I just returned yesterday from Cairo and Alexandria! I was in Egypt for an entire week, and I had an absolutely incredible time. I have so many stories...I don't know where to start! I suppose I'll start with the beginning...
I arrived in Cairo at 3:30am (crazy flight time, I know) on Sunday morning...Ty was kind enough to pick me up at the airport, which was great because I'm not sure I could have navigated the cab system on my own. Probably would be best to explain "bakseesh" here...in Egypt there is a term, baksheesh, (I'm writing that as it sounds, I have no idea how to spell it correctly...and I don't know Arabic so I can't write it). So bakseesh is essentially a bribe, but I'm sure Egyptians would prefer it to be called a tip. In short, some Egyptians, being the enterprising people they are, spot a Westerner (we are pretty easy to spot), and instantly see the opportunity to make a couple extra bucks, so they will offer to show you the way to a tourist hotspot, carry your bag, let you ride a camel...you name it, they will offer it. Which sounds nice, but there is a catch. Once they are done "helping you out," all the while calling you "my brooottherrr, my brother" or "my siiisssterrr, my sister" and using all their charm, they will look at you and either say "Baksheesh," "give me a tip," or will stand there until you become uncomfortable and give them some money. This is rampant throughout Egypt, and Egyptians are pretty shameless about asking for money...
Here are two examples: One, when Ty and I were walking through the "Khan," or the market place (A sprawling scene of hundreds of tiny tent-shops filled with glassware, gold and silver jewelry, textiles, and touristy trinkets)we heard these various, enticing calls attempting to get us to enter a shop
"Come here, let me take your money quickly!"
"Lucky man, lucky man I will give you 5 camels for her" (her = me, lucky man = Ty)
"My brother! Everything is free today! Come into my shop!"
"Welcome in Alaska!" (I still haven't figured this one out)
"Come in here! I have everything you need! Right here!"
This is just a sampling of the colorful phrases we heard as searching for some gifts. I have to say, it kept us laughing all day. My next example was less amusing at the time..
The second day I was in Cairo, Ty took me to the Pyramids and Sphinx, which was incredibly excited about! The Pyramids! Also, I was excited because I had a hunch that I would perhaps be able to ride a camel, one of my goals for my stay in Egypt (who goes to Egypt and DOESN'T ride a camel?). So, we hop in a cab and head to Giza, which is right next to Cairo. The Pyramids are right outside of Giza, it goes city, city, city, PYRAMIDS. It's really incredible. So, once in the cab, I hear a banging on the trunk, look back and see a man sitting on the trunk of the car. I thought this was odd, but we were going pretty slow and thought perhaps he was just hitching a ride. Wrong. After a bit, we came to a complete stop, the guy on the back says something to the driver, and then GETS IN THE CAR. Ty and I were utterly perplexed and immediately asked this guy what he was doing. He explained that he was the only way we were going to get into the pyramids, offering us horses or camels. Ty and I found this quite odd, and unrealistic, so after about five minutes of harassment from this guy wearing a pink baseball cap who was apparently the sole means for seeing the pyramids, Ty and I decide we are close enough to walk, and get out of the cab.
Oh, but our adventure doesn't end there. After this, a guy approaches us, telling us the same thing, in broken English he seems to be saying something about the government regulations, no walking, and camels and horses. Again, we ignore him and press on. However, another guy approaches us, saying the same thing. What he was actually saying about the government and the pyramids is unclear. What was clear was that we needed to go with him, and that we couldn't walk to the pyramids, it was required that we ride a horse or a camel or get in a carriage. Well, we figured that three guys wouldn't make up this story (foreshadowing: they did.), so we go with this guy who takes us to his stables. After much talking and much insisting that "my brother my brother, money is no issues, you are like Egyptian, I want for your happiness," we decide we want to ride a camel and take the "short tour." Our "brother" says OK, and we get on the camels. Mistake. So we get on, hand him 250 Egyptian pounds, the agreed price for a short tour. He begins to walk, turns around, and begins to INSIST that we take the longest tour (there were 3 options)...we say no, we want the short tour (mostly because we just wanted to ride the camels, take a few pictures on them, then ditch our annoying new friend). He walks a few feet, turns around and again begins to insist on the longest tour...and I don't mean suggest, I mean insist. He whined, he begged, he got angry. All the while, time is a-wastin', and Ty and I are being held captive on camels. Ty keeps interjecting, telling this increasingly obnoxious man that we don't want to negotiate, we want the short tour. End of story. This goes on for at least twenty minutes. Finally, I suggest to Ty that we get off the camels and go. Ty is so delighted at this suggestion, that he LEAPS off of his camel (camels, for those of you who don't know, are pretty tall, and you need them to kneel down in order to get on). I, however, was not so brave, so Ty asks, forcefully, for this man to let me off of my camel. The man says "Fine. But your money is done." Meaning, we just lost 250 Egyptian pounds...at that point...getting away from this unbelievably annoying man was worth it.
So, we walked away, bought a ticket into the Pyramids, and walked right in. Yup, walked. No camels necessary. We shook off our annoyance and ended up having an incredible time at the pyramids. We spent a couple hours wandering from Pyramid to pyramid, there are 9 in total, 3 large ones, and 6 smaller ones. We took tons of pictures, and just took in the incredible view of the Sahara and the pyramids. I was really impressed by them, the biggest one was even bigger than I imagined, and with the brilliantly blue sky in the background, the whole thing is just breathtaking. The Sphinx is also in the same area, so we headed down there (a little walk). The Sphinx is much more damaged than I thought...the French really did a number on it when they used it as target-practice, sad, but true. You can barely see the facial features from the front anymore. Regardless, it is easy to see what an architectural feat the Sphinx is, and I was highly impressed.
Here are a few pictures:
We also spent countless hours exploring Cairo, doing our best to capture everything with my little digital camera, and eating and eating and eating! We ate tons of amazing food! I can now say I am an official pita & hummus junkie. Even though hummus isn't a traditional Egyptian food, they had it at most restaurants as an appetizer. Our favorite appetizer was 3 different "mezza" : Tahina (a cheesy hummus concoction), hummus, and fatoush (a salad with some sort of bread/croutons in it topped with an amazing sweet-ish sauce) and warm pita bread (but not the flat pita you are probably picturing, all the pitas were warm and filled with air, kind of like a pop-over).
We also went to Alexandria for one day (literally, I think we were there for less than 24 hours). Alexandria is a town by the sea, and Ty had heard from a co-worker that it was a great place to get away from Cairo for a few days, stay in a nice hotel, and relax. We figured that sounded nice, so we hopped on a train, rode for 2.5 hours, and got off in Alexandria. So, I was picturing a nice, small beach town. Wrong again...Alexandria is home to four million people! Huge! Not to mention it was a holiday in Egypt (the Eid, a week-long Islamic holiday), so, unanticipated by Ty and me, all of Cairo had the same idea as us and was in Alexandria. We were turned down by 2 hotels before we finally found a room...and then we walked down the street for a bite to eat. The streets were PACKED with people absolutely everywhere, making walking less than pleasant. The following morning, we woke up early intending to do tons of sightseeing, however, what some have said that, "Alexandria is the city with the most history, and nothing to show for it," is absolutely true. There is little to see in Alexandria, as most of it has been submerged underwater. So, Ty and I hung around until noon, and then headed back to Cairo.
I know this is long, but just one last thing! We also went to the Egyptian Museum which is unlike any museum I have ever been to...it is massive and packed with artifacts, and I mean packed. The amount of sarcophagi, jewelry, statues, monuments, and ancient Egyptian artifacts is absolutely overwhelming! You would literally need two or three days to see everything in there! I loved it though, and despite the massive crowd of people there, we had a great time wandering through four-thousand year old relics. Tutankhamen's tomb was especially impressive as it was mostly made of gold and crammed full of more gold items...bracelets, necklaces, rings...you name it, Tutankhamen had it!
Phew! That was long...hope you all enjoy reading it!
Tata for now!
MW
