Where is Old Cairo?

The kids have had enough of being tourists and the internet service is cheap and fast in Egypt which has meant that I have the time and money to keep this blog updated almost daily now.

We had a very interesting day. We decided to prove to ourselves that we don't need prearranged package tours, and headed off this morning on the subway to find "Old Cairo". From our map of the city, it looked easy to find, but once off the metro, police officers shook their heads when we headed in the direction we thought would take us there. Asking people where "al Qaira al ghadeema" was didn't help. No one seemed to know what we were talking about. We finally decided to hail a taxi, because taxi drivers here know where everything is. Ours said he did, but once we started off, it was clear that he didn't have a clue what we were talking about. He finally dropped us off in what he called "old Egypt". It turned out to be a very poor section of town where people didn't seem at all used to seeing a family of tourists walking around. There were no old buildings but a lot of very dirty, run down streets. Kim was keen to head on, but the kids were getting a bit stressed out, so after a quick juice at a juice bar, we hailed another cab and headed back to the tourist market, which we knew all cab drivers could take us to. Next to the market is Islamic Cairo, so decided to try visiting another part of it that we hadn't visited last week. In the end, it turned out fine. We found a small restaurant that sold Egyptian pizza, made on filo dough and stuffed with chicken. Then we walked through the narrow streets and discovered a market, not the tourist one full of cheap souvenirs and hagglers, but a real market for real Egyptians. Maya and I had fun looking at the women's jalabias (fancy, embroidered robes) and Kim and the boys looked at soccer jerseys. We really enjoyed it because we weren't treated like tourists for our first time here, and really got a chance to see how regular people live here. After that we headed to the tourist market to replace Simon's souvenirs that had been stolen with his bag on the train, then we headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow, I think we'll just let the kids rekax in front of the tv. Cairo is big and noisy and stressful, and they've had enough. I still enjoy walking around and looking at the crowds. Tomorrow will be our last day for a long time in a place that doesn't feel remotely like home, so I want to make the most of it.

As we wandered the streets, I couldn't help but notice how beautifully the women dress here. Most are Muslim, and dress with a headscarf and a long dress or skirt, with their arms completely covered. A few cover themselves completely in black gowns and veils, but most find ways to look very nice in their modest attire. Head scarves come in many colours and patterns. The latest style seems to be wearing two of contrasting colours, wrapped in such a way that they appear in bands. It looks really nice. Women also have very beautiful embroidered jalabias, or fancy beaded skirts. And many wear glittery high heels. The tourists tend to wander around in tight shirts and shorts with their shoulders and legs visible to all. I feel more accepted covering up like I did in Eritrea, with long sleeves and a long skirt or pants. I often wear my headscarf here too, and feel like I fit in better.

Yesterday was the Muslim holy day and it was interesting to see how people in the busy downtown core worshipped even though they weren't close to a mosque. Prayer mats were unrolled in entrance ways and building lobbies as people gathered in groups to prey.
We had lunch in our favourite Egyptian "fast food" restaurant during the 1 oclock prayere time, so we watched the tv there as the Koran was read on it. There were subtitles in English too.

Guess that's all for now.

Take care,

Barb