Cairo Day 2, Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum is very old…in keeping with the theme of housing very very old things, I suppose. The descriptions of the objects are typed (think of an old black typewriter, I’ve heard they didn’t even plug in) on now-yellowed index cards, lending an air of fading sophistication. Many objects don’t even have descriptions, either lost over the years or the blank placard is a way of saying, “We found this, it’s old, your guess is as good as ours, we’ll look into it after we finish cataloguing the other 946,000 things we have.” There are things everywhere…pottery, sculptures, tools, busts, many stuck into corners or behind other things. One of our guide books noted that if you took the time to see every single object in the museum it would take you eight hours a day for nine months. There are wooden shipping crates in some aisles, giving the impression that they are still unpacking, maybe still recovering some of their belongings that were looted and pillaged centuries and decades ago from other countries.

The art and sculptures and objects in the museum defy description, words like “old” and “impressive” and “beautiful” and “awe-inspiring” seem insultingly inadequate to use. As Jodie Foster said, “They should have sent a poet.”

We made a special point to hit the animal mummy room before we left, as weary and overheated as we were. There were dog and cat and baboon and snake mummies, some done for beloved pets and some as sacrificial offerings. There was an enormous crocodile mummy and some cow and horse bones. The little baboon was my favorite. We didn’t go see the human mummies because it cost a lot extra, we were exhausted, and we’d both seen a lot in the British Museum, thanks to the aforementioned looting. But the British Museum was free, so it’s not like were supporting the practice.

Photos weren't allowed inside the museum, and unlike at most other tourist attractions in Egypt, they actually meant it here. So you'll have to be satisfied with this photo of our new dearest friends, Tamer and Mohammed.

Pyramids and the Sphinx

It does pay to have connections, especially in these far-flung corners of the world. After mentioning to my Egyptian friend that the black and white taxis were a bit nerve-wracking to take (something about no air conditioning, cardboard patching together the floor boards, and decades-old battered Peugeots), he called his personal driver for us. So we were met this morning by Mohammed and his young friend Tamer, and their very comfortable air-conditioned Daewoo. Mohammed was more than gracious and Tamer was actually a careful driver, so we had a comfortable ride to Giza and the largest of the three pyramids. I was so transfixed with the people-watching from the windows of the car that I was oblivious to the massive stone pyramid that suddenly loomed in front of us and took our breath away. Pink Floyd blasted from the car's speakers as we pulled up the pyramid site, which oddly felt like just the right mood-setter. We had been smart enough to arrive early, before most of the tour buses, although there were already scads of scantily clad tourist clambering all over the base of the largest pyramid, Khufu. Also...heels? At the pyramids? Seriously? But anyway...Mohammed quickly arranged a private guide for us, and Gamel took us under his experienced wing. He was able to take us down into some tombs where we saw no other tourists, and they were guarded and posted with "No photography" signs. But Gamel cheerfully grabbed our cameras from us, directed us to the right positions, and snapped away. I don't think I quite got my little mind around the fact that I was standing in tombs that had been there for thousands of years, staring at hieroglyphics telling stories about people who looked like they shared the same hopes and fears and loves that we do today. I just gazed at the little pictures and the lines in the stones, as if their secrets would suddenly reveal themselves to me. Maybe by the time I get home and look at the photos I took again, it might start sinking in...



After the pyramids, we said ma'salaamah and shukran to Gamel and hopped back into the car (serenaded by "Footloose" on the stereo) to head down the road to the Sphinx. And yes, it's true, the Sphinx is much smaller than one expects in person, but she is also more striking and serene than photos reveal. Finally, it was starting to get hot(ter) and the tour buses kept arriving, so we said yalla bina and decided to go to the Egyptian Museum.




Oh, also? It turns out, that contrary to the belief seemingly perpetrated by Western tourists, the way to stay cool in the blazing desert sun is NOT to wear as little clothing as possible and expose most of your previously pasty white (now tomato-red) skin the the sun. As we found out, if you cover yourself with a light layer of linen and even put a scarf over your head, you actually stay cooler and far more comfortable. I realize that these desert folks have known this for years, but I'm just sayin'. Apparently those lobster-skinned Brits in plaid shorts did not get the memo.

Cairo, Day 1

We admired the view of the Nile from our hotel balcony while breakfasting on foul, labnah, feta, olives, and heavenly Egyptian pita bread. Both of us have been stymied and overwhelmed by the guidebooks and the reality of being in Egypt, so we decided to start our sight-seeing at the Citadel, since it had been recommended by M after a perusal of Cairo on Google Earth. The Citadel is a massive fortress on a hill overlooking Cairo, over 900 years old, and the nerve center of Cairo for more than 700 years. There are some mosques and a palace or two within the walls, and magnificent if dusty views of the city.

Here's where there should be an interesting photo of me and Jodi at the Citadel, overlooking Cairo, but this computer is slow and wonky as is the internet connection, and suddenly the heat and sun and walking and doing my washing in the sink has left me sleepy. And I have to get up early to meet our private driver to go to the pyramids, the sphinx, all that old stuff... More travel updates and witty observations and compelling photographs tomorrow, inshallah.

Dispatches from the desert

Long time, no travel, makes a Seattle girl very sad. But here I am waking up in sunny Cairo with the Nile flowing by my hotel balcony, a cup of coffee next to me, and a steaming plate of foul with sides of feta, labnah, and olives.

It's kind of surreal, and I'm not really sure how we got here, except about six months ago Jodi and had the following conversation over a beer (well, I was probably drinking wine, because beer makes me make funny faces.)

J: We should take a vacation, the two of us, we've never gone anywhere together.
R: Yeah, good point. That sounds fun. Where do you want to go?
J: I don't. Somewhere neither of us has been before...
R: I've always wanted to go to Morocco. And I can sort speak a bit of Arabic...
J: I've always wanted to go to Egypt.
R: I'd go to Egypt.
J: Ok, should we do it?
R: Yeah, let's do it.

I realize that more detailed and in-depth conversations have taken place regarding what grocery to buy the bacon from, but there you have it. It sounded like a good idea of the time, and it still does, of course. And fast forward six months and three tabbed guide books later, and here we find ourselves.

So anyway, it will be a grand adventure, and I'll be updating here for all you who want to follow along and live vicariously or just want to make sure we haven't been kidnapped by Sudanese bandits. Just kidding. That totally doesn't happen.

We arrived late last night, and somehow sailed through customs and met our Cairo friend Waleed who "whisked" us from the airport to the Cairo Marriott on Zamalek, an island in the Nile. And by "whisked" I mean navigated three to six "lanes" of traffic of closely compacting beeping cars for about an hour. But it was all part of the adventure. So far I am reminded of Riyadh but with more people, more cars, and a bit dirtier. So it's kind of a bizarre sort of homecoming...even bits of Arabic are coming back to me. I'm quizzing Jodi on the uses of "shukran" and "asif" (Thank you and I'm sorry) to give her a bit of a head start.

More photos and updates later today, once we hit the streets of Cairo....


Ma'salaamah,