Two Egypts

So far our trip as been divided up into two Egypts - like the money here where one side has a pharaohnic scene and the other side a mosque - our trip has been divided into touristic Egypt and local Egypt. Yesterday we had an incredible trip to various pyramids scatter outside of Cairo. We left the hostel around 9 a.m. to find the driver we hired yesterday evening to take us around all of the pyramids all day for about $5 an hour. (Though I thought he didn't quite look like the guy we had hired...) We headed to the Step Pyramid first. It was the first one every built - the museum attached to it was incredible and sure enough there were 10 different people trying to sell us a tour, take us around for extra money and they all claimed to be working for the government. We then headed off to the Red Pyramid which was not nearly as large at the Great Pyramids but it was spectular - and there were about 5 people there when we showed up. We climbed down into the pyramid - something like 125 stairs with a few people coming up and not light. I made mention to Kelly, "are you closterphobic?" In which case she remembered that she was and decided to stop her descend - which was wise, because though I am not, I was feeling a bit crowded heading down the narrow ladder/stairwell that lead to the antechamber - which opened up to 20 feet ceilings - and the smell of pnoemunia. It was rather amazing and the climb out into fresh air, rather welcoming.

We looked at the Bent Pyramid (named because the designer had to change it's structure half way up because it became unstable.) We couldn't visit it though it was still incredible too see these two pyramids from the Old Kingdom (5,000 years old). We headed to Giza and the great pyramids - where my language failed me and we didn't end up getting lunch. The Great Pyramids are AMAZING, huge, fascinating and crammed packed with tourists, people trying to sell you camel rides, postcards and other tchotchkes, camel and horse shit and garbage. It's still incredible to look at but I felt this need to clean up the garbage, rope off the pyramids, keep people on paths and quit distroying the land and scereny around them. But they've last 4,000 or so years, I'm sure they've got a few more years left.

It was on our way back to our hostel that it was reveiled that this was not the guy we had hired the night before (I had already figured that out with a few other clues, he wasn't chain smoking, he said his name was something else, eventhough I kept asking him if is name was Ibrahime, and a text from Annika.) I didn't know quite how it was going to turn out since we hadn't negotiated a price before hand (because we had done it last night). In the end I ended up explaining, rather poorly, that he was not the man we had hired and we ended up paying 40 pounds (egyptian) extra for our trip. It was a fantastic day.

Food, naps, Lara getting harassed by one of the local boys who agreed to help her, we headed off to McDonalds (yes, another meeting place) to head way out of town to see "The Axis of Evil Comedy tour". And though the headline comedian is escaping me, it was Amhed Amhed, Eric Kader and a very hilarious and famous comedian who had the entire audience in stitches, making fun the of the "Middle East", Americans and George Bush. I feel like everyone needs a copy of it for Christmas. Another mixed up taxi ride home (we picked up the wrong cab again) we headed out to late night falafel at the local Egyptian fast food joint... phew.

The day before we had done all thing touristic, as 4 with a retired teacher/Peace Corps volunteer who we met in the hostel (love hostel traveling) joined us. The day had been spent going to the famous Egyptian Museum to see more mummified pharaohs and their pets (as well as offerings), jewelry, furniture, foods, and the millions of other things you need in the afterlife. Pharaoh-ed out, we headed to local lunch and off to Islamic Cairo (yes there is a neighborhood called just that) where we got lost (as mentioned) and wore ourselves out looking for the City of the Dead. Annika found us and took us around - touring the neighborhood, drinking tea and smoking shesha (hooka) in a world famous cafe (though it was cheap) where the Hemingway of Egypt had spent many hours writing about this cafe and his beloved city....

And though there is so much more to write, I have to run to the train station to buy our tickets to Luxor tonight - on the midnight train... if we're lucky, we'll get some. We're heading out of Cairo tonight... after Thanksgiving. Two Egypts.

Happy Thanksgiving!!