I’ll miss spending Christmas with my kids this year. It will be the first I have not been with at least one of them. And it was a tough decision to decide to travel instead of going home, but tax rules limit the time each year to be home and I reached my limit this year.
It doesn’t always feel like Christmas as decorations in China go up much later than in the States. It is still festive as there is still a Holiday party and secret Santa at school. Some places are decorated and play Christmas music.
The trip to Cairo was long (11 hours) and soon I was at my friend Nicole’s place. Nicole worked with me in China last year and miss seeing her as we used to run in the Nike run club together. We walked to get a local breakfast. We had Foul, which is a fava bean dish and very tasty, an eggplant dish, tahini, falafel, and bread. Yes that is typical for breakfast.
Afterwards we went to Sakkara Archeological site which is 19 km South of Cairo. This is the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis. One minute you are driving on a highway and the next you are in a desert. The pyramids were amazing. This area is a burial ground.
Next was the Imhotep museum. Imhotep was the first to build monument structures out of stone. He was high priest of the sun god Ra in the 27th century BC.
Next…The pyramids of Giza.
The pyramids are the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and I was amazed as it is the only one of the wonders to remain largely intact since 2580 BC. It is believed it was built for the pharoah Khufu.
One thing I learned walking around areas is not to address Egyptian people selling wares. Just keep walking. They are endearing though and try to make you smile, which you do, then laugh… And then they try that much harder. Giza had the most ambitious peddlers due to their poverty. If you ask a question about anything, be prepared to pay. Information is not free and neither is the help. But that is okay. 100 Egyptian pounds is 6 USD. Yes I worked hard for my money but I’ll pay here if I use a service. Many people do not have much to live on.
I did want to ride a camel. This gentleman had a beautifully dressed camel and at a good price of 200 Egyptian pounds.. As you walk away they will offer something else. He was funny and friendly and I had a great time.
Afterwards we had a light lunch across from the Giza entrance.
Nighttime in downtown Cairo
I don’t recommend this if you do not have an Egyptian guide. We went to see a mosque and do some jewelry shopping.
It is very crowded here downtown, you will be mobbed with people selling you things, and it can be unsafe if you do not look out for your belongings. Nicole’s boyfriend Mostafa made this possible as he was born here and knows how to handle the area.
Where my friend lives is out of the way so finding a way home was very difficult as many taxis don’t want to navigate this mess. We eventually went by metro which is not a very robust system to get around but did the trick. I was pretty exhausted by this point and we needed to get up early to get to the airport to go to Luxor.
