Egypt July 14-17, 2011

By The Great Sphinx

Since travelling to different parts of North Africa is relatively easy, we decided to take a few days to visit Egypt, specifically Cairo.  This was a first visit for both of us, and were not sure it the timing was all that smart since we are in the hottest part of the summer!  However, it worked out very well as not only was it cooler than the "hotsnap (+45)" that tunis was currently having, but between the timing and the recent political events, we seemed to have the tourist spots mostly to ourselves!  Take a look at this photo above ... normally this area would be crawling with tourists.  And only ~ +32 degrees!

This is the area right in Cairo.  These pyramids are visible from all around the city ... if it wasn't for the pollution.  Sometimes in the late afternoon we could see the pyramids from our hotel room window.




We also did some other touristy things like visit a carpet making factory and a papyrus "paper from a papyrus stem" making place.

Carpet Making School

Art Work on Papyrus "Paper"

This is Roy Standing with our guide "Mohamed".  Definitely having both a driver & a guide is the way to go in this place.  We tried heading out on our own the next day and the "locals" quickly see you are a tourist and are constantly hustling you for your $$$$.

Probably the most memorable site was Tahrir Square in Cairo.  Still very much party central for the revolution.  They continue to have demonstrations, especially every Friday (the anniversary day for when their revolution started).  We walked right by this area on the way to visit the Egyptian museum.  This area is closed off, under the control of the young rebels and one can only enter with "a pass".  We saw a burned out government building:

If it's said "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words", then being there is a thousand times more powerful than that.  It felt like we were walking in the midst of a war zone ... especially striking as a long side this it was "business as usual".  People engaged in their normal lives, donkey carts, kids playing and of course the perpetual hassling of tourists.