My Egyptian Odyssey Part 4: Venturing out alone
Cairo, Egypt. 07:41 6 Nov 2004
Today has been a relatively relaxing and low-key day. We
slept in until 11 before going to the Egyptian museum. There, we saw the Royal
Mummy collection, and various ancient artifacts, including jewelry from King
Tut’s tomb. I find the half-animal, half human gods to be the most interesting.
After the museum, we went to a great Egyptian restaurant where I sampled the
local cuisine.
While walking down the street, an Egyptian man approached us
who claimed to be an important man that had lived in Minneapolis for several years. He pulled Chris and I by our arms into his little shop and
offered us Coke while showing us a log and pictures of the various important
people whom he knows, including the current president of Egypt.
When Chris and I said that we must get going and did not want a coke, he became
angry and yelled to get out of his shop. What an odd experience.
Cairo, Egypt. 18:45 7 Nov 2004
Today, I ventured out on my own for the first time since
I’ve been here. Well, other than going to the market or the internet café. I
took a cab down to Coptic Cairo. This is the section of town in which the Greek
Orthodox Church built its cathedrals and monasteries. Getting there, the cab
driver dropped me off on the wrong side of the subway tracks, so I had to
wander thru this market in a very poor neighborhood to get to a footbridge over
the tracks. There were live chickens, ducks, and geese for sale, as well as
various carcasses, fruits, and vegetables.
http://hipaeronerd.blogs.friendster.com/photos/cairo_odyssey/pb070009a.html
Once I got to the Coptic Cairo compound, the cathedrals were
beautiful and well worth the adventure. I then wandered down the street to the
oldest and second largest mosque in Africa. I had a very
friendly guide who explained to me how Muslims use a mosque and the
significance of each part. I think it’s very telling how there is a curtain
down the middle that divides the men from the women. I’m still amazed at seeing
women, completely covered by her burqa, except for her eyes.
After Coptic Cairo, I took a cab over to the Cairo tower. The driver dropped me off four blocks away and tried to charge me 20
pounds for a trip that should have cost six. I gave him 10 and left the cab
with him still yelling and honking at me.
Back in the 1960’s, the CIA bribed then Egyptian President
Nasser with several million dollars in hopes of influencing Middle
East politics. Nasser took the money, and
then used it to build a 65m tall phallic tower, Cairo
Tower, as an extended middle finger
to the Americans. The tower was constructed in what I consider very
representative Egyptian style. The lobby is made of marble and immaculately
clean. You reach the top via a dinky elevator. Once there, you must walk up a
narrow staircase with chipped paint and holes. I used to think American’s were
the kings of doing things half-assed. I was sorely mistaken. The panoramic
views of the city from the top were breathtaking.
After Cairo Tower, Chris and I went to the Intercontinental
Hotel, where Chris’s friend Basel lives, and we laid by the pool for the rest
of the afternoon. For dinner, Chris and his friends and I went to a Ramadan
dinner festival and had some delicious Egyptian cuisine and interesting
conversations about our baggage from past relationships.
