Walk(ing) like an Egyptian......

EGYPT

Our adventure in Egypt almost failed to launch. Upon arrival at the Johannesburg Airport, Devon checked in to the AirEgypt flight without a hitch. There was no record of Anjali's booking.* The next two hours were spent frantically running back and forth between airline counters and airline managers in an attempt to get Anjali on the night's flight without paying the new ticket fee of $1000 US. The duo was almost torn in two, dispersed on either end of the African continent. As Anjali openly cried in the airport, a strange, but well-dressed man appeared, expressing leering concern over her tears. Anjali rudely brushes him aside, only to discover that he has the power to get her on the flight. TIA (This Is Anjali!) "Cry harder Anj!" says Devon. Of the 50 people on standby, Anjali gets a seat on the flight. As fate would have it, Anjali escapes half the ticket fee and runs aboard the plane. Having lost 10 years off their lives, due to stress, the reunited pair beg the steward for glasses of wine, only to discover that Egypt Air does not serve alcohol. Welcome to the Arab world.

We spend the first couple of days in Islamic Cairo before departing for Upper Egypt, Aswan and Luxor, with two Americans and two Aussies we meet in our hostel.

Highlights include:

- First laying eyes on the pyramids and the sphinx. (A dream come true!)
Quote of the day: Weijia, "That is not the reeal sphinx!?" Under the impression that the sphinx is larger due to angle of photo in guide book.

- The muraled tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens in Luxor.

- The Museum, which feels like a cluttered warehouse, complete with Tut's mask and galleries of mummies.

- Wandering narrow allies and crowded market stall with trailing cries of "gifts for you habibi!" or, "it is free to look!" And then being anointed with every perfume in a shop including "Queen Nefertiti" and "Secret of the Night."

- In an effort to find our way, we buy a used map of Cairo from a sidewalk stand. 5 years ago it was found in the Intercontinental.

- Egyptian knockoffs of everything! Ex. Boreos Cookies, Bacardoi Rum, Brand, fake RayBan's (Devon now has a pair)

- Learning to use the palatial Marriot's services without staying there or spending money. Note: to backpackers, use their concierge services and make use of the well-kept bathrooms. In a pinch, also stock up on TP!

- Falafel sandwiches for 1 Egyptian Pound. Roasting sweet potatoes on the street corners.

- Using landmarks such as KFC and "Accessories for the Next Woman" to navigate Cairo.

- Strolling through Al-Azhar Park, one of the only serene places in Cairo.

- Wearing the same outfit everyday in order to be respectful/not draw more attention to ourselves, including long underwear and socks under sandals, a heyday for fashion police everywhere.

- Staying at the Arabesque hotel in Aswan where the door to our room does not work, requiring a man to climb through our window every time we wish to enter.

- Metaphor for our time in Egypt, first dinner on the Nile, we're treated like queens and are gifted a free dessert. We return the following night with two male friends in tow and are given the cold shoulder and receive nothing free. Moral: the only perk to being women traveling alone in Egypt is a free dessert.

- Hearing live Sufi music at the Makana, a popular basement venue in Cairo. As usual, we had trouble finding the place and although we were following very specific directions, we failed to turn left at the correct cigarette kiosk.

- Visiting impressive mosques and hearing the call to prayer resound throughout.



Best of....

1. Best hostel: No one hostel stood out as particularly noteworthy, each place had its moment of disaster. Such as: failed shower, failed door, failed staff, etc.

2. Best restaurant: Sequoia for atmosphere and fine dining, street food for taste and budget fare.

3. Best new taste: Mango sheesha and turkish coffee.

4. Best adventure: Overnight felucca (traditional sail boat) ride from Aswan to Luxor; finding alcohol in an Arab state. Devon quietly questions a hostel employee, "where is the nearest liquor store?" He laughs but says in full seriousness, "pass the fourth tree on the left and head to the river. Ask again within." We find ourselves in a small restaurant full of men. The waiter responds to our inquiry by sending someone out to make our purchase. We are offered triple-sec or "Brand." We take the Brand. Days later, a friend living in Cairo tells us, "You're brave, that stuff can make you go blind."

5. Location to return to: Fishawi's, a coffee house in Khan El-Khalily Market; Abu-Simbel as an Ancient Egyptian.

6. Best cultural experience: 1) Our driver in Aswan, stopping in the middle of the narrow road so he could get out to pray. The aggrivated driver in another car hopped in our van and moved it out of his way as we all sat in the back, powerless and drop-jawed. 2) Not finding the English speaking tour guide and instead having a tour of Abu-Simbel in Spanish.

7. Best "we're so American" moment: 1) Getting lost for 2 hours trying to find our way back to our hostel in downtown Cairo. (Maps and most directions are misleading, there are no street signs, name of our building was on the inside of the front door, we don't speak Arabic.) 2) Being the only women dining out in a room full of men. 3) Smoking sheesha in Luxor and drinking potent tea like an Egyptian man.

8. Best bars: Stella and Hureya, because a male friend, Max took us there.

9. Best local fashion: Burqa with Louis Vuitton insignia all over it.

10. Best "we're so lucky" realizations: We don't live under a dictatorship; we enjoy much more freedom than women in Egypt; we have street signs.



For those of you visiting Egypt catch up on your Egyptian history, read a book on Egyptian gods and goddesses, and don't miss these other but no less impressive sites: PhilaeTemple and Edfu Temple in Aswan, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple in Luxor, Ibn Tuloun Mosque in Egypt.




*Note to self: Do NOT (try to) book a flight in sketchy internet cafe in Swakopmund, Namibia. TIFA