I have arrived in Cairo and am happy to report that I feel inspired already. Upon arrival at the hotel, all rooms were booked so they upgraded me to the VIP suite, which was a good three times larger than my city condo. What a wonderful way to start!! After a full night of rest, I decided to explore the area surrounding my hotel so I wandered-off by foot for the day, letting the sound of the city traffic mixed with prayers over loud speakers from stores and mosques be my guide. The streets in Cairo are like a maze, especially when there is little to no English translation. Lucky for me, I love a good challenge! Plus, what better way to further develop my sense of direction! Shopping downtown is quite the experience. Gentlemen stopped me on the street to chat about where I was from, found a common denominator with me such as a relative that lives in the same country as I, followed by the famous "come see my store"… This is an excellent sales technique that I, myself, have used once or twice. On that day, I figured why not go with the flow? Making sure the store in question was in a busy street and surrounded by people, I found my way into perfumeries, jewelry stores, art stores, etc... I was welcomed with open arms and as it is customary in Egypt, offered mint tea or coffee at every stop. In an effort to not be rude, I accepted and found that Egypt has the best mint tea I have ever tasted... the leaves float freely in the glass. I am continuously referred to as "my daughter" by older gentlemen, and "my queen" by the younger ones. Turns out I am worth 100,000 camels in Cairo, which is a record on this trip - beating the Kenyan record of about 15 cows. By the time evening rolled around, I was familiar with my new neighborhood and was craving a little sightseeing, so I booked a taxi for the next day to explore Cairo and its surrounding area.
 |
| Add caption |
The next morning, at the request for the hotel reception, I paid them the required 250 Egyptian pounds and then the bellman escorted me to my taxi. When I inquired about the rationale for the money being given to the hotel, all I was told is that the hotel pays the taxi directly, upon my return. For a moment, it felt like I was putting a security deposit on myself but I got over it quickly when I met the driver, Baba.
Baba is 60 years old and has been a tourist driver for over 30 years. He is absolutely the funniest man I have met so far on my travels. He has a police siren installed in his car which is hanging from a wire underneath the steering wheel, and whenever we were stuck in traffic or surrounded by pedestrians, he would sound the alarm and say "Baba police, VIP tourist". This was repeated several times during the course of the day and every time he pressed that button I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. We drove past Giza city for about 15km. Baba told me that the exact location of the pyramids is not always explained properly in travel books, resulting in travelers being confused and stranded at the metro station or abandoned by taxi drivers who have driven them to their desired location of "Giza".
Finally the anticipated moment came and right in front of me, blocking the sun, was a magnificent 5000 year old piece of Egyptian history. The site of the pyramids is quite large so I got myself a camel and private guide to help educate me on this masterpiece. I named my golden-grey camel Chuck and my tour began. Baba sat with locals drinking tea, patiently waiting for my safe return. Along the way, I bought a scarf for the head, a good trick to keep the wind from blowing my hair in a million directions and blocking my view. Do as the locals do right?
Riding a camel is not like riding a horse. For starters, it is much higher and slower, and I gently bounced up and down, side to side. I was pleased with the pace as it allowed me the time I needed to soak-up the moment. We wandered along the pyramids, stopping a few times so I could take pictures. By the time the tour ended, I was a camel riding pro.
After Giza, Baba took me to one of his favorite Egyptian restaurants where I ate kabobs, eggplant, rice, etc… The good thing about travelling is that there is no "scale" in any hotel room… out of sight, out of mind.
Throughout the day, whenever we stopped somewhere, Baba extended his arm as I stepped out of the car and he introduced me as "my daughter". His English was a little rough so it often came out as "I am my daughter".
The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting Saqqara tombs and pyramids, and back to the city where I visited a cemetery, the Citadel, drove through a market with the fake police siren on (and where I noticed a large woman holding live chicken by the feet in one hand and having a "lively chat" with the booth next to hers), and ended the day with a little apple flavored shisha. Safely back at the hotel, I thanked Baba for the wonderful day and headed to the hotel lounge to re-live this day as a savored an Egyptian Stella. 
