Cairo: First Impressions

I finally have some down time to write a blog post. Egypt has so far been a little overwhelming. Arabic is a tough language to try to pick up using a Lonely Planet guide. But I have managed somehow with a lot of help from Betsy.

As I drove down to Zamalek from the airport my first impressions of Cairo was that it felt a lot like Karachi. Not only was the landscape similar but the buildings , store signs, and people would fit in perfectly in Karachi. The only difference is that Cairo's traffic is crazier. Red light, green light – it does not matter, cars and pedestrians do not stop moving. Crossing the streets felt like playing frogger.

Betsy, my brother's friend from UVA, was a tremendous asset during my first two nights in Cairo. She showed me around downtown as we walked to The Citidal, while passing 700 and 800 years old mosques (pictures coming). She even braved Khan al Khalil. Finally, she took me to meet one of her friends at a posh eatery over looking the Nile Without her help and Arabic, I would have been completely lost.

One of the coolest things I did in Cairo by myself was visit the Egyptian Museum. The museum is literally overflowing with antiquities from ancient Egypt. The first floor has the feel of a cluttered basement, with statues and stone tombs pilled up next to each other. About 75% of the pieces have no description. The museum has two floors. The first floor is arranged chronologically if you walk clockwise but little else in terms of guidance. The second floor is better curated and is the home of the treasures excavated from King Tut's tomb, which I learned was surprisingly messy. But what can you do with teenagers, right? Walking around the museum I was struck with how successful the rulers of ancient Egypt had been in achieving the immortality they sought for themselves. The significance of the Egyptian Museum's collection cannot be overstated. Visiting the museum has gotten me excited about visiting Giza and Luxor after I leave Dahab.

I have to go to bed now because I start my scuba lessons tomorrow. I will write about Dahab in the next few days.

PS A note on editing. I decided I am going to minimal editing because re-writing is very time consuming. If you see a big error please point it out. Thanks!