Egypt > Walk through Cairo

The alarm goes off, and it quickly becomes clear in the bathroom that the Pharaoh’s curse has already struck: diarrhea. And on the second day of the holiday, no less. Maybe I shouldn’t have climbed the pyramid yesterday, or perhaps it was the food at the hotel. Within fifteen minutes, I have been to the bathroom four times. A promising start to a long day to Alexandria. Downstairs, there are several other victims in the group. During breakfast — I have no appetite — I start feeling nauseous again, and I’ll spare the rest of the details. It seems like food poisoning combined with fatigue. I decide it’s too risky to go to Alexandria and crawl back into bed to sleep. Geert takes the camera and heads to Alexandria. I sleep until around 11:30 a.m., until Samira, the maid, comes to ask if she can clean the room. We communicate in broken English.

Egypt - View of Cairo from the Citadel walls with the Sultan Hassan mosque in the foreground

She asks about our trip. I tell her where we went yesterday and that I am sick. Meanwhile, she folds our towels into the shape of a swan. A cheerful little face on the bed. At one o’clock, I head into Cairo. A whole day in bed is no fun either. I’m feeling much better now, though still a bit weak. Right outside the hotel, a man approaches me about a taxi. I politely decline. The man, Ramadan, asks where I’m from, what we’ve done, and insists on giving me his business card for his shop. I tell him I just want to walk straight to the city center. Unfortunately, I pass right by his shop. He introduces me to his friend (brother, brother-in-law, acquaintance — what does it matter) inside. He asks if I’ve been to a papyrus shop. When I say yes, he claims the prices there are much higher and that he has special prices for me. I explain to both men that I don’t care about the other shop’s prices because I’m not interested. Smiling, I shake their hands and continue on my way. A few meters later, another man talks to me about Egypt. Soon he claims to be an artist; no, I don’t want to see his shop. Before reaching the end of the bridge, I’m approached a third time — this time by Sherif, an Egyptian working on a restoration project near the Libyan border. I think to myself, at least we can’t go there. He walks toward the Coptic Quarter. I’m actually heading to the Islamic Quarter, but walk along with Sherif. Still cautious, I wonder which shop we’ll end up in. We pass through Midan Tahrir, the central square of Cairo, and wander through narrow streets past the American and German universities. Children play in the streets; surprisingly many play with realistic-looking guns (I hope they’re fake).

Egypt - The 14thcentury aqueduct bringing water from the Nile to the Citadel

Sherif admits he’s also bothered by it, but says the kids see it as a status symbol. At the end of the street, we arrive at the Abdeen Palace, where our paths were originally supposed to diverge. To avoid being asked for money for guidance, I have already mentioned several times that I strongly dislike Egyptians who first say something is free and later demand payment. Sherif acknowledges this and even calls it “blackmail.” I agree. It increasingly seems that this walk is genuinely sincere. I decide to continue with him. We walk south toward the Coptic Quarter, through narrow streets and markets selling fish, poultry, and vegetables. The narrow alleys give me a very different view of Cairo — though I would never walk here alone. At a coffee house, Sherif orders Kakadi, a special Egyptian drink. I get the warm version, good for my stomach, while he takes the cold one (the same as the welcome drink at the hotel on the first night). He also orders a water pipe. I try it first, but it doesn’t go well, so he takes over. We continue toward the Coptic Quarter. Too bad I don’t have my camera with me; instead, I use my disposable underwater camera. Seeing the mosque — I believe it’s the Ibn Tulun Mosque — I take it out of the packaging to snap a photo. Visitors aren’t allowed inside. We continue to the Saint Mina (St. Menas) Church. Sherif works here as a restorer in his free time and is the project leader. At the entrance, he pays my fee and shows me around. He also shows the special women’s section where Mass can be watched on a TV screen, and takes me upstairs to the priest’s area, normally off-limits to tourists. Here, priests could escape during past oppression, and he shows me a special space where the Pope once visited. The ground floor is fully restored, but the second floor lacks funding. The renovation has already exceeded the budget. We walk further south and stop at an aqueduct once used to channel water from the Nile to the Citadel. The aqueduct is in ruins, but Sherif has renovated a large section in a previous project and is clearly proud of it. Finally, we visit the Amr Ibn al-Aas Mosque, Egypt’s oldest mosque, dating from 640 AD. It has been rebuilt and expanded many times. We leave our shoes at the entrance and enter. The white marble courtyard looks like water.

Egypt - The oldest mosque in Egypt the Amr Ibn alAas mosque in Cairo

We cross the courtyard to the Mihrab. Sherif demonstrates how its shape reflects the Imam’s voice across the mosque. Today, microphones are used. Next to the Mihrab is the minbar, the pulpit for Friday prayers. Outside, the Hanging Church is closed due to Eid al-Fitr. We decide to walk back to the Nile. At the riverbank, we say goodbye. I thank Sherif, reimburse him for the entrance fees he covered, and give a contribution for his church’s restoration. I walk back alone — about 45 minutes along the Nile to the hotel. People approach me again; school groups call in unison: “Hello, welcome to Egypt!” One girl is so startled that she runs into a lamppost, amusing her brothers. Three boys asking for money are thankfully shooed away by the owner of a nearby cruise or dinner boat. It’s already dusk when I return to the hotel. The group doesn’t come back until around eight, so I lie down on my bed for a while. What a wonderful experience this walk was. In the evening, we eat at the local KFC — a special one, since the staff are deaf and we must point at pictures to place our order. Convenient for tourists. I wonder if my stomach will appreciate it. After eating, we walk along the Nile in a small group. The streets are busy again due to Eid; today is the last day of the festivities. We encounter more loitering youth, and the group asking for money on the boulevard becomes large enough that we walk quickly toward the bridge. Up there, everything is normal again. By 10:45 p.m., we’re back at the hotel. We pack our bags for tomorrow and go to bed.