Been Around the World...

Not exactly, but after Cairo it kinda feels like it. I consider myself pretty well-traveled, but never have I felt like I was experiencing what I was when in Cairo earlier this week. As you know, there’s sooooo much history in this part of the world, and in/around Cairo specifically – the Pyramids at Giza, the Nile, the mummies, King Tut, etc. It was my first trip to what I consider the Middle East, and for most of the trip, I was simply in awe of my surroundings.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A LONG ENTRY. EITHER SPLIT IT UP INTO PIECES, OR CALL IN SICK.

Rather than my typical, day-by-day, almost minute-by-minute journals, this entry will consist of notes and observations from my 3 ½ day trip to Cairo. Probably more educational than entertaining, but hope you enjoy. If you don’t, no one made you read this, so don’t bitch.

- Those of you who have traveled with me know that I’m kinduva half-ass traveler. Sleep in, have breakfast (while watching Family Guy on my portable DVD player), see one major sight, have some lunch, wander the streets a bit, have a couple drinks at a local bar, and take the night from there. Not so in Cairo. There’s SO much to do/see there, that I was on a marathon trip, trying to see if I could see all the major sights in my short trip. I’m proud to say I hit most of them – The Egyptian Museum, The Pyramids at Giza, Islamic Cairo, Coptic (i.e. Christian) Cairo, The Citadel, Abdeen Palace, Cairo Tower. Absolutely exhausting. My strong suggestion is to spend more time here than I did. And probably add a few more days for some other cities in Egypt, e.g. Alexandria.

- The Egyptian people, generally speaking, were very friendly. On several occasions, men who saw me looking kinda lost, staring at my Lonely Planet, approached me, made friendly conversation, and offered assistance – without trying to lure me into their stores or travel agencies.

- One guy who DID sweet-talk me into his store showed me a photo of his uncle shaking hands with the GOAT – Muhammad Ali. Of course, the man shaking Ali’s hand could very well have been Anwar Sadat and I really wouldn’t have known the difference.

- Having become accustomed to seeing full-on, hijab-clad women usually only walking around with other women, kinda like in a convent, it was very strange seeing so many of them walking with men, often arm-in-arm, and sometimes even holding hands. Blasphemy! On this note, I don’t understand how ANY Egyptian women can be fat. Walking around all day in the blazing heat, wearing all-black clothing from head to toes? How much bread and shwarma can one eat?!

- It was also weird, being in a Muslim country (albeit a more secular one than many others), seeing men walking arm-in-arm with each other, sometimes holding hands. I couldn’t tell if they were just walking like that or if they were actually gay, but it definitely felt like I was walking around in Chelsea or San Fran.

- Sticking with the Muslim theme – there are minarets sticking out EVERYWHERE. I’ve been to one Muslim country before, Turkey, and from my recollection there weren’t nearly as many mosques there as in Cairo. Even on the cab ride into town from the airport, the view from my seat offered minarets every which way. Left, a minaret. Straight ahead, another minaret. To my right, a shorter minaret (I bet the imam of that mosque drives a Range Rover or something).

- For such an old city, Cairo is EXTREMELY pedestrian-unfriendly and surprisingly car-friendly. In many places, there are no sidewalks at all, leaving me – and many others - to walk at the edge of the street in the middle of a crowded downtown traffic circle.

- Traffic generally, but in central/downtown Cairo, is RIDICULOUS. American University in Cairo, which is apparently the crème-de-la-crème of Egyptian universities, is right in the thick of it all. The only thing I can think of that might come close to comparing, is if there was a university directly adjacent to Times Square.

- Egyptians, especially the men, look surprisingly like South Asians. I got the “you look Egyptian” comment many times – and not always from people trying to sell me stuff. I could have saved a small fortune on cabs, souvenirs, etc. if I spoke a little Arabic with even a half-ass accent.

- My first sightseeing stop was the top of the Cairo Tower. Pretty unimpressive. Cairo, at night, doesn’t look all that spectacular. Unfortunately, it was the first chance I had to go (and at about $10 entry I wasn’t gonna go twice), but I imagine the views during the day – on a clear day you can probably see the Pyramids – are much more impressive.

- As many of you know, I have ZERO sense of direction. Thank God for the Nile, which on multiple occasions helped me navigate my way back to my not-so-central hotel. That’s exactly what we need in L.A. – a huge river. Heck, build one flowing north-south, and one flowing east-west, with different color water or something to distinguish the two.

- Seeing the mummies of men who have been dead for around 4,000 years – and actually being able to notice their facial features – is incredibly cool. However, the Egyptian Museum (and the Lonely Planet for that matter) could better serve the viewing public by explaining the history and process of mummification.

- Is it a bad sign that the first thing that popped into my head when I saw King Tut’s famous Death Mask was the Luxor at Las Vegas?

- Speaking of King Tut, maybe Egypt could still be a powerful, wealthy nation, if they hadn’t used so much damn gold building solid-gold coffins, death masks, jewelry for the mummies, etc.

- The Egyptian Museum is simply overwhelming. I would strongly encourage you to splurge the extra c. $7 and go on two separate days. Even doing this, navigating through all the rooms proved a monumental (and, admittedly, boring at times) task. The Museum is PACKED with sculptures, statues, coffins, hieroglyphics, carvings, jewelry, and all sorts of other artifacts from Pharoanic Egypt. BTW, to the curator – PLEASE invest in improved air conditioning as well as labeling of the items on display. Not to mention the piss-poor lighting in several rooms.

- Did you ever wonder who, in God-knows-when B.C., had the time to make all the intricately-carved sculptures in these museums? Between the hunting/gathering, holy wars, and involuntary servitude, I’m stumped as to who found the time to put together a replica of a large cattle-counting scene, complete with King, King’s son, counters, scribes, and cattle. Why wasn’t this guy out in the fields counting the damn cattle instead of sculpting?

- Did you know they used to mummify animals, even fish and crocodiles? I didn’t. Weird.

- Realizing that pretty much all the religious art I have ever seen in museums has been Christian art, I ventured towards the Museum of Islamic Art. Alas, it was closed for renovation. Damn. Opus Dei has infiltrated Cairo! (Relax Christian friends, just some light Dan Brown humor. Angels & Demons, BTW, if the first third of it is any indication, is better than The Da Vinci Code).

- Maybe I built up the Pyramids too much in my own head. Don’t get me wrong – they’re spectacular structures, especially considering they’re over 4,500 years old. But I guess I had this naïve visions in my head of actual pyramids with smooth surfaces, kinda like true geometric pyramids. Of course, this is not the case, as there is the obvious bumpiness that one would expect from pyramids built from thousands of limestone rocks.

- The interiors of the Pyramids are tourist traps. After paying around $7 to enter the whole region, which encompasses the three large pyramids, six smaller ones, and the Sphinx, I had to pay another $18 to enter the Great Pyramid (the first and largest). I basically paid $18 just to walk up some narrow, steep, claustrophobic steps. If you’re really short on cash, it’s not necessary to go inside. Of course, it was still worth it, as I think it’s pretty cool to be able to say I was in the Great Pyramid. I TRIED to enter the Second Pyramid as well – it’s INSANE that not only do they not allow cameras inside, but they didn’t even have a place to check your cameras. When I asked where I should leave my camera, one of the security guys said “with your guide or in the car.” WTF?! What about those of us who are competent enough to explore the Pyramids without a guide?! Very uncool.

- Egypt has had FIVE different national flags. Not in its entire history. Five different flags since independence in 1952. Maybe it’s just me, but I found this strange/interesting. Strangely interesting. Or interestingly strange?

- There’s nothing wrong with taking a felucca ride on the Nile by yourself, is there? IS THERE?!

- BTW, condolensces to those of you dealing with the heat waves that seem to be taking over across the U.S. Who would have thought I'd be more comfortable in the Egyptian desert in July than I would have been in L.A.?

All in all, it was a great trip. My only regret, I suppose, is that I didn’t get a chance to explore Cairo’s nightlife, which is supposedly pretty good. I was so exhausted from all the sightseeing that it was tough to motivate myself (esp. considering I was traveling solo) to go out, drink, and try to pick up girls who don’t speak English.

Sidebar – Kenya Airways SUCKS. Pretty much all of my flights have been delayed, several by two hours or more. In Zanzibar, I was without my checked luggage for well over 24 hours, forcing me to wear the same clothes for, well, for much longer than I or anyone around me would have preferred. And when they collect stuff related to the “entertainment system” before descent, they make you give up your blankets too. WTF?! Outside of that Linus kid from the Peanuts comics, when did blankets serve any kind of ENTERTAINMENT purpose?

Tomorrow, Peter and I are gonna go see some wildlife. Then, on Monday, the highlight of the trip begins – the attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I’m extremely excited and, admittedly, a little nervous as well. I REALLY wish I hadn’t told everyone that we were going to do the climb – that way if I failed, I could have kept my mouth shut and you would have been none the wiser. Alas, my efforts, and thus my success or failure, will be very much in the public domain by the end of next week. Pray for me.