Let’s hop back in the time machine for a sec…
Kind of like my chemist friend Theresa, I find it almost impossible to move forward with my blog entries until I have recorded and posted all lingering thoughts in a chronological manner. I might have six different things written on back of my hand at the moment, but I do feel the need to be methodical about some things. That’s how you find me blogging on stuff that happened weeks ago, even as I sit here in a country that is the polar opposite of Masr- that crazy place that we anglophones know as Cairo.
Behold the Nile, followed by a few more pics- remnants gathered from my departed camera…
Cairo is a loud, polluted and swarming (hello, 20 million people!) city. There is scarcely anything green to talk about, and you find yourself hoping for runway beverage service the moment your plane touches down and you take a look outside. Cairo may sit on swaths of unremarkable sand, but once you escape the airport labyrinth and disappear into the city sprawl, you instantly get a sense for the city’s distinct identity. This place pulsates with such awe-inspiring abandon that if it were a person, her heart would be pumping to support the lives of two people. And it would doing a damn good job of it, too….
Doesn’t it all look serene? It should when you have access to the balcony of the InterContinental Hotel. Luckily for me, I had an Arabic speaking tour guide who was more than happy to take me beyond the metal detecting confines of this faux Middle Eastern force protection approved haven. So much to explore, and not nearly enough time…
Behold Tahrir Square on a tame day. Seven months have passed since the big day of the Revolution, but it’s still the place to be if you want to be a patriot.
Umm, it’s also a great place to be if you want to make a buck. For just a few dollars, you too can don a t-shirt certifying your complicity in bringing down the old regime.
Cairo’s most famous pastry shop. I’m sure that this place is packed now that we’re in the sun-free hours of Ramadan. When I was in there, I kinda felt like I was jockeying for service at Mike’s Pastry in the North End. Except this place didn’t have the killer biscotti…
A city this big must have a decent public transportation system, and the metro provides a quick and cheap way to get around. What might piss you off about the Cairo metro is the sign pictured in this photo. That’s right- we’ve got our very own designated cars. Women are allowed to ride in the boy cars, if they are accompanied by….well, you know.
I actually felt very comfortable in the grrl car. And I don’t really want to open the can of worms that explores Woman and Islam, but I will be more than happy to refer you to Sara’s blog. She has ridden in the male car, and because she lives This Egyptian Life every day, she has excellent insights into the issue.
Just a couple of Egyptians popping in for their weekly cupcake fix. Really, you know you’ve made it as a city when cupcake shops have broken onto the scene.
(By the way, they were delicious.)
Traffic. Well, that’s a bit of an issue in this town…
Given the 20 month long cat fight that I have had with Dakar, it’s hard to see any reason why I should like this city. It’s loud, the air coats your insides with black death (try blowing your nose at the end of the day and you’ll see what I mean), and most annoyingly, it’s chock full of chauvinist men who holler at Western women like they are Allah’s gift to your daily routine. On paper, I see no good reason why I would want to come here more than once. But still….
There’s something about this place that gets under your skin. And I don’t think it’s just the sand.
I really dig Cairo. Many people will probably be angered by my saying so, but I think I feel this way because I can sense that Cairo has a soul. I hate to play the comparison game, but this is an attribute that I really don’t see replicated over on my side of the continent (but I am sure that others do). Maybe it’s Egypt’s royal sense of history, or maybe it’s the humbling enormity of the buildings and expansive infrastructure. Or maybe it’s the fact that Egypt sits on two continents…I don’t know. But there’s something compelling about this place that goes far beyond just going to the Pyramids and taking a few happy snaps.
But I was just a tourist here. Talk to the people living there every day if you want the perspective of someone who doesn’t have shamrocks in her eyes. As for me, I’m secretly conspiring to go back again….