CAIRO

THE LAST ANCIENT WONDER FIRST
What they say is true: Cairo is a hectic, dirty city with traffic that makes the LA freeways seem like a pleasure cruise.  And walking across the street is like Frogger - you have to walk slowly, use the Force, get honked at a dozen times, but you will make it, as long as you DON'T run.    So soon after I arrive in Cairo, I catch a cab to the Pyramids at Giza, which is the only Ancient Wonder of the World still standing, just 20 minutes West of Cairo. 

 

PYRAMIDS

My cab driver stops in this shady neighborhood near the pyramids.  He introduces me to his 'friend' (read: gets a commission from), Mohammad, who offers a horse tour around the Pyramids.   Sounds fun.  So we gallop pass wondering donkeys and camels in the dirt streets, and turn the corner and BAM, the three Pyramids are right there towering in front of us, golden yellow in the hot morning sun. I'm totally Wonderstruck, which I'm coining here in Kevster's Dictionary to be "When you see a Wonder of the World, the feeling of awe and wonder combined with wide-eyes and half-gasp, as the thoughts 'Look at the Size of it,' 'It's real and it's RIGHT THERE'" and 'O-mi-god!' race thru your mind in a split second."  If you've seen a Wonder you know what I mean.

My guide Mohammad yells a heeyah in Arabic, and we gallop over to the middle Pyramid which is open at the base. I crawl hunched over down the long 4-foot high tunnel  (ancient Egyptian way to force a bow to the Pharoah) and enter the tomb room where the sarcophagus was found.  Except the only thing I find is a bunch of Eurotourists in black socks taking photos of the empty sarcophagus.  I start to crawl back up the tunnel when a Pyramid usher dude motions me to a side tunnel that was blocked off.  "Go in," he says.  Cool.  Out-of-the-way tunnel to explore, just like Indiana Jones would do, so I do.  I crawl up the side tunnel and he follows me a little ways.  Then he says, "photo", stops to take my photo, and then motions me back to the main path, and asks for baksheesh, the Egyptian form of tip.  Thus marks my first of many experiences with being asked for baksheesh, which is like our form of tipping, except they demand it.  (Actually, a pushy New York waitress has demanded "more tip" from me before so I guess there's New York baksheesh too.)  I tip the guide a few Egyptian pounds (about US 45 cents, no biggie) and crawl out of the Pyramid.

Sphinx
I walk over to check out the Sphinx, near the Pyramids.  The Sphinx looks as noble as you see in the photos - not quite as big with the huge Pyramids looming behind it, but still impressive, even without a nose.  I find Mohammad who has the horses, and we gallop around the sand dunes near the Pyramids for some different views, and then head back.  Great fun.  Pyramids rock.

Is Egypt Safe?
I actually had little trouble traveling in Egypt.  The trick is not to dress or act too American: avoid shorts and talking too loud.  And be careful who you tell about your nationality.  Taxi cabs and street merchants will double or quadruple the price if they suspect you're an American or European.  There's a rule: when Americans say No, that means Maybe, but when a German or Brit says No, that means No.  But at fancy hotels and restaurants, I got good seats and rooms with views when I said I was American.  

Hustler, Egyptian style
Watch out for the hustlers who spend all day watching the streets for people who look lost, and communicate with each other up and down the street.  Hustling seemed to be as common than pickpocketing. Egyptians hustlers have a way of saying "How are you, friend," to get you to talk to them, and they eventually will somehow persuade you to buy something or give them money.

For example, when I needed to replace my broken watch, I couldn't find a watch store, so this hustler Aladdin said he would help me look for a new one.  He took me to a watch store, and I bought a $4 watch.  Then Aladdin asked me to buy him a watch too.  Instead, I bought him a $2 lighter.  Then Aladdin asked for my old watch.  I said no, and we left the store.  He then sold me a $25 discount card.  Later, I found out Aladdin returned his lighter the next day to get the $2 back, and the discount card really only should cost $10. Oh well, live and learn!

Food
Egyptian food is more than falafel, kabob, pita.  I was glad I met Aladdin for one thing - he introduced me to asab, a refreshing sugar cane drink that cost 10 cents a glass (like lemonade without the lemon flavor if that makes any sense).  I sipped ahwa coffee at the many open coffee shops for just a quarter for a cup, making the $3.75 I spend every other day for a Coffee Bean Ice Blended (like Starbucks frappaccino) seem a little crazy.  Omar the travel agent introduced me to an Egyptian pasta dish, made of macaroni, spaghetti, mixed with a tomato and lentil sauce ($1.50) and a sweet pudding for desert (50 cents).  I also got addicted to a fried pita with sugar and cinnamon, which I guess we'd call an elephant ear.  

Hungry for more of Egypt's past, I head down to Luxor.

After Egypt, I head to Petra, Jordan