Egypt, Part I.

Cairo. You beautiful, filthy bastard. How does one begin to describe such a place? The immediate impression is rarely the accurate one, because after nearly 24 hours of flying time, it is impossible to formulate a clear thought on anything. To know Cairo, I believe it takes at least 3 days - enough time for your soul to reunite with your body, and your mind to process the chaos. It is a polluted, intense, and highly kinetic place. People are always watching; leering, judging, or assessing the potential to rip you off. I am not someone that enjoys being watched, so I found this behavior to be quite obnoxious.

My first morning in Cairo, Nadia took me for a walk around the Nile with Snowy - the little white fluffball she was dogsitting. Egyptians are intensely afraid of dogs - even little docile ones, so we were constantly shuffling past people who would stop dead in their tracks, move as far off the sidewalk as possible, and fearfully watch us walk by. Near her house, we were surrounded by a group of schoolchildren who began kicking at the dog and Nadia put the smack down on the little bastards.

The point I would like to underline, with bold letters about Cairo, is the pollution. Admittedly, I am mildly asthmatic, but I found the city unsuitable for human life. Walking around is exhausting and not unlike sucking on a tailpipe. There are 22 million unregulated individuals inhabiting the city, free to pollute with abandon and litter as though the streets were their own personal trashcan. Despite this, I very much enjoyed the color and character of this place. We smoked at several sheesha bars throughout Cairo, where it is perfectly fine for women of all cultures to partake. I enjoyed mint teas, almond drinks, and pomegranate juice with bananas on top. Delicious food, and the wonderful company of our new and old friends there.

At Khan Al Khalili I had my right hand decorated with henna, while smoking and people-watching. The bazaar is filled with tiny shops selling exotic wares - pearl-inlaid boxes, belly dancers jewelry, sheesha pipes, and taxidermied animals. Thankfully, I had the help of Nadia, her fiance Mo, and his cousin Salman to keep me from getting ripped off. The US dollar goes a looong way in this country; but after awhile it is easy to find yourself haggling over something that may only cost the equivalent of .40 cents (2 Egyptian Pounds) and losing perspective.

My favorite part of the trip was our trip to Nubia. Nadia, Steve & myself took an overnight sleeper train South, to Upper Egypt and spent the night in a hotel in Aswan. This town is what I imagine the glory of Cairo must have been before the pollution and overpopulation. The people there are definitely concerned about tapping into the tourist dollars, but I never felt like we were being ripped off or like there was pent-up resentment towards us, as in Cairo.

Thankfully, Nadia ran into a friend of hers down there and he served as our tour guide. We most definitely got the insider's experience on the culture. There was not enough time, but I am certain if we had stayed for an extra day Mohamed would have taken us home for a meal with his family. Because our time was limited, we packed in as much as we could. We took a boat across the Nile, to Nubia. Rode some camels around - they actually let us ride them, instead of being led. Sat in the back of a truck and visited Adam's House - a cultural center/hotel/campground/party place with outdoor facilities where people sit by the fire, smoke sheesha, and talk story. Besides the Big Island of Hawaii, this is my favorite place on Earth. I can't even describe how much my spirit resonated with this place and with the Nubian people.

The next day, we awoke at 3:00 am to take a crowded mini-bus to the temples of Abu Simbel, which is right near the border of Sudan. Again, it is nearly impossible for me to describe this experience - as the place is simply too old, too historic, and too much to process. It is truly, something you just have to see for yourself.

I was very sad to leave Nubia, and it is my heart's deepest wish to be able to return there someday for a much longer visit. Returning to Cairo from this place, is not unlike reentering the bowels of hell. After a long sleep, we mustered the energy to visit the Great Pyramids, and I really wish we hadn't. Sadly, this place is designed for the purpose of screwing tourists and one must expect to be harrassed every step of the way by people selling postcards, souvenirs, and camel rides. People litter with wild abandon and where the grounds of the Pyramids are not covered with trash, they are covered by camel & horse feces. Truly, I would advise anyone traveling to Egypt to avoid the pyramids or visit them at night for the Sound & Light show that takes place in a seated area in front of the Great Sphinx.

Steve & I battled through airports for a solid 24 hours - Cairo, Madrid, Amsterdam, and SFO, to get home yesterday. My lungs are still thrashed from the bad air, but I feel rested and thankful to be home (and alive). He was the best  travel partner I could have ever wished for and someone that I am certain to visit many more continents with. There is a lot more I could say about the trip, but there is a Chihuahua snoring on my neck and a mountain of laundry that's not going to wash itself. I will be back later to post pictures.