A boisterous symphony of gregarious, colorful and varying pitched horns punctuating the drone of unrelenting traffic creates the pulsating musical hum of Cairo. Much like a vacume, the never stopping city sucks you in to its interior and whirls you about in the noise, dust and dirt and other things it's picked up along the way.
As I walk around the streets of downtown Cairo the call to prayer echoes through the city above the noise of traffic. People are everywhere. Rubbish, dirt and grime litters the cracked footpaths. A cat sneaks past me, eyeing off a feast of discarded food scraps in a gutter. Parked nearby is an old unused car, covered in filthy dirty grey dust. A testiment to the thick polluted air that covers the immense city. I head down a narrow street lined with fruit vendors creating a little hub of colour and action. Bargaining cheerfully with one of the vendors, I purchase a couple of bananas, a percimman, and a mandarin. He enthusiastically throws in two weird looking fruits when I ask what they are. They didn’t taste that good, and I’m still a little unsure what they are!!
It is a pac-man game to be a pedestrian. Getting across the road in one piece seems like a death wish! But, I learn fast as I watch and imitate the locals crossing the roads of the constant stream of traffic. A little secret hand-signal (shown to us by Jess and looking not unlike the same signal you‘d use to appreciate delicious food) actually has a satisfying power over oncoming vehicles. With this, and a focused, confident stride through the waves, crossing the road actually becomes less daunting!
I sneak up to the top level of the Hyatt hotel. A clear day brings a stunning view of the Nile and the whole city. The nile river is lined with shady trees, which I suspect would create a lovely haven from the heat of the sun during the summer months and a semi-peaceful retreat any time. Along the river Feluccas and other boats cruise, rocking with amplified Egyptian rock music.
Cairo transforms at night, with it’s lit-up shop windows and masses of people strolling along, talking, eating, window-shopping and enjoying the ‘night-life’. Caironiens dont seem to sleep! All night, the city is pumping, moving, churning, and ever honking!
With a bit of trepidation, I pluck up the courage to hop into a taxi to head into the heart of the confused sprawl of this crazy city! Lane markings, stop signs, traffic lights….seem to be merely ‘decorations’ to be completely ignored as we swerve through the traffic with the horn announcing our presence. After being in these bustling crazy middle-eastern cities for enough time now, I have become used to the seemingly chaotic road rules - where cars pave their way like people do with shopping trolleys in a crowded supermarket. Amongst the cars, there are people straddling bicycles delicately balancing loads of stacked bread, the occasional donkey harnessed to a cart with a guy nonchalantly staring like he’s trotting somewhere in a remote farming village. The taxi driver dumps me out in Khan al Kahlilil, where I hand him 15E pounds, hoping that he’d be happy with the price. I find myself right near the local fruit and vegetable market and walk around absorbing the colorful atmosphere. Eventually, I stumble across the big market area of Cairo - the Souq. People cram into small winding streets and alleyways with shops selling all different types of wares. Spices, jewelry, souvenirs, scarves, crafts, and various hardware. I find a little felafel stand for lunch, and for 40 cents I buy two tasty felafel rolls with salad. I eventually find myself sandwiched in between a mass moving crowd heading down a long street lined with brightly colored clothes and fabric. Most of the crowd are women, adorned with their colorful headscarves, and holding tightly to the small hands of their children who look up at me wide-eyed with curiousity. We move slowly and steadily, forced to cram even more when a guy with a cart loaded with a huge bundle pushes his way through the crowd. The street ends spewing its people out onto an extremely busy road. The noise which was already loud with people calling out and bargaining, becomes deafening with the roar of traffic and incessant honking. I gulped in the fumed air and began finding my way in between the cars, people, carts and bicycles. Seeking a few minutes of refuge, I step into a busy little shop selling all sorts of dried fruit and nuts. I decide to buy some cashews and stand waiting at the counter. Once again, I am reminded of my foreigness as waiting ‘politely’ achieves nothing! I am forced to elbow my way in amongst all the pushing and shoving women, and shout out my request. I am then told the price, and directed to pay for it at a counter on the other side of the shop, and receive a ticket which I have to show to collect my nuts. Once paid, I have to push my way back in again and wave my ticket around to get the attention of the server. Nuts in hand, and with a surge of renewed energy, I head back into the market area for a last peak at the shopping circus!
Beneath the obvious chaos of the sleepless, dirty, busy city, Cairo certainly has a charm with its welcoming and beautiful people. Greeted constantly with nods of welcome, warm smiles, gently curious eyes, and the eager ‘hello’ and ‘welcome to Egypt’ were lovely introductions to this hospitable city. I found myself quickly discarding any previous ill-informed pre-conceived judgments of this city and apart from its polluted air and congested traffic, I discovered a fascinating, and richly layered city that I would love to spend more time in.
As I walk around the streets of downtown Cairo the call to prayer echoes through the city above the noise of traffic. People are everywhere. Rubbish, dirt and grime litters the cracked footpaths. A cat sneaks past me, eyeing off a feast of discarded food scraps in a gutter. Parked nearby is an old unused car, covered in filthy dirty grey dust. A testiment to the thick polluted air that covers the immense city. I head down a narrow street lined with fruit vendors creating a little hub of colour and action. Bargaining cheerfully with one of the vendors, I purchase a couple of bananas, a percimman, and a mandarin. He enthusiastically throws in two weird looking fruits when I ask what they are. They didn’t taste that good, and I’m still a little unsure what they are!!
It is a pac-man game to be a pedestrian. Getting across the road in one piece seems like a death wish! But, I learn fast as I watch and imitate the locals crossing the roads of the constant stream of traffic. A little secret hand-signal (shown to us by Jess and looking not unlike the same signal you‘d use to appreciate delicious food) actually has a satisfying power over oncoming vehicles. With this, and a focused, confident stride through the waves, crossing the road actually becomes less daunting!
I sneak up to the top level of the Hyatt hotel. A clear day brings a stunning view of the Nile and the whole city. The nile river is lined with shady trees, which I suspect would create a lovely haven from the heat of the sun during the summer months and a semi-peaceful retreat any time. Along the river Feluccas and other boats cruise, rocking with amplified Egyptian rock music.
Cairo transforms at night, with it’s lit-up shop windows and masses of people strolling along, talking, eating, window-shopping and enjoying the ‘night-life’. Caironiens dont seem to sleep! All night, the city is pumping, moving, churning, and ever honking!
With a bit of trepidation, I pluck up the courage to hop into a taxi to head into the heart of the confused sprawl of this crazy city! Lane markings, stop signs, traffic lights….seem to be merely ‘decorations’ to be completely ignored as we swerve through the traffic with the horn announcing our presence. After being in these bustling crazy middle-eastern cities for enough time now, I have become used to the seemingly chaotic road rules - where cars pave their way like people do with shopping trolleys in a crowded supermarket. Amongst the cars, there are people straddling bicycles delicately balancing loads of stacked bread, the occasional donkey harnessed to a cart with a guy nonchalantly staring like he’s trotting somewhere in a remote farming village. The taxi driver dumps me out in Khan al Kahlilil, where I hand him 15E pounds, hoping that he’d be happy with the price. I find myself right near the local fruit and vegetable market and walk around absorbing the colorful atmosphere. Eventually, I stumble across the big market area of Cairo - the Souq. People cram into small winding streets and alleyways with shops selling all different types of wares. Spices, jewelry, souvenirs, scarves, crafts, and various hardware. I find a little felafel stand for lunch, and for 40 cents I buy two tasty felafel rolls with salad. I eventually find myself sandwiched in between a mass moving crowd heading down a long street lined with brightly colored clothes and fabric. Most of the crowd are women, adorned with their colorful headscarves, and holding tightly to the small hands of their children who look up at me wide-eyed with curiousity. We move slowly and steadily, forced to cram even more when a guy with a cart loaded with a huge bundle pushes his way through the crowd. The street ends spewing its people out onto an extremely busy road. The noise which was already loud with people calling out and bargaining, becomes deafening with the roar of traffic and incessant honking. I gulped in the fumed air and began finding my way in between the cars, people, carts and bicycles. Seeking a few minutes of refuge, I step into a busy little shop selling all sorts of dried fruit and nuts. I decide to buy some cashews and stand waiting at the counter. Once again, I am reminded of my foreigness as waiting ‘politely’ achieves nothing! I am forced to elbow my way in amongst all the pushing and shoving women, and shout out my request. I am then told the price, and directed to pay for it at a counter on the other side of the shop, and receive a ticket which I have to show to collect my nuts. Once paid, I have to push my way back in again and wave my ticket around to get the attention of the server. Nuts in hand, and with a surge of renewed energy, I head back into the market area for a last peak at the shopping circus!
Beneath the obvious chaos of the sleepless, dirty, busy city, Cairo certainly has a charm with its welcoming and beautiful people. Greeted constantly with nods of welcome, warm smiles, gently curious eyes, and the eager ‘hello’ and ‘welcome to Egypt’ were lovely introductions to this hospitable city. I found myself quickly discarding any previous ill-informed pre-conceived judgments of this city and apart from its polluted air and congested traffic, I discovered a fascinating, and richly layered city that I would love to spend more time in.
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