April 8, 2009
My Egypt trip is coming to an end. I arrived early in the morning back in Cairo. Again without coffee to start my day and a serious lack of motivation to do any more sightseeing. However, I had paid for a day-tour of old Cairo and Sakkara.
So, I was met by a familiar face, Hassan, the driver and a new guide came up. Another Mohamed, but different from Day 1. They took me first to the same hotel as the first day. There I slept for a bit but was still tired by the time we met again.
Despite my comment about wanting coffee, we were off to Mit Rahina Palace grounds to see more statues and stuff. I could barely listen as grumpiness had set in and I really did not want to hear another word about history, mythology or anything with facts. I mentioned as much to Mohamed who reassured me that he would make it simple for me. So, I tried at first to be interested and listen, but I waxed and waned in enthusiasm. It was clear we were not hitting it off.
From there, we drove outside of the city a bit to Sakkara. The first pyramid was built in Sakkara. It was built in a steppe-style rather than the smooth lines known to most of us. I was impressed with the rougher pyramid and enjoyed seeing a couple of others in the distant showing the evolution from the steppe-style to the smoother style. Still, I wasn’t feeling interested in what I was hearing from Mohamed and could tell I was really starting to frustrate him. When we got back into the car, he asked if I was tired. I explained that yes, I was but as I had said before I really, really, really did not want anymore history.
He seemed at a loss and suggested we stop at a Carpet School. So, I agreed to see carpets being made and disappointed the vendors when I didn’t want to buy anything. Well, I did have one design I liked, but wanted a bigger size than they had, so I was saved!
Mohamed then asked about lunch. He said he could take me somewhere for 45EP. I explained all I wanted was a couple of cheap falafel sandwiches for less than 10EP and some coffee! Please!!! He asked if I was sure and I nodded emphatically. He then asked if I would be interested in seeing a local cafe. I said, sure. Now we were getting somewhere! So, Hassan stopped somewhere so we could get falafels, bought me sugar cane juice, which is super sweet! and then we were off to the cafe. Mohamed and I played some backgammon while they had tea and I enjoyed a strong cup of Egyptian coffee. It was lovely. We started to joke around and all of us began to relax.
It was then that Mohamed (on left) explained that he was married with 3 children. Now, he was searching for his second wife and he’d like her to be American! Ha ha. He asked if I would be interested in moving to Cairo! Ha ha. I said I was fine where I am now, but good luck with his endeavour. Then, I began to learn some Arabic such as “Yalla, habibi” – c’mon baby! or magnum – crazy! Amma le-i – How are you (Egyptian dialect)? etc. So, we had a fun afternoon together after that.
First after lunch, we stopped at the Topaz Bazaar – another place to spend money. I went in without any desire to spend more money. However, all throughout the trip, I was really in love with the shape of the Key of Life and knowing how it represented Egypt, I thought it would be cool to find something like that. So, I went in to the bazaar and found a gold ring with the design on it. Then, I saw a pendant and decided to splurge on myself with a ring and matching necklace. I really like it! It’s the first jewelry I have bought for myself…!
From there, we saw the Islamic Cairo area. I entered a mosque where I had to wear a green cloak to cover my head and body. Nearby was a Catholic-style church. It was nice to see the harmony between a Muslim and Christian worship locale.
After that, we made plans to go out in the evening. It was a little confusing as to what really happened, but it is possible that Mohamed had hoped to go on a “date” with me, but as he was also working and we needed a driver, it turned out that I paid a reduced price for a night-tour/drive. So, they took me to a famous Koshari restaurant, which was delicious! 
Then, I was able to meet up with someone I had met in Abu Dhabi for an hour and relaxed catching up with her and her visiting friend.
Overall, it was a nice end to the day and a close to my time in Cairo!
Final comments coming up…
-T
