Waking Up
I woke up around 8am, the train had made one of the planned stops before reaching Cairo. I slept well on the train – the ride was very comfortable. I was expecting to take the train to the Cairo station per my printed itinerary. Shortly after I woke up my phone rang – it was Osama. He was asking where the train was. While I was out of data, Google Maps had cached Egypt and I could tell him. The train was running a little late. About 45 minutes and 15 minutes before we reached Giza the steward knocked on my door giving me a heads up. I didn’t see him much throughout the trip, but he was extremely friendly. I had told him I was to exit at Cairo which was the stop after Giza. The steward was confused by this, but said it was okay. When the train makes a stop, everything stops – electricity and all. And it stops for something like 15 minutes. About an hour before reaching Giza the air conditioning cut out, so the cabin was fairly warm. When we reached Cairo everyone left the train. About a minute before the train started to move, Osama boarded and was yelling at me to exit. The steward helped me exit with my things while the train was moving slowly. I asked Osama why the itinerary said the train would stop at Cairo and not Giza – he said I should have looked at my ticket. He said both Giza and Cairo are technically called Cairo Train Station. I couldn’t find it, so I ran with what was on the itinerary. I managed to exit where I was expected to, so all was good. Giza and Cairo are actually not far from one another. Giza is on the west side of the Nile, Cairo on the east.
Checking In
After leaving the station we boarded the car. There was some traffic, so it took about half an hour to get to the hotel. The original tour was 8 days, I extended an extra day to allow time to explore Alexandria, so I booked an extra night at the hotel on my own. I did this because the tour company’s rate was around $70/night whereas the Kayak rate was only $26. This was the same hotel I spent the first night at, so I was familiar with the area. It was a very early check in, but after about a 10 minute wait the room was ready. This time around the room was much nicer. I had a single queen bed and the room was very spacious. I had mentioned to Osama that today was the most holy day of the year and that I had wanted to attend service. I think he understood this to mean I simply wanted to go to a Christian church. Since I had spent the night on the church I had wanted to shower before continuing. Osama waited for me in the lobby and after about 30 minutes we left for Cairo.
I woke up around 8am, the train had made one of the planned stops before reaching Cairo. I slept well on the train – the ride was very comfortable. I was expecting to take the train to the Cairo station per my printed itinerary. Shortly after I woke up my phone rang – it was Osama. He was asking where the train was. While I was out of data, Google Maps had cached Egypt and I could tell him. The train was running a little late. About 45 minutes and 15 minutes before we reached Giza the steward knocked on my door giving me a heads up. I didn’t see him much throughout the trip, but he was extremely friendly. I had told him I was to exit at Cairo which was the stop after Giza. The steward was confused by this, but said it was okay. When the train makes a stop, everything stops – electricity and all. And it stops for something like 15 minutes. About an hour before reaching Giza the air conditioning cut out, so the cabin was fairly warm. When we reached Cairo everyone left the train. About a minute before the train started to move, Osama boarded and was yelling at me to exit. The steward helped me exit with my things while the train was moving slowly. I asked Osama why the itinerary said the train would stop at Cairo and not Giza – he said I should have looked at my ticket. He said both Giza and Cairo are technically called Cairo Train Station. I couldn’t find it, so I ran with what was on the itinerary. I managed to exit where I was expected to, so all was good. Giza and Cairo are actually not far from one another. Giza is on the west side of the Nile, Cairo on the east.
Checking In
Back to the Gawharet Al Ahram
Not a bad room for $26!
After leaving the station we boarded the car. There was some traffic, so it took about half an hour to get to the hotel. The original tour was 8 days, I extended an extra day to allow time to explore Alexandria, so I booked an extra night at the hotel on my own. I did this because the tour company’s rate was around $70/night whereas the Kayak rate was only $26. This was the same hotel I spent the first night at, so I was familiar with the area. It was a very early check in, but after about a 10 minute wait the room was ready. This time around the room was much nicer. I had a single queen bed and the room was very spacious. I had mentioned to Osama that today was the most holy day of the year and that I had wanted to attend service. I think he understood this to mean I simply wanted to go to a Christian church. Since I had spent the night on the church I had wanted to shower before continuing. Osama waited for me in the lobby and after about 30 minutes we left for Cairo.
Touring
Anna Meesh Mop Suit!!!
We were scheduled to tour some of the sites the family hid out during this time. Traffic was intense, so along the way Osama worked on my Arabic. He had some fun teaching me some slang phrases. As someone cuts us off, I ask Osama how to yell I am angry at someone. I was used to Cairo driving by now. I wasn’t comfortable putting any part of my body out of the car, not even an elbow. 6 lanes of traffic squeeze into a 3-lane road. Inches separate each car. “Anna meesh mop suit”, Osama tells me. But, he says, I have to point and say it in a very emotional voice. When I repeat, the driver begins laughing hysterically. I ask why and Osama mentions its slang, but my pronunciation was very close. “People don’t expect it out of you”, he says. I’d repeat the phrase a half dozen times to aggressive merchants who were trying to overcharge me – their reaction would be priceless.
Old Cairo
I don’t think the tour company knew my religion, so I don’t think the timing was coincidental. Today was Easter and we were scheduled to tour the Christian sites throughout Old Cairo, including Coptic Cairo. Shortly after the birth of Christ, the holy family fled to Egypt to avoid persecution in Israel.
What a way to celebrate Easter Sunday! The churches we would tour included the Church of Abu-Sergah, Church of Saint Barbara, and The Hanging Church. We would also an old Jewish Synagogue called the Ben Ezra Synagogue
Church of Abu-Sergah
This church is said to have been built upon one of the final sites the holy family rested at while coming into Egypt. While you can't go beneath the church, you can look into the very area where the Holy Family is believed to have hid out.
In Church of Abu-Sergah
The Hanging Church
The Hanging Church is one of the oldest Churches in Egypt. The Church was built above the gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress.
Outside the Babylon Fortres
Outside the entrance to The Hanging Church
Mosaic outside Hanging Church
Mosaic outside Hanging Church
No photos were allowed in the Synagogue. The facility was originally built as a church and sold to because the Coptic Christians could not pay the tax. Several manuscripts were found in the temple around the 19th century. This is also the site Moses was said to be found abandoned as a baby. Unfortunately, after touring a few churches my SLR died. I hadn’t charged it for the entire trip, but the battery reported a charge greater than 25 percent. At least I still had my iPhone.
Saqqara
The first stop we would make would be to Saqqara, an ancient burial ground for the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis. The burial ground consists of several pyramids consisting of several steps. These pyramids were in poor condition, some looked not much different than a pile of rock.
Playing with fire am I?
Lying down in the tomb inside a pyramid!
Back to Hotel
After finishing up the tours we had returned to the hotel.
Osama mentioned he would pick me up sometime later for the Cairo by Night
segment. Before arriving at the hotel I had reminded Osama about church. He had
reached out to some of his Christian friends, but all were Orthodox. Orthodox
follow a different calendar for Easter which is, more times than not, different
than traditional Christian Easter. He made a couple of calls for information
and we agreed returning to the hotel to research via Internet would be the most
practical solution. I had done some limited searching via my iPhone, but the
apps I had were mostly useless. They provided names of churches, but not times
of services. Once I had a WiFi connection I could more easily call churches to
check on service times and to confirm they were indeed Catholic. I had told
Osama I could make arrangements myself at the hotel, but he insisted on
escorting me to the church. I had asked him if the tour company could
substitute the Cairo by Night segment for transit to the Church. After a number
of phone calls to his Christian friends and the tour office, he told me there
would be no fee for the transit and they would simply wait for me. Although
they were Muslim, they understand the necessity of worship and would not take
anything in exchange. We would do the tour of Cairo by Night after the service.
I had expected the service to take around 90 minutes and maybe an hour of
transit. I didn’t feel right consuming almost three hours of his and the
driver’s time, but he insisted. When we
arrived at the hotel I searched a bit more. I started calling the 7 or 8
churches asking specifically if they were Catholic and not orthodox since I had
wanted to attend Easter service. I reached one that was said to have a service
at 7pm – it was now 6:30pm. The person who answered the phone spoke English, so
everything appeared to be falling into place.
All Saints Church
We had to the church shortly after my last call. After about 30 minutes of driving we were in the approximate area. The driver appeared confused, but Google Maps saved the day and Osama and I found the church on foot. There was an unarmed guard/attendant outside a courtyard that served as an entryway to a Church property. Osama asked this man how long the service would be – he told me he would wait for me at 90 minutes later at that spot. He told me not to worry if the service went over – he would wait. What looked to be a Church was not – it was simply a building. I followed some singing and was lead to a basement where children were singing hymns. The first floor was an auditorium – it looked just like a gym. I could make out where basketball hoops might have been. There were no pews, just chairs. Beneath what appeared to be a stage was what appeared to be a priest who was talking in a foreign language. There was a project and screen with a slideshow. The service went on, but since it was in a foreign language I couldn’t make heads for tails. A Korean couple came a few minutes after me and sat right in front of me – they had an infant child. Given there were no pews and only a few candles, I had begun to wonder if the service was catholic. After about 75 minutes the collection basket came around. Envelopes were handed out and I inserted my donation into the envelope. It was only than the priest would speak English. “Put your gift in the basket and take the envelope”, he said. Simple enough. The Korean’s in front of me were equally confused. Shortly after the collection basket, the handshaking phase occurred, than communion. Communion was a bit different than I am used to – they literally used bread. Only a subset of folks went forward. Everyone receiving communion move to a praying alter at the front of the Church. When mass ended I spoke briefly to the Korean couple. They spoke broken English and the male informed me they had been attending this parish for about a month. They had attended a different parish before that for a short period of time. From what I could make out they were living in Cairo.
Church in an Auditorium
No English
Cairo at Night
True to his word Osama was waiting for me at the entrance of the courtyard. We departed shortly thereafter for downtown Cairo. When we crossed the Nile we got out of the car. For about 20 minutes Osama and I chatted as we took in the skyline. The Skyline was spectacular, but the poor air quality created a deep haze. I was disappointed I didn’t have my camera – but it was good to talk with Osama. I suggested we I treat Osama and the driver for some good American food. After some insisting we head over to the Cairo Hard Rock Café. After reaching the hotel, we learned it was closed after the revolution. When the hotel went dry the Hard Rock moved out and never reopened. My iPhone was dead, but I did have my iPad. I always kept my MacBook Air and iPad in my daypack at all times. Although I became confident Egypt was a stable country the more I was there, I figured it didn’t hurt to bring my valuables with me. The MacBook Air and iPad were only a couple of pounds and we were constantly in and out of the car – so I didn’t always wear it. The driver never left the car, so it was relatively safe. Plus, if something happened I could always jet away. Everything back at the hotel was easily replaceable – it was just clothing. My passport, cash stash, credit cards, MacBook, iPad and camera were always with me just in case I had to make a quick exit. Anyhow, we stopped at the Four Seasons to try to mooch WiFi but were foiled by the fact WiFi is not free there. D’oh. I talk to the concierge, learn about the closure of the Hard Rock Café following the revolution, and discuss options with Osama.
iPad photo of the view off the Nile
Dinner
“Let’s get Egyptian food”, Osama suggests. “There’s a nice place over by my house”. After about 40 minutes we were there. En route I ask if we can swing by Taher Square – the location of the protests during the revolution. “I didn’t check the news and I don’t want to take any chance. It’s probably safe, but I don’t’ want to chance it” , Osama says. Shortly after we arrive at the restaurant. The restaurant was nice, tablecloths and all. It was a local type of place – I was the only American for miles. We ordered some family style portions of grilled chicken and a couple of other dishes. I insist we all have fries. The driver didn’t speak much English but was enjoying our time together. From time to time Osama would translate.
Me, Osama, and Mahmood
Back at the hotel
It was a little after midnight when we got back to the hotel. I asked Osama what time we would begin and he says early, six in the morning. Tomorrow we were touring Alexandria and the drive would be around 3 hours, so we had to be up early. Before going to bed I do some laundry and the sink basin literally drops from the counter almost to the floor. A couple of support rods stop it from crushing my toes. I carefully finish the laundry, hanging it out to dry. It would be an early morning so I had to get some rest.
Where's all the Gasoline, Petrol!
The price of automobile fuel in Egypt is fixed. Much like in the US, there are various types of fuel with differing octane ratings. Compared to the world market, the price of automobile fuel is very low. Some grades are as low as 1 Egyptian pound per liter – putting the cost per gallon well under $1 USD. I imagine Egypt can afford this because as a country they refine and export the product. However, since the revolution the country has been under severe fuel shortages. It’s not uncommon for cars and buses to line up at least three hours before a station is scheduled to take delivery of fuel. A black market has also emerged – I’m told fuel sold on the black market is about 3 times as expensive as normal. It’s unclear to me if the government has simply decided to export more of the fuel they have or if production is a problem. In any case, the shortage is just one of the many things Morsi will have to work through.
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