Cairo_Egypt

I want to share my 2 trips to Cairo, Egypt, with you.
The first time I went, was in April 2004, the second time was Oct/Nov 2006.
I was lucky that I had a friend there from the internet, who showed me not only the tourist sites, but also the Egyptian's side of the town and the culture.
Ofcourse the Pyramids were on top of the list, and believe me it's awsome...truely a sight worth seeing. The area is immensely large and we walked for hours, with not a dull moment. First of all it's real important to go there as early as possible in the day, even in the less tempered months of the year. It's just more comfy to walk around when you're not being fried in the noon sun!
There are not only the three big pyramids to see....there are temples and other graves in the complex, and last but not least, the famous Sphinx!
You have the possibility to ride a horse or camel into the beginning of the desert there, but deal out the price in advance. Otherwise they take an arm and a leg from you.
There is also a Light Show offered near the Sphinx in the evenings...it's nice, but not a MUST, cause the price of it is way over board!
Shopping in the area of the Pyramids should be avoided...even if you're good at dealing, the prices remain totally outrageous and are even cheaper at the touristy Bazaar on the other side of town.

The Egyptian Museum is an enormous treat! It's almost impossible to handle in one day, unless you run around on inline skates without really checking what things are.
The museum shows wonderful artifacts of ancient Egypt. Unbelievable that these things were created so long ago!
The Tutanchamun section is often crowded, but it's worth waiting for at the individual displays. Best word for what you see there is: AWESOME!
The mummy section of the museum is in a seperate room and costs extra....(the money is used to preserve the artifacts!) but for me it was worth seeing! Still don't understand how these guys were preserved so long in a time where science wasn't so advanced.
The Bazaar of Cairo is fun to walk through. So much to see...so many smells...so much to taste and to buy.
Take time to sit in one of the cafes, have a mint tea or one of the wonderful freshly pressed juices (my favorite was Pomegranate juice) and smoke a water pipe.

Near the Bazaar is the famous Al Azhar Mosque and at the main square of the bazaar there is another mosque with the tomb of a famous relative of Mohammed.
At the edge/entrance of the Bazaar there is a pancake restaurant....talk about some yummy food! Real good.
The other restaurants at the main square of the Bazaar also offer the stuffed pidgeon, a specialty of Cairo, filled with nicely spiced rice! Give it a shot!
My friend in Cairo arranged a meeting with three sheiks in the Al Azhar mosque, where I sat for 3 hours discussing the violence of Islam with them, and other points of the Koran. At first I was a bit scared, but all in all it was an interesting experience...and something I surely won't forget.
A nice outing for a day is also the Citadel, located on a hill in Cairo. It offers a museum, a fantastic view over Cairo and the Muhamid Ali Mosque.
After a round there, you can take a taxi to the nearby Al-Azhar Park. The park was donated by Aga Khan....a wonderful area over looking Cairo again, with a nice outdoor cafe, for tea, coffee and cake.
Below the Citadel there are two mosques worth looking at. In one of them the late Shah of Persia is burried.

There are a multitude of Museums in the city to pick from...each one is worth going to.
One I really enjoyed is Manial Palace, built for Prince Mohammad Ali between 1899 and 1929. It's a small palace in a nice setting, with the hunting museum of the Prince right next to the palace. All worth seeing.
Another museum that is neat is the Om Kolthom Museum near the Water Tower on Manial Island. Om was a famouse Egyptian singer....the museum is small, but I really enjoyed it.

Another place that is real nice is Old Cairo, where you can find an old Synagoge, Christian Churches and a Mosque...all worth seeing!
I was also take to the campus of the Cairo University...to the German section...and had fun talking with the German professor and the students.
I took a boat up the Nile for 3 hours...it was relaxing and fun, and the stop at the end was neat too. We rented a horse carriage and drove through the small town there, met someone on the way with an Arabian horse....
When we admired it, the man took us to the stable and showed us the rest of the beautiful animals.
It was great to sit on the boat, watching the water plants drift by, seeing the little towns and houses...a relaxing fun thing to do for a day trip.

When you are in Egypt...make sure you try some Kosheri, a meal made of lentals, noodles and fried onions, topped with HOT-spicey crushed tomatoes.
Another thing to try is the Konafa...sort of like the Baklava of the Turks, but with hair-like dough. There are many fillings, but the best one is with cheese!!! Beats Cheese Cake any day!
Shopping aside from souvenirs isn't really something to do in Cairo.
I took home some Hibiscus tea from the Bazaar, some Papyrus prints, and a few little bottles of oil/scents, that you can put in water over a tea light.
I often sat with friends of my friend Moustafa, that are in a Human Rights group. It was nice and interesting conversations, which took place in parks, or a restaurant/cafe.
The only thing that was bad and gave me nightmares when I came home, was the smell of the exhaust, that is all over the city...
remember there are 17,000,000 people in Cairo and I think a minimum of 6 million cars!
Riding a taxi is extreemly cheap...(deal in advance!!!!) but each ride is like a roller coaster ride...sometimes you just have to close your eyes! Three lanes, but five cars next to each other!!!
Check out how they park! Bumper to bumper...they just leave out the gear and break and when someone wants to drive away, they push their way to freedom!
Interesting is that in various sections of town there are "bazaars"...one for bedrooms, one for cloth, one for appliances, telephones, etc....you name it, you got it...you just have to find where they are.
By the way...while I was there, I also went to Alexandria for 2 days. A much more quiet city than Cairo, located on the Mediterranian Sea, with several worth while sites to visit.
A dinner in the area of the fish market is a MUST!
I also took a day trip to Ismaelia, to see the Suez Canal and lay on a small beach in a country club. It was great to see the gigantic ships pass by, close enough, that you felt you could touch them.
All in all Cairo is an interesting city...one well worth visiting! Im sure it wasn't my last time there.

I want to thank my friend Moustafa for making the trips so interesting and enjoyable. Through him I got to see the real Egypt!