| | Nov 7, 2005 - Cairo, Egypt | (click to enlarge)
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 | | show all 16 | | At the Pyramids! | | Great Pyramid of Cheops - the oldest pyramid in Giza | | Hanging out at the Pyramids | | |
| Cairo, Egypt - History and a Bustling Capital City
From the simplicity and relaxation of Basata we ventured into the second largest city in Africa and one of the densest populated cities in the world with over 16 million people calling Cairo home. We travelled to Cairo by public bus - an 8 hour journey on a somewhat dark and dingy bus. Nevertheless, the ride was relatively comfortable and uneventful as we travelled through the barren Sinai desert, under the Suez Canal and into the bustling city of Cairo.
As Eric said, you can't be indifferent to Cairo- loving it, hating it you will certainly having some choice thoughts about different aspects of this city that overwhelms your senses. As we drove into Cairo one of the many billboard ads for bottled water read "Purity guaranteed". It seemed so ironic thinking of purity in a city so exceptionally overpopulated, polluted and dirty. Yet the more time we spent, the more we agreed with the many Ex-Pats we had met at Basata, the city seems to have something special that draws people in.
Like any city that has both extreme poverty and tourism the locals are always out to make a buck off of the tourist - taxi drivers, storeowners, vendors, or children selling their personality and charm. However, overall the Egyptians seem to be friendly and helpful people. The city is very safe with little to no crime making the chaos even that much more exciting to explore. Probably the most dangerous thing in Cairo is just trying to cross the streets. We thought the Naples drivers were crazy, well; they have nothing on the Egyptians! Never have I seen drivers have such a blatant disregard to traffic regulations as we experienced here. They appear to think nothing of going the wrong way on a one-way road, driving while straddling lanes and weaving their vehicles through spots so tight you wouldn't think an Austin Mini would fit let alone their mid-size car or SUV. In fact, sitting in traffic one day we observed how the 2 lane road was being used permanently as a 3 lane road by squeezing extra cars on the shoulders and in the middle and then squeezing the odd motorcycle in between creating a lane of their own. I guess the lines painted roads in Cairo are purely decoration!
Even if you are not one for the hectic chaos of Cairo, every visit to Egypt must have at least a day or two in this capital city to see the world famous pyramids, Sphinx and Cairo museum which houses the history and treasures of this renowned ancient civilization. Although the city has encroached and expanded right close to the borders of the pyramids and Sphinx, there is still a mysterious and magical feeling in the air as you wander and stroll around these 5,000 year old mammoth creations. The Cairo museum further enlightens travellers to the ancient civilization and is housed in a building downtown Cairo that is over 100 years old and packed with more than 100,000 pieces allowing you to explore for hours on end and imagine being part of the archaeological digs uncovering history. A main feature of the museum is undoubtedly the 1,700 or so pieces that were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun including his solid gold death mask and gold sarcophagus. Additionally, for a small fee you can enter a display called the Royal Mummy Room to see the mummified bodies of 11 of Egypt's pharaohs and queens that are all over 3,000 years old - an incredible sight!
Other key sights in Cairo we viewed were the Citadel with its ornate mosque, Old Cairo (or Coptic Cairo), a papyrus demonstration on how this ancient paper was made and walks along the Nile and Island of Zamalek where we were staying at the Marriott hotel which was once an old palace and a tourist site in itself. Overall, both Eric and I agree there is something special that draws us to the city of Cairo. Whether it is the people, potential future, historical past or just the sheer adventure of travelling about the chaotic city it is a place all travellers should experience when coming to Egypt.
Leaving Cairo from the Giza train station we took on an overnight train to Luxor for our 4 night Nile Cruise and further education on the history of what is one of the world's greatest ever civilizations.
www.carlhenderson.ca
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