My Thoughts on Egypt

This year for National Day we had a full five days off from school (thank you Sweet Baby Jesus in your Golden Fleece Diapers!) and since I had already had the whole National Day experience, complete with camel racing, an air show and the insanity that is the car parade down the Corniche last year, I decided to go away. My curiosities led me to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, and while it didn't disappoint I wish it had been...more.

Since this would be my first trip to the African continent I had high hopes for my experience while there. I guess I expected it to be more welcoming and friendly, especially towards another person of color, but I definitely felt a sense of otherness while there. In my short time there it was pretty clear that Egyptians don't consider themselves African. In the museum, I referred to something as being African and a woman quickly corrected me, saying it was Egyptian. In another experience, as I was walking down the street (with a tour guide) past a group of teenaged kids, one of them yelled out "African", which confused me. Was he calling me African? I was the only 'black' person on the street but technically he was the African, not me. I'm still confused about that.

The other thing that turned me off about Cairo was that I constantly felt like I was being taken advantage of. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Or maybe it's a symptom of being in a country that has a lot of poverty and instability. Maybe it's just a tourist problem. I'm not sure. In a lot of the shops that I went into, the salesmen would aggressively go into their sales pitches and then suggest that I pay some absurd amount for a little trinket and then get offended when I'd decline. I usually offer about half of what they're asking and then meet somewhere in the middle. After successfully (I think) haggling with one store owner, he said that I couldn't be American, I had to be Indian from the way that I bargained. I think it was a compliment.

Anyway, on to the adventures!

First on the itinerary was a visit to Saqqara which is a burial ground for the ancient city of Memphis. As we drove there on a country road that we shared with horses and donkeys pulling carts of fruits and vegetables, I was surprised to see the lush greenery and farms that led right up to the burial site, which was the complete opposite.

After Saqqara, we went to visit a papyrus shop in Cairo. Papyrus and Lotus Flowers are two of the main plants that grow in Egypt. Both have several different uses and can be found in most artifacts and hieroglyphics. The gentleman at the papyrus shop did a short demonstration for me on how papyrus plants are turned into scrolls which can then be painted or drawn on.

from this...

...to this

The shop sold reproductions of all kinds of famous art, and even some that glowed in the dark.  There were literally hundreds to choose from, it was so hard to narrow it down to just a few to buy. 

Right next door to the papyrus shop there was a perfumery that sold all kinds of oils. I was treated to a private demonstration to test and smell all of the different scents, of which papyrus and lotus flower were the most popular. The salesman of course heard my American accent and tried to sell overcharge me everything in the shop. After I agreed to buy two small bottles, he took me to another area to pay and when we returned another worker had already poured and packaged my oils. This didn't sit well with me because I had no way of knowing that they actually put what they said was in the bottles, so I kindly asked them to do it again in front of me. He wasn't happy about it but he'll get over it.

If that wasn't a busy enough day, I also went to see the pyramids and Sphynx in the afternoon. I rode a camel through the streets of Cairo and had a guide on horseback to lead me up to the pyramids. It was...quite an experience! Most of the ride was uphill and my camel and the horse didn't really seem to like each other, which was a little scary. At one point the horse nearly threw the guide off, which didn't make me or my camel too happy. But I powered through my fears and made it to the top.

weee!!!

The next day, we set off to see the Citadel, which I could have done without. I don't really remember too much about it except that it had a mosque and Mohamed Ali, not the boxing legend, is buried there, and my tour guide took the time to sit me down and tell me all about the perils of dating Egyptian men. Good thing I have no plans on doing that.

After that we went to Khan el-Khalili market which is like a large outdoor flea market. You can buy anything from jewelry to souvenirs to bedroom linens there, and haggling is expected. I got some nice gifts for my friends but I wish I had gotten more.

My last stop of the day was the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. 

Ta dah!

After passing through security, you're on your way to exploring the artifacts from several different dynasties. I happened to be visiting at the right time because tourists were allowed to take pictures of all of the exhibits. Score!

papyrus scrolls

Horus and Isis

one of many jewelry pieces

ancient tomb

Ramses

The museum was definitely my favorite part of the trip. I'm a nature nerd but I'm also kind of a history nerd too. I find it so intriguing to think about how many of the places we know and visit today were also frequented by people hundreds or thousands of years ago. Seeing all of the exhibits made that feeling all the more real for me. It also made me curious to learn more and sparked some questioning about religion that I'll save for another time.

To wrap up my day I hit up the spa in the hotel. It was too cold outside to go in the pool but the hotel had a spa in the basement that had a sauna, steam room, and hot tub. I wish I had thought to use them before my last day there.

And that was my trip to Egypt! I'm not sure if I would go back to Cairo again, but I definitely want to go to Luxor and Aswan to see the other third of Egyptian history that I missed, and Sharm El Sheikh strictly for relaxing purposes. That'll have to wait though, I'm going to Tanzania in 6 days! Hopefully I'll get the African experience I'm looking for there :)