Welcome to Cairo!

We arrived in Cairo late in the evening and weren't really sure what to expect. Our neighbor on the plane was an Egyptian and he pointed out the Nile and the Pyramids to us from the plane as we landed. We got off the plane, purchased our visas and went through customs with no problems. Fortunately, we had arranged for a pick-up from the airport by our hotel, and our driver was waiting for us at baggage claim; as were the tourist police, with their crisp white uniforms and huge guns. They check the drivers to make sure that the trip was pre-arranged and that he wasn't taking advantage of us. The drive to the hotel was crazy. There are lanes, but people completely disregard them. Cars weave in and out of lanes, dodging other cars, pedestrians, and food carts. The hotel was small and quaint, and located on a busy street. We settled into our room and spent the first day relaxing. The second day, we headed out to the pyramids at Giza. It was an experience. Our hotel had arranged for a driver for the day to drive us out the the pyramid sights. Little did we know, that the pyramids would be one of many stops. It is common practice here for drivers to make unscheduled stops and shops around town. They will tell you, that they want to show you the local crafts and then leave you at a shop while the owner of the store provides you a free tour and then tries to sell you whatever they can. Meanwhile, your driver has wandered off and you are stuck. Trying to limit the stops doesn't really work since you don't know where you're going, and since it was our first day out and we didn't want to appear rude, we didn't think to just refuse to get out of the car. We also discovered later that if you do buy anything, the driver makes a commission for bringing you into the shop (which is usually factored into your price). After an exhausting day of sightseeing, and feeling taken advantage of, we were a little disillusioned with the city. We took a day off to relax, and then tried again the next day with a journey to the American University and Coptic Cairo. Walking down the street is an adventure in itself. I mentioned earlier the traffic, and walking offers you no protection from the cars. There are very few street lights, and the ones that exist are mostly ignored. There are also no crosswalks, so to cross the street, you just have to step out into traffic and hope that no one hits you. The drivers will honk and yell at you for making them slow down, and for the first few days we would use the locals as human sheilds, following them closely at intersections. There is also the sheer volume of people to contend with. Cairo is home to more than 20 million resident, almost double that of New York City. There are crowds round the clock. As foreigners with light skin and hair we were easily idetifiable as tourists. People would shout out to us as we walked past, "Where you from?" and "Welcome to Cairo!" Vendors will try and tempt you to enter their shops, "I give you good price, you know how much?" And then there was the constant staring. Children and adults alike will stare at you as you walk past, or point. The men will whistle or cat call. After our first experience in Giza, we were wary of people offering to help us, as any help, whether solicited of not was only to recieve baksheesh (a tip for service). At the end of a few days we were ready to leave Cairo and move on, but unfortunately, Leon had come down with food poisoning, and the 15 hour train ride to Aswan wasn't an option. We decided to stay in Cairo a few extra days while he recovered. While the extra days weren't planned, they did offer me a chance to see a different side of the city. Whilw many people were looking to make any money they could from the tourists, some people that we met were genuinely kind. With Leon sick I ventured out on my own to find us food and supplies. I was having a hard time finding what I was looking for, and a man that we had met a few days before saw and asked if I needed help. I asked him to point me in the direction of a restaurant with broth. He insisted on taking me there himself, helping me place the order, making sure that they wrapped it well and made sure I arrived home. When I offered to pay him, he kindly refused, and said for me to bring Leon to his shop again when he was better and he would have us over for tea. Another time we met a girl in the subway who was studying English. She was only in her first year of study, but she asked us as many questions as she could think of on the short walk to the train, and when we hopped on board she shouted to us, "I love you! Egypt loves you!" After nine days in the "Mother of All Cities" we boarded a train for Luxor. We were excited to explore a new part of the country, a quieter part of the country but we also left feeling that we had seen some of the sweetest people that Cairo had to offer.

Cairo