Mandy: Cairo Day One

No apologies for the length of this blog post. (Smile) It is a record to help us to remember our visit.

Monday 13th May: Today was a special day, we were flying up to Cairo (smile). There was only one song to start the day with…. Walk Like an Egyptian, so to Glen’s dismay I played it and did the sand dance as we made our morning coffee (grin).

We took a short one hour flight to the capital and all was fine until we were coming down to land. The aeroplane banked so sharply to the left as we turned to come down to the runway that I had to lean as far right as I could to stop it from flipping over ( no humour in today’s blog it is just plain facts…as I saw them! )

We met our driver Ahmed outside of the airport. We had hired him for two days on the recommendation of Bassem (who in turn had been recommended by Denise and Sharon – a big thank you). A more genuine man you could not wish to meet. He was a gentle, unassuming, muslin gentleman. Our two days in Cairo were enhanced by his company, knowledge and most of all his calm demeanour, a welcome Oasis in the desert of relentless hassle that was all around us.

On our drive to Cairo from the Airport a seed of an idea was growing in my mind. I started to take photos of all the washing hanging from various places on the outside of buildings….the buildings were so dull and dirty, the dirt in the wind, the rubbish blowing about, surely the washing would come in dirtier than it went out?…. Over the coming days I would become obsessed with their laundry situation……. I wonder if there is an untapped market for a Laundry tour?

These are a few sample photos……a whole album available of request (proud grin)

Ahmed took us to wherever we asked. We started at the Citadel, we walked up the hill to the our first view over Cairo and to Giza beyond. It was not a clear day but we could still see the feint unmistakable shape of the two largest of the Giza Pyramids on the horizon. After being instructed to put on a full length, white, hooded gown …….to cover all of me for the good price of 5LE! we all removed our shoes and went inside of the great Mosque of Muhammad Ali.

We then drove through the crowded streets and were dropped off so we could explore the labyrinth of Coptic Christian churches on our own. This is when the sand storm came in. Our photos from then on had a sepia-tone, our eyes gritty……

Our drive to the Egyptian Museum was surreal, the wind blew and you could see the sand within it. Every building across the Nile was a feint outline, the visibility poor . We took photos outside of the Museum then went straight inside passed 1000’s of artefacts up to the Tutankhamun room. It was a wonder to see THE gold mask and extensive collection of jewellery and large collection of artefacts used throughout his life. We were able to get very close up with little security to speak of and we had the room to ourselves. Then a large party from India came in with a guide, we were disappointed but there was no need, they spent about ten seconds (if that) before being shepherded out again! Unbelievable! ….Maybe they were on the Laundry Tour and took a wrong turn! (wink) …..

We spent a long time looking at each item and reading the few lines written about each. The cases were not air tight and we couldn’t believe they were not trying to preserve his belongs better. Furniture and Chariots and larger items were outside in to the main room. The visit here was worth it just to see his collection. We came out of the museum through a different door. Well it was if we had come out in to a different city! The sun was now out and the sand storm had passed. We knew we were still in Cairo by Tahrir Square as we looked up we could see the shell of the hotel that was burnt down during the revolution.

We took more photos of the outside of the museum….such a difference in colour from a few hours earlier during the sand storm. We then walked to Tahrir Square (sorry Mum!!). it was just a mass of cars driving around, there were a few tents still there, the odd placard in a group of demonstrators. More demonstrators came along in a pickup truck as we walked back along. We felt safe, I am glad we went there.

Our hotel was on the island on the Nile called Zamelek. An affluent Island, leafy European feel, massive colonial buildings now Embassies. The trees have outgrown the streets and buildings but no one seems to be pruning them (Phil get yourself over here there is plenty of work for a knowledgeable tree surgeon!)

We finished our day with a bit of hand washing in the bathroom sink as a practice for when we will NEED to in Asia. The air-con finished off our laundry theme nicely as it made the sound of a washing cycle with a small coin that had been left in the pocket of one of the items, all night! Music to my ears, a nice calm sound … a dream for me, a nightmare for most I am sure. It wasn’t that bad to be fair…. It was more like a tumble dryer cycle. (Smile)