Protests

Hello! It's an exciting time in Egypt! There are supposed to be some impressive protests tomorrow after prayers, and the government seems to have blocked Facebook. I wanted to let everyone know that I am well. I will post about my visits to the pyramids tomorrow. Bedtime!

Love from Cairo!

"Real Cairo"

A longer post, as promised:

My first day in Egypt has been very good. I woke up early, since I went to bed in the same fashion. At 5 am, loud prayer music entered through my window. It was beautiful and I hope to record it tomorrow, but I was able to get a little more sleep, though. When I wok up the second time, around 7 am, I made some phone calls home, and then got ready for the day. When I went downstairs, I was offered some breakfast that was similar to oatmeal but with lots of sugar. It was very tasty. When I finished, I arranged tours for the next two days with the fella at the front desk. I will be going to many exciting places in the upcoming days. I then sat down for some tea with the men that work at the hotel.

I’ve been drinking a lot of tea, here. This morning, the owner, Abraham (“like Abraham Lincoln, but new and improved”) offered and then insisted that I join them. He gave me an Egyptian Pound coin for good luck. Then, Mohammed (sp?) offered to take me to the ATM to withdraw cash to pay for my tours. I figured he would take me back to the hotel, but instead asked me if I wanted to go have coffee at a traditional Egyptian coffee shop. Obviously I wanted to do that.

We headed down some very busy streets, walking on the sidewalk, and then in the road, and moving to the side for carts of vegetables and other goods. I was wary of walking in the road, because everyone drives in a skillful, but ferocious manner. We were perfectly safe, though. I made eye contact with many. Some people would simply look away, but most of them met me with a smile. The people here are very friendly.

We entered a very large courtyard through a gate guarded by police. In front of me there was a very large, very beautiful building. Mohammed told me that this building is a mosque built for the son of a prophet. He asked me if I wanted to go inside. Of course I accepted. We had to enter the mosque through separate entrances, because men and women are not to enter holy places together. I went through the women’s entrance, removed my shoes, and handed them to a weathered looking man behind the counter. He put my shoes in a cubby and handed me a token. I went into the next room, where the prophet’s son was kept. The room was absolutely stunning. There was silver everywhere and it was incredibly ornate. Some women were praying with vigor, and others seemed to be reading stories, maybe about the man kept in the mosque or his father, perhaps. A couple very old women looked up from their reading and watched me. They smiled and looked with accepting eyes. I was unsure of how to act in the mosque, as I’m sure it was obvious that I am not a Muslim woman, but they seemed to appreciate my attention to their religion and my smiles back at them.

When I went to leave, I gave my token back to the gentleman at the door. He seemed to want payment, so I got out my money. I had no idea what he was saying, and Mohammed and I had not discussed this part. The smallest bill I had was 100 EGP. I gave it to him and a woman, equally as old and equally as weathered, gave me smaller bills. When I asked how much (I’m sure with strange facial expressions and awkward gestures) he did not give me a price. I gave him 10 pounds, and then the woman who made my change motioned for money as well. I gave her 10 pounds, too. After I exited, I put on my sandals and met Mohammed. I told him what had just happened, and he said that 1 pound would have sufficed. Oh well! He said they would go home to their families with more food, so it was money well spent.

After leaving the mosque, we headed to Khan el-Khalid, which is Egypt’s oldest bazaar (market). We walked through the aisles that seemed to snake through the structure. There were hundreds of stands with gentlemen pushing their wares. Mohammed told me that, if I was alone, or with other non-Egyptians, they would be much more vigorously trying to make a sale. Instead they looked at me with little expression as I walked by. I hope to go back there and shop a little. They had some stunning turquoise, which is my favorite.

After snaking through the bazaar for a bit, we went to the coffee shop Mohammed mentioned. It was absolutely gorgeous. It is called El Fishawy. We sat on old, ornate handmade benches and a waiter eventually made his way to us. Mohammed, whose voice was gone, ordered tea, and he ordered me Turkish coffee. I honestly don’t believe I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy such good coffee. It was thick and chocolatey and very strong.

While we drank, Mohammed told me that despite what he had said earlier about being sick, his voice was gone from yelling. He had been a part of the protests yesterday, and the police sprayed chili powder at him and some of the others. It made his throat and eyes burn and his voice was still suffering from it. I asked him about the protest, and he got very emotional as he responded. He told me that he would answer any call to protest the Egyptian government, because they are corrupt and oppressive and Egyptians deserve better lives. We talked more about the government, but mostly we discussed the mentality of the protestors. We talked about what happened in Tunisia, and his eyes welled up at the idea of that happening in Egypt. He said, “The government will not leave, we must kick them out.” I told him that I had seen news of the protest on CNN this morning and that people around the world were talking about Northern Africa. He nodded and told me that many newscasters were there.

Then we talked about the possible impact of the Western world, particularly the U.S. and how they are not doing enough to combat corruption and oppression, but instead showing support (even if they don’t agree with it) to the governments in the way of money. He said, “The U.S. supported Ben Ali (the recently overthrown Tunisian President) until the very end.” I told him that the world was now watching, but I feel that it should be bigger news. He told me that one of the problems is that “Things take only a second to enjoy, but a hundred years to rebuild.”

While we continued this conversation, he ordered me some orange juice to follow the coffee that was gone too quickly. It was some of the best I’ve ever had. It tasted like they had just squeezed some of the sweetest oranges directly into my cup. The waiter came to collect on the bill, and we were off again. We walked through the bazaar a bit more, and then we headed back to the hotel.

I once again had tea upon my return. I was asked to join the same gentlemen as before but there was another guest there this time. Abraham (the owner) brought up the protest with a friend of his, who is about the same age as Abraham. He told Mohammed that his is upset with him for participating and that he loves his government and everything is good. Mohammed later told me when I asked that this is the mentality of the older generation because they are fearful.

The other guest, who is French, had lunch with me. We ordered in a grilled half chicken and rice with naan bread. I couldn’t even finish it. A half chicken breast is a lot of food when you’re having rice and naan as well. While we ate, the gentlemen, whose name I did not catch, told me (in very good English) about the trip he is taking. We are both starting our journeys in Cairo, but he is headed to many different countries around the world. Some of them are India, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, some in both North and South Americas, and others in Africa. He told me that he was a computer science guy and that he quit his consulting job to take this trip. His plans are not very solid, and he is excited to stay as little or as long as he feels he should in any given country. It was very inspiring.

During lunch, I offered Mohammed and Abraham some PopRocks. They both enjoy sweets very much, so I was excited to see their response. It was just about as good as I had hoped. Their faces were so funny when the rocks started popping in their mouths. Mohammed offered some to one of the women that works at the hotel. She seemed to enjoy them, too. After the PopRocks, Mohammed invited me out on another walk. He said that he had something beautiful to show me.

We left for a long walk through the streets of “real Cairo,” as he calls it. It is a place that most tourists to not go. We went to a couple more stunning mosques, and also to the house of the son of a former prince. The place was absolutely beautiful. It was huge and beautifully constructed with much detail. He said that everything was original, and that they had restored it as much as they could. They did a very good job. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how.

One of the mosques was a Shiite holy site. We talked about the difference between the Sunni and the Shiite, and the main thing is that the latter believes in the holiness of people like the prophet’s son, whose mosque was the first we visited, while the Sunni do not. Mohammed subscribes to the Sunni tradition, because he believes that you do not need to go through others to reach Allah. You can speak to him directly, much like praying to God in the Christian tradition. Shiites are similar to Catholics in that they believe in Saint-like figures to whom they pray. Mohammed said that he believes that Allah is the perfect God, and that he is good, but sometimes religion is not perfect. I told him that that happens in most, if not all religions. He said that if something does not make sense, he will reject it, but he embraces the Muslim way.

I was hoping to get a nap in this afternoon, so we headed back. We took the long route, though, which was fine with me. We walked through streets that most tourists did not know existed. I am very lucky to seen this side of Cairo. The streets were often laid with dirt, and there were children running around everywhere. People smiled at me for the most part. I was happy for this because I would have understood them feeling as though I did not really belong in that part of town. After leaving the final mosque, I did not see another Westerner for the rest of the day. I think that a piece of cardboard may have been thrown at me and a piece of chewed gum landed at my feet, but that’s not too bad considering I was traipsing around with a camera in my hands.

The children love to have their picture taken. One of them even put his hands up and clicked an imaginary camera at me. They are very sweet. We walked on the inside of the wall that originally surrounded and protected a more ancient Cairo. We had been on the other side earlier, but I liked this side better. We were away from the main street and goats and sheep peppered the road. We made our way back to the hotel, and I impressed Mohammed with my directional skills when I pointed to where I thought the hotel was. I’m glad that I feel as though I know my way around Islamic Cairo a bit. I was told that it is very safe for me and that I should not worry. I do feel safe, and I am grateful for this. Mohammed said that people here do not commit a lot of crime. He said that, despite his wishes for fixed pricing, it is OK to cheat in Cairo, but not to commit crime.

Before we got all the way back, we talked a little bit more about the feelings of unrest with the government. He said that he believes that protesting is necessary, and so is sacrifice. He said that Abraham does not want him to do this, but he knows that it must be done to make change. He said, “If there is not sacrifice, there is no good life.” An example of this sacrifice is self-immolation. It was this act in Tunisia that sparked their revolution, so it is understandable that there is a feeling of necessity. It was striking to me that the violent act of lighting a human on fire is only done to the self. It is not about violence against others, or even violence at all. It is about creating change by drawing attention to the issue.

We got back to the hotel and looked at the pictures I had taken. It was insisted again that I have another cup of tea. I accepted this cup of tea would send me to bed for a nap. I am enjoying Cairo very much. Adjusting to being alone has been difficult, but I know it will be a good experience for me, and I am excited to keep on keeping on.

I'm in Cairo!

I landed in Cairo a few hours ago, and this posting must be brief, because I hardly slept at all on the plane. It seems like I'm going to really enjoy my time in Egypt. I might leave in the morning for the White Desert for a night in sleeping bag in the desert, but I'm not entirely sure.

People drive like maniacs here, although it's only slightly worse than downtown Chicago. The people I've met at the hostel have been really nice and welcoming. We all sat down for a cup of tea and chatted about the protest that happened in Cairo today, racism, and Obama. It was a good way to start my trip. My flight was long, but I got to watch City Slickers (throwback), so it was OK, I suppose.

I tried to make some phone calls before I got on the plane yesterday, but I didn't make it to everyone, so I thought I would post on here to let everyone know that I am safe and sound for my first night in Cairo. I will post pictures soon, and a more elaborate entry when I'm feeling more up for it.

Love to you all!