Cairo Adventure

Weston has been studying Egypt for most of the school year and just loved it. Thus, I thought it would be fun to surprise him, and used some air miles to have him accompany me on a recent trip to Cairo.  He was in the car when Rebekah dropped me off at the airport bus.  I told him I was going to Paris. He said he wished he could come with me.  I turned to Rebekah and said, "Would that be okay?"  Of course she agreed. And with that, we were off.  He was oblivious that I had already packed a suitcase for him.  The whole time he assumed we were going to Paris.  He had no idea of our final destination until we were in the parking lot of the Cairo airport.  He turned to me and said "Dad - this is not France!"

By all accounts, I think we had a fun and productive time.  Here he is by the Nile, wearing a pair of 3D movie glasses we purchased at a local movie house one afternoon.  I am not sure how they worked to keep out the sun, or how they affected/damaged his vision, but he did not seem to mind.  

He was a good sport and accompanied me to a few of my business meetings. The first night we went out to dinner with Dr. Hatooth and his lovely family. It was a lively outdoor restaurant. 

Weston especially enjoyed the fresh bread and tahini sauce (luckily - as he dare not eat some of the other dishes!)   We also had some fresh Kebab (Weston particularly liked the french fry portion of his dinner).  He may be vegetarian?

On another night out with the Hatooth's, we did not eat until 10 PM.  At around 2 AM, I finally suggested that I should go home, and put my son to bed (as it was a school night?).  Weston did not seem to mind staying up late, as he was being entertained by their 16 year old son Ahmed.

Our hotel was right next to the Cairo zoo.  In fact we could see a number of the animals out of our window.  We decided there was no need to pay the zoo entrance fee. However, we could also see the Pyramids way off in the distance.   We decided to make an effort to visit them.

We ate breakfast overlooking the Nile. Weston bypassed his usual choice of cereal, to enjoy a wide assortments of breads, donuts, and eggs. He especially liked the fresh fruit smoothies. 

One of our first stops was the Cairo museum.  With Weston at my side, there was no need to have a guide. He shared all his knowledge (and then some) with me as we wandered the halls and enjoyed the artifacts (especially King Tut).    Did you know that King Tut lived at the Pyramids in Giza?  (On second thought, a guide might have come in handy).  You can see a burnt out government building right behind the Museum (from the recent uprising).  It is still a county in flux. 

However, we did not feel too uncomfortable; all the security guards and police we met were kind. 

The next stop was the famous Khan el-Khalili  souk (or bazzar).  It dates back to 1382, but I think Weston said King Tut used to do his weekend shopping here for dates and honey?  In the photo above, Weston is exploring the inside of a local mosque.  He found these very interesting, and especially enjoyed the frequent calls to prayer. So do I.

I gave him $5 and explained the concept of haggling.  He caught on right away, and appeared to have a good time exploring the market, and asking for different prices. 

The merchants tried their best to sell their wares, but he seemed to know just what he wanted.  A black and white keffiyeh was not one of them. 

He finally found just the right chess set, 2 ball point pens that looked like a Pharaoh, and a very small replica sarcophagus.  He went back and forth with the owner, using his calculator and some unknown mathematical formula to arrive at his desired price.

He wouldn't take no for an answer, and finally sealed the deal. He walked away feeling like a champion.  However, based on the smile of the owner, I think we still lost money!  But we had fun (and have some junk to prove it).

Of course, we eventually made our way to Giza and the Pyramids. There were not a lot of tourists there, so the tour guides were circling like sharks.  

We climbed as high as we could onto the ancient stones (before the police yelled at us).  Then Weston collected a few rocks and some sand to bring back home. 

Despite being a bit cliche and touristy, we decided to hire some camels and a guide (to 'supplement' Weston's knowledge of course).

 Our camel was named Bob Marley. I think that is a very common camel name in Egypt (although I still remember the first camel I ever rode in Egypt as a kid was named 'Pepsi'.)

We even made our way over to the Sphinx.

After the ride, we set off on foot. I think this was more fun.

We took some time to have Weston translate the Hieroglyphics.  That is an "F" or a "B"? 

It was fun to touch, climb and really connect with these famous pieces of antiquity.  Think of all the people in history that have viewed them?

We took a few minutes to explore the inside of a tomb that belonged to a princess.  Weston went down backwards for safety. He did not wear shoes.  He was very Egyptian. He was not traveling with his mother. 

 Once inside, Weston crawled down into the carved out tomb to give us a realistic demonstration and a sense of scale.

Then he clambered up some stairs and struck a familiar pose.  I suppose he was ready to sit there for the next 4000 years?

But we had other things to see and do, so it was back up the long tunnel, to sunlight, safety and the year 2013.  

We had a fun experience roaming around.    It has changed much since my last visit so many years ago.  It appears to be much more structured and regulated now.  The entire complex is gated to keep people out (like pan handlers and  un-licensed guides) and to ensure all visitors pay a fee. 

In some ways it is sad. There are now buildings and houses all around the Pyramids. It used to be just sand! In fact,  the picture below was taken from the inside of a Pizza Hut (you can even see the delivery scooters out front). A KFC is on the first floor.

Each night they have a sound and light show. We watched from Pizza Hut to save money. I think we missed out on some of the experience?  But the "Cheese Burger Crown Crust Pizza" was amazing?

Another stop was the Mohammad Ali Mosque. This is a beautiful structure built in 1857.  However, like the pyramids, all the workers were killed after its completion to make sure they could not pass on the secrets of it construction to some other wealthy ruler. 

Weston was stopped a number of times by young girls, who wanted to talk to him and take his picture.  While this has happened many time in the past, I think this was the first time it was done by admiring young girls, and not just people wanting a picture of a cute little American baby.  He was not especially comfortable with the situation and was very shy (which is unusual for him!).  It made me feel old and sad. 

Where has the time gone?

After all the walking, we enjoyed resting in the cool voluminous mosque.  There was a reverent feeling in this old magnificent building.  I am not sure if Weston added to that by laying down?

Weston took the picture below to show his mother what the traffic was like in Cairo. It is a bit extreme.  I do not think there are any rules. Weston could not get over all the honking and yelling he saw and heard.

 He explained that his teacher never mentioned all the horns and commotion when discussing ancient Egypt.

In the end, it was a fun adventure, and a memorable bonding experience.  One that I will remember as long as the pyramids stand (Which could be awhile - they don't build them like King Tut used to anymore!)