Cairo, Egypt

So I’m definitely not in Europe anymore. From the second I leave the airport I feel that I’m in the Middle East. Negotiating for a cab is a long process, and finally I’m off. It turns out the cab driver has no idea how to get where I’m going and yells to other cab drivers at high speeds for directions. People say that New York city cab drivers are crazy. They’re amateurs. My cab driver honks at the car in front of him for stopping at a red light.

In Cairo I stay at my American friend Brett’s apartment. Only Brett isn’t there so I have his room to myself.

The next day I’m off to see the famous Giza pyramids. I take a local bus to safe some money on a cab. On the bus I ask the driver where I should get off for the pyramids. People overhear and start asking where I’m from. When I tell them I’m from the United States, they go out of their way to tell me how welcome I am. One man even gets off with me, takes me arm in arm, and puts me on the correct connecting bus. It is the warmest welcome I have received yet.

My plan is to avoid getting a tour at the pyramids, but one of the guides offers to give me a quick “free” tour. I like him so much I end up hanging out with him all day. After the pyramids he gets some beers for me and hashish for himself and we go to a desert bar overlooking the pyramids.

From Cairo, Egypt

From Cairo, Egypt

From Cairo, Egypt

The Egyptian Museum is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately you can’t take pictures. The coolest part of the museum is the mummy room. On display are two dozen real mummies. They are thousands of years old but you can see hair and facial features of dead Pharaohs. Creepy. One is even buried with her mummified pet monkey.

While in Cairo, I go to a CouchSurfing meeting. I come out as being Israeli and everyone is really cool about it. I meet a really cool Egyptian girl and we end up hanging a few times during my stay. We have really interesting conversations about life in Egypt. She wears a headscarf because she wants to, but it prevents her from getting into bar or ordering hookah in some bars. She also had interesting stories about her past relationships with men, and how her Western ideas about life conflicted with Egyptian boyfriends’ expectations. Overall a really cool girl!

My next stop is Siwa – an oasis 10 hours west of Cairo close to the Libyan border!