Pharaoh Ketanamen

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Cairo for a work-related conference. Before I get long-winded with my trip review, here is a link to the full album with larger pictures.

The first thing I noticed was how friendly Egyptians are. Even on the plane, I started speaking to my neighbors on either side of me as they told me what to print on my all-Arabic landing form. After telling each of them that this was my first time in Egypt, they said "Ahlan wa sahlan" and "Welcome to Egypt".

You know, you sometimes adopt stereotypes or at least have certain expectations of people, only to have them shattered after submerging yourself in their environment. Well, I'm glad to report that people that I've met in Egypt and Jordan (which I will write about shortly) are unbelievably nice and genuinely happy to have you as a guest in their country.

I stayed at a beautiful hotel right on the banks of the Nile; and let me tell you, the Nile ain't just a state of disbelief (can you get more cheesy than that?). I first arrived to Cairo at 5am, and after 8 hours of presentations and schmoozing with industry vets, I had no energy to see the sites of Cairo at all. Imagine being half-way around the world and getting room service. Lame, I know.

Luckily, I tacked a few days of vacation to my trip. First step was to move from a 5-star hotel to a lower-rung hotel in central Cairo filled with the sounds of car horns and megaphones blaring the call to prayer five times a day. I'm glad I did. It added a bit of character to my trip and there was a great bar in the hotel where I could sit down with a few beers, a sheesha and the company of the friendly staff. The hotel, called the Windsor Hotel, used to be it a British officer's club during WWII, and has apparently been in several movies including 'Around the World in 80 Days'. Here's a pic of the Barrel Bar in the hotel:


On my first day of touring around, I saw Islamic Cairo which has a lot of mosques and nearby is the Cities of the Dead, which contains thousands of tombs and houses people who cannot afford to live anywhere else.

After that, I went to see the Pyramids at Giza. Turns out that Giza is a suburb of Cairo. I know! I was thinking that they were in some far-off desert 2 or 3 hours away from the city. Anyways, my impressions of the Pyramids don't seem to match those of most people. Don't get me wrong, the sheer size and the history of when and how they were built is amazing. But it's not like they are a work of beauty like other sites that I have seen (wait until my Jordan post). I suppose the fact that there was garbage strewn around the area didn't add to the allure of the pyramids. Check out some of the pics in the slide show below.

The next day, I went to a traditional market in Islamic Cairo, followed by a night on a Nile River boat cruise. I decided to splurge and go for the fanciest cruise since it would have a belly dancer and I wanted to ensure I got to see good talent. Again, check out the pics in the slide show below, and be prepared to be taken back (not in a good way). So these belly dancers are supposed to be mesmerizing... the way they move and seduce the crowd. Call me crazy or call me jaded. I've seen too many hip-hop videos and been to too many bachelor parties in Vegas and Montreal to be mesmerized by this:

On my final day, I went to the National Museum. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, although I did manage to sneak one in with my camera phone:

So, all in all, I had a great trip to Egypt. Hopefully, next time, I will be able to stay longer and visit Alexandria, Luxor, and other areas with ancient artifacts. Next time, inshallah (God Willing).

Here is a little slide show with various pics: