I can’t believe 2 weeks have come and gone….where did the time go!....I feel there is so much more to see and do….2 weeks is definitely not enough. I haven’t seen the oasis, Hurghada or the east coast of Egypt or Sham El Sheikh. And Alexandria had much more to see and do than the day trip I took anddddd I didn’t get to see a true Egyptian belly dance!!! What….does this mean the Redheaded Lady is planning a return trip to Egypt…..hmmmmm perhaps perhaps….but next time yes Kenny, you’re coming with me….lol…!!
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| The Museum's distinctive red color can be spotted miles away |
There is so much that I did or experience that I didn’t write down because I just didn’t have time! Let’s see there was the trip to the Egyptian Museum that was awesome and I didn’t write about it. The museum houses extraordinary pieces and collections but it is kind of in disarray and disorganized. Many pieces have no signs or information, so although you are looking at a wonderful intricately detailed statue, you have no idea from what period or where it was found. I found that the only area that was very well laid out and arranged was the King Tutankhamen’s (King Tut) collection. I had the opportunity to go see the King Tut exhibition when it came to South Florida and Kenny and I went to see it. We both walked out disappointed because we expected to see much more. Well, here there was no disappointment. An enormous amount of the treasures found in King Tut’s tomb is displayed. However, there is much more in storage that hopefully in the new museum currently being built will be shown.
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| Courtyard in front of the Museum |
Then there was the night I went to the Al Ahzar Park located in the Old Cairo section. I compared it to Central Park in New York. In the middle of this hustling and bustling crowded city full of traffic, noise, pollution, etc, you find this haven. It’s huge and full of trails and wonderful nooks and corners. It was on a Friday night the day I went which is the first day of the weekend for Egyptians (like Saturday for us!) so it was full of families out for a night of fun and quality time and couples sneaking away for a little romance. The Park has a couple of restaurants and cafes. But the best thing the park has is the magnificent views especially from the top of the Citadel View Café and the Telescope. I walked all the way up to the top where there is a telescope and for a few coins you can see the view of the whole city including the beautiful Citadel. It was spectacular!
Then of course there was the neighborhood I stayed in the 2nd week in central downtown which was another haven in this bustling busy city. The first week’s apartment in Giza was very nice; a large sized 2 bedroom apartment that I rented from a lady from Scotland, Catherine Farnsworth. It was a far away from the Cairo downtown area but right smack in the Pyramid/sphinx locations. The place was very nice and roomy and of course the best thing the apartment had was the roof terrace and its views, incredible!!
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| Giza/Pyramid Neighborhood |
The 2nd apartment I stayed in was in Central downtown Cairo located in a safe and lovely neighborhood off of Tallat Harb Street and owned by Mara Vaughn and her son Stephen, a wonderful lady from Ireland. The apartment was about a 10-15 minute walk from the Egyptian Museum. The 3 bedroom apartment is located on the 3rd floor and on top of the Bank of Cairo building. It had beautiful wooden floors and the living, dining, and full kitchen area is all in an open space layout. The balcony opens from the living and wraps all the way around the bedroom so you have the view of the street below and it was great in the afternoon to just go out in the balcony and people watch. When you venture outside the apartment, you’ll find restaurants, shops, markets, bakeries, everything you can imagine in an urban city. I loved this apartment and certainly recommend it to anyone that wants to experience the city away from a hotel.
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| My invitation by the Chef to cook with him at the Luxor Hotel |
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| Mohamed and me |
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| Church at San Simon |
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| Alexandria |
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| Samar and me |
As you can see there were plenty of things I experienced in Egypt the 2 weeks I was there. But the thing I really enjoyed and cherished the most where the people I came in contact with, Egyptian and non-Egyptian people. Hossam, the apartment manager from the first apartment I stayed in in Giza who was my technology savior! My sweet friend Samar who had the most beautiful eyes and smile on an Egyptian woman I saw while there, Hossam from Aswan working as a tour guide to provide for his family and with whom we talked about Egypt, politics, religion during the 3 hour trip to Abu Simbel and back to Aswan, Joe, my next door neighbor in Cairo from the Netherlands who we shared an impromptu pasta dinner one night and talked about our love of teaching/training, my Jango friends who went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and showed me their city, Mara, who I spoke about before, the leader of the Mosque of Sultan Hassan with his moving and powerful voice and the Priest at the San Simon Monastery, who showed me what true faith is about, Rehab, the young mother/tour guide who impressed me with her knowledge of Egypt and its beautiful history and how her love for learning has her seeking her PHD and of course I never would have experienced Egypt without Mohamed Bahaa, who not only showed me the “real Egypt” but showed me places I never would have seen on a tour, spoke and told me things that happened during the revolution I never would have heard on CNN and most importantly opened his home and family to me and became my friend. So folks, I hope that on my next trip, wherever that may take me, you’ll join me again, read my adventures and leave your comments…..So when things get crazy and people and stuff stress you out, just remember….Life is always Good my friends, Life is Good…. Love you all!
Redheaded Lady
And I barely wrote about the famous or should I say infamous traffic in Cairo! What I found fascinating is their system of honking….yes there is a system behind the honking. A little honk might mean watch out I’m next to you real close, or I’m coming up behind you or it might mean I’m cutting in front of you. Then there is the total disregard for staying in your lane….LOL….Nobody stays in their lane !....a 4 lane road highway becomes sometimes 5 or 6 depending on the traffic and the honking will let the drivers know if they are coming into your lane or need to pass you or I’m in a hurry get out of my way!. The faster the honking the more urgency behind it…If I honk several times quickly it means “Hey you almost hit me! Or watch buster you’re too close!”….and then of course there are all these one way streets that really are not always one way. Because if a Cairo driver needs to go in the opposite direction for a bit hey why not! Mario Andretti, I mean Mohamed, did it several times like nothing and I also experienced it on the receiving end when a driver decided he needed to head our way….LOL…Amazing!
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