night in the country. We were still in the morning, so there was some doubt as to whether I'd be able to check in that early. Thankfully, Islam made it happen. After two straight mornings of waking up quite early it was nice to be able to crash on a nice bed for a few hours.

Tamar (who had taken the very loooooong night train back to Cairo) met me at the hotel a few hours later.

He was with a driver who stayed with us for the rest of my time in Cairo. There is definitely an advantage to having the same people with you throughout a tour. By this point Tamer knew me and what I was looking for in each place we went. The driver figured out (very quickly) that I like to take pictures of regular life, in addition to the big sights of the city.

Our first stop was the fortress that overlooks the city. The citadel was built by Saladin who is generally viewed as the founder of modern Egypt. Ironically enough, he was an Ottoman, and the Ottoman Empire was not thrilled that he wanted to separate off and rule a country.

Tamer had a ticket in his pocket so we didn't have to wait in a queue, yay! I looked at the ticket price, it was actually quite cheap.

We walked until we got to the mosque named for Mohamed, which is the main reason visitors come to the fortress. Tamer told me the mosque was modeled after the Ayah Sofia in Istanbul. It didn't seem as big, but it was definitely impressive. We approached from the back, it was the only way I was able to get the whole building in a photo. Along the outside there are arches allowing you to walk next to the exterior, I was dumbfounded by all the carving in the stone. Very intricate, absolutely lively. At the same time, I could also see just how dirty it is. The mosque is in dire need of a wash. It is amazing now, it would be then way it was originally if it were clean.

We entered the mosque compound, which starts with a courtyard in the front.

In the middle of the courtyard was the water area where Muslims should wash their hands and feet before praying in the mosque. Sadly, the water spigots are in terrible shape. People have left rubbish there, including cigarette butts. Yuck.

On top of one wall of the front courtyard was a small clock tower surrounded by scaffolding. Tamer said it had been a gift from France, but had been broken when it arrived. For whateva reason, it has never been fixed.

We took off our shoes, as you're supposed to do when entering a mosque. There are different places you can put them, including a windowsill.

The inside of the mosque is just as awesome as the inside. The ceiling has been painted, with intricate and colorful patterns, I stared straight up for a while. This was another place I could see where the mosque would benefit with a proper cleaning. I know it would be difficult and time consuming, but I really hope it happens.

There are several chandeliers and sets of lights, adding to the atmosphere. While I looked around Tamer pointed out the entry to the madrasa (Islamic school) that is on an upper level of the mosque. Madrasas have a negative stereotype because of the current world view of many people, but I would say they are no different from any religious school.

Tamer also pointed out the tomb of Mohamed, which is in one corner of the mosque. It is painted gold, and you cam see through the 'screen' sides to see the actual tomb. When I say Mohamed I am referring to the former leader of Egypt, not the Prophet.

It is definitely worth sitting on the floor and thinking good thoughts for a few minutes, regardless of your faith, or lack thereof.

After exiting the mosque (I forgot my shoes the first time i walked out, I had to run back in,) we went to an overlook where I could see a lot of Cairo. We got there at exactly the right time, as the call to prayer started from all the mosques we could see. Just like in Luxor, I found it amazing to hear all the different minarets playing the call at the same time. Since each mosque has a slightly different tempo and wording, it is chaotic but awesome.

We walked back to the van and started off for our next sight. We wound through various streets (traffic in Cairo is never efficient,) to get to an area known as Coptic Cairo. Most of this area is pedestrian, our van was only able to go so far.

Tamer and I walked to what is known as the Hanging Church. It has this name because it is hanging over what used to be a Roman fortress. The story says that Mary and Joseph hid under the church for a short while when they were on the run. Inside the church we got to see the steps leading down to the hiding area, but that was it. You're not allowed to go into that area, even though this crypt is the reason there is now a church in this place.

Tamer said the church was supposed to resemble a boat, but I didn't see it. He said he didn't see it either, but that is the official line.

The interior of the church is Greek Catholic, which makes me think of a mix between Roman Catholic and Orthodox, at least in terms of how the church looks. There were pews in which to sit, with an iconostasis at the front. Most of the interior was wood, with marble in a few places. I think there was inlaid ivory in some of the woodcarving. Beautiful.

After this church I went back to my hotel. We stopped for shwarma sandwiches along the way, which were yummy, and cheap. It was rush hour by that time, meaning traffic was even worse.

We were on the ring road, which barely moves during rush hour. (Traffic doesn't move much during this time, no matter what road you're driving.) It would drive me nuts to have to deal with that traffic on a daily basis.

I sat in the lobby of my hotel for a while, trying to use the free wifi, but it was so awful that I gave up.

The next morning I took full advantage of the buffet breakfast included in my room price. There was even more food than I'd had on my cruise boat! Giving me the option of eating as much as I can is not a smart thing, as I will always take you up on the challenge. 

Tamer found me at 0815 and tried to help me schedule a massage in the spa for the evening. Unfortunately that didn't work. The person who schedules the massages didn't come in until 0900, so Tamer gave them his number and asked for a call.

They called just after we got to the parkplatz of our first sight of the day. First they offered an opening at 1400 which made me wonder about their business model. Why would a tourist want a massage in the middle of the afternoon? That's when tourists should be out seeing the city. Tamer was able to set me up for 1800, much better.

Our first stop of the day was the pyramids of Giza. You know, THE reason people come to Egypt. The picture that pops into your head when you hear the name of Egypt is usually these pyramids, or something associated with them.

As we got near the entrance I noticed a tour group exiting a bus, each of them with their luggage. It seemed strange to me to bring a suitcase with you when you're visiting the pyramids, Tamer said they were probably heading straight to the airport afterward.

Tamer pulled another ticket out of his pocket (only 80 Egyptian pounds!!) and after going through security we were in the area. Its a big area, we actually got back in the van and drove to get to the 'starting' point.

Since we were visiting in the early morning, the first (and biggest,) pyramid of the complex was backlit by the sun. This is what is known as the Grand Pyramid, it was built for the pharaoh known as Cheops. The name of course is not pronounced the way it looks to American English speakers. There is a special ticket you can buy that will allow you to go into the pyramid, but I didn't have much interest in that. The tunnels are small, and it is a tight area. There is a queue of people, you don't really get much chance to stop and look at what little is in the pyramid. Since the pyramids were obvious burial places, they were looted relatively quickly, no matter how hard the engineers tried to hide the entrances.

Most of the stones used to build the pyramids were really big and heavy. Even though didn't go into this pyramid I climbed up a few rows of stones, just because I could. You're not allowed to climb up to the top, otherwise I would've done that.

The second pyramid is smaller than the first, but is built higher up so it looks like it is the same size. This one was built for the pharaoh known as Kefrin. (I think. Again, it is not pronounced as an American English speaker would expect.) I took more photos of this pyramid, even though it generally looked the same as the first.

From there we drove to a spot called the panoramic overlook. From this area you can see the greatest number of pyramids at one time. I loved it, but did not love the electric box that kept showing up in my photo. Argh. I tried to hide it behind a camel, but it only sort of worked. This area is full of men who are constantly trying to get you to buy a camel ride. Ive ridden a camel previously, otherwise I probably would've forked over the money.

From there we started to drive back out of the pyramid area, until I asked the driver to stop. I finally found a place to get a photo of me with the pyramids, without anyone else, and without vehicles in the background.

I had Tamer join me for a photo, which is good for his business. Even though it is a desert, it was easy to find rocks to stack up and prop up the camera.

Our next stop was the Sphinx. This is probably the second image that pops into the head of anyone thinking of Egypt. We had to walk through a set of souvenir stalls and show our tickets again in order to get close to the Sphinx. We also had to walk through the temple that was built in order to prepare the body of the pharaoh before it was entombed. As I understand it, this temple was built to be used just once. Wow, what a waste.

Each pyramid has one of these embalming temples, each built to be used just once. Marble floors and columns in each of these temples!

The Sphinx was exactly what I expected it to be. Up close it is impossible not to notice that the nose is missing. When French soldiers were fighting here they broke the nose on purpose. Argh. Somehow they thought breaking the nose would cause Egyptian people to change their beliefs and faiths, which had evolved over thousands of years.

After the Sphinx we left this area, and Tamer picked up some fresh baked bread. I wasn't hungry, but YUM. We also stopped at a nearby store so I could buy postcards.

Our next stop was a papyrus store. Papyrus is the 'paper' on which everything Egyptian was written. It is made from the lotus plant. It is basically soaked in water, cut, pressed, woven, and left to dry over a period of time. I ended up buying a couple pictures, not that I needed them.

The next sight was not particularly close. I dozed off in the van, I do this regularly. After driving all the way to an area of the city known as Sakkara, I got to see the pyramids of Zoser. These pyramids are usually known as step pyramids, because the walls aren't smooth; they're literally built in steps. These pyramids were the first pyramids built, before architects and engineers completely understood how this building style works.

The stones are limestone, and most of them have collapsed on themselves. When these pyramids were built, they were built over the tombs of the pharaoh, the later pyramids have the tombs in the middle of the pyramids.

The pyramid of Zoser has scaffolding around it. Archaeologists are fixing the pyramid so it doesn't continue to collapse. One of the pyramids in the area has already collapsed.

Tamer told me a bit about Zoser, and the festival he held in his honour every three years. It was ten days long, and everyone was invited. Tamer took a photo of me in the location where Zoser's throne would've been.

Also in the area of the step pyramids was a set of tombs of the upper level ministers and such. Each tomb had several rooms, all of which were covered with hieroglyphics on the walls. Those tombs definitely weren't shabby, but were not nearly as grand as any of the pyramids. These tombs weren't cheap, and still required a lot of labor to build.

I saw a few camels sitting around, their owners were hoping for visitors to take a ride. Again, I skipped that option. There were far fewer camels and men here, I don't think nearly as many people come to these pyramids. I don't know why, since these were the first pyramids, and in my mind, that makes them more impressive in some ways.

Our next stop was the well known Egyptian museum. It has a really big collection, not nearly all of which is on display. Tamer told me that if you spend just one minute looking at every item on display you'll spend a ridiculous amount of time in the museum. Needless to say, I didn't look at everything.

There are heaps of sarcophagi on display, many of them painted with gorgeous designs. There were even a few painted on the inside. There was a replica of the Rosetta stone on display, the real one is in London. (I think.) This stone is what helped archaeologists figure out the language of hieroglyphics, as it is written in more than one language.

You can pay extra to visit a room filled with mummies. I opted to skip that.

There were numerous statues, Tamer told me what the different position of each statue means.

The most fascinating (to me) items were those associated with the tomb of the young pharaoh known as King Tut, or King Tutankhamen. Some of the sandals he were can be seen, both 'casual' and fancy. There are a few of the thrones on which he sat, even his embalming table. Another set of his objects were the canopic jars that once held the organs removed from his body before it was put into his sarcophagus.

When the tomb of King Tut was found, archaeologists opened a big fancy box. Then they opened another fancy box inside the first. This kept going until they finally opened the sarcophagus of King Tut, which was layers deep. (I think.) On the face of the young king (he died when he was just ......,) was an incredible death mask, which is also on display.

There is a special room dedicated to the death mask and treasure found in the tomb of Tutankhamen, you're not supposed to take photos in this room.

I didn't, but was surprised at the number of people doing so. I don't know if their tour guides didn't tell them or they missed the obvious signs, or whether they didn't care about any of it. The jewelry is impressive, and the death mask is stunning. When you see all of this (and know that even more is in a museum in London,) you realize just how amazing it was when archaeologists found this tomb. I wonder if there are still any tombs to be found, and if so, how many.

I looked at things that caught my eye, and walked past plenty more.

The exit to the museum is not at the same place as the entrance. I got a little lost trying to figure out where to find the exit, hee hee. Getting out to the front courtyard means going through the museum shop, of course. You can buy a copy of just about any item found in the museum in this shop, including the canopic jars. Though I can appreciate the artistry of the jars, it seems a bit morbid to me to buy jars meant to hold your innards after you die!

From there Tamer and the driver took me home, stopping for shwarma sandwiches for me along the way.

I got back to the hotel in time to change and speed down to the spa for my massage. The room was colder than I would've liked, but the massage felt really good.

I wandered the hotel lobby, trying to use the wifi, which was still awful. I spent waaay too much time just staring at my phone, waiting for it to do something. Someone in the management chain saw me, and could tell that I was frustrated, and asked me how my hotel was staying. I said everything was great except for the free wifi, which was awful. Too make a long story short, I found out there was a paid option, which would allow me to have wifi in my room. I was more than happy to sign up for that. Egypt is not one of those countries with free wifi everywhere. A huge part of me wishes the prices of hotels would just go up a few dollars and the hotel could install wifi everywhere. 

The next morning was my pick up for a day trip to Alexandria, read that post if you're curious.

We returned to Cairo in time for the evening traffic jam. The driver dropped us off at the famous city market, then went home to his family. This was now close to New Year's Eve, and you could tell the city was starting to get ready for the festivities.

Tamer and I walked through the market, which was crazy busy. As famous as it is, it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before, so I wasn't at all interested in buying anything. Walking with Tamer was much easier than walking alone, I didn't have to deal with nearly as many of the vendors calling out to me to buy something.

Tamer showed me the shop owned by one member of his family, I didn't have the desire to buy a hookah. (Tamer knew this, he didn't expect me to buy something.) He also showed me the madrasa he had attended when he was younger, and the house his family still owns in the area. He said no one lives in the home anymore, and it costs too much to take care of it properly.

We stopped and had a drink at one of the cafes, I had sahlab. I can never get enough of the stuff!

Eventually, Tamer called a taxi to take me back to the hotel. Traffic was awful, so it took some time to arrive, and moved even slower in the traffic back toward the hotel. I got back to the hotel and said my goodbyes to Tamer.

He is a great tour guide, and when I go back to Egypt I will definitely get in touch with him again.

I changed into a dress and went to the area where the hotel was having a New Years Eve party. My table was quite close to the stage, and was waaaay too close to the speakers. At times I could feel my body vibrating with the bass.

The buffet set out for the party was incredible, it was set out in several different rooms! Each time I thought I'd seen all that was available I turned a corner and found more. Dessert was a full room, how awesome is that?!? I ate, a lot. Then I went back to get more. As with any buffet, I skipped the pasta and rice and 'filler' foods, and went straight for protein options. Some produce too, as I needed that as well.

I went to bed before the midnight countdown, as I was tired, and have never cared for these countdowns or festivities. Though I enjoyed the food, the next time I do this I won't let the tour company require me to buy a ticket to a party like this, as in my mind it is a waste of money.

The next morning I got up early enough for one last go at the breakfast buffet, it was worth it. YUM. I was running a little behind, but the driver arranged to pick me up at the hotel for my next adventure was still there, phew.

I will definitely come back!