Our early Egyptair flight landed us back in Cairo by 9 AM, so we basically have had the entire day here.
This post will probably have much more text and fewer pictures than usual, because Cairo requires a lot of explaining. If you are a resort-type vacationer, you will want to stay far away from this place; you’ll just go mad. If, on the other hand, you are interested in a place for its culture and can accept each place for what it is, whether it suits your lifestyle or not, Cairo is an unforgettable experience.
This is one of the world’s megacities, akin to Bangkok, Thailand, or India’s Mumbai. The uninitiated will feel intimidated, overwhelmed, perhaps bewildered. Many will think that it is an ugly city, grimy, polluted; certainly not a pretty city. And yes, it is all that indeed, but 20 million people call this place home, and many would live nowhere else.
Sleeping on the job
It is the chaos that makes Cairo unique, yet within the chaos there is organization. If, for example, you are shopping for electronics, there are streets where the only stores are those dedicated to electronics. The same goes for shoes, men’s clothes, bicycles, auto parts, butchers, and so on. The pretty buildings of a bygone era are hard to imagine in their current state. As you walk Cairo’s streets, you will likely have to step off the sidewalk because something is obstructing the passage, or you may trip over the uneven pavement. Crossing the street is always a hazard due to the unending flow of traffic; you literally have to dodge autos and motorbikes traveling at high speeds, often having to stand in the middle of the street waiting for the right opportunity, which Diane and I have mastered, while the world zips around you.
Tahrir Square
The Egyptian Museum
Cats, and a few dogs, are everywhere, and there’s lots of litter. So much of what surrounds you is covered in dust or grime. Construction debris is left for posterity. And then there is the noise. A constant, persistent blaring of horns from cars, buses and motorcycles, that natives may not even notice, but you definitely will. Yet, this is still Egypt, the same Egypt that gave the world the unequalled historical marvels we have just visited, and the serenity we found on Elephantine Island.
Things get simpler along the Nile
The people are the same, always welcoming and friendly. Many will try to lure you into their shop, but will respond politely and with a smile if their offer is turned down, or alternatively, beam when you do purchase something from them.
This time we are not housed in a luxury hotel 90 minutes away. We are right in the heart of the city, 200 yards from Tahrir Square. You go out the door and you are immediately overtaken by the whole of the above.
View from our hotel
Diane and I walked the streets for miles today, noting that little was alluring enough to be photographed, yet we both felt that we were experiencing the country as it is, without filters, and we felt good about it. We sat on a small wall on a busy square, a homeless person sitting next to me while I was puffing on my Habano. People of all ages and profiles walking all around us. Women in their Hijab or Burkas, old men with their turbans and long gowns; on the street, any type of motorized vehicle you can imagine, pickups loaded to three times maximum capacity, horse-drawn carts. No one bothering us. We never felt threatened in any way. We packed leftovers of our lunch to feed the cats in the street. If you only see the resorts you will miss the essence of a place.
Today, we felt like our Egypt experience was complete, and we are the richer for it.
I'm learning so much through your narratives.