24 June
Cairo and the Pyramids
I'd say the best day of the trip so far but, for me, because of Cairo and surrounds, not the pyramids. We had an early start – 6.45. Went in a convoy of coaches – at least 30 of them with assorted smaller vehicles, with armed escorts front and back. On our bus we had an armed guard – dressed in a natty brown suit and carrying, I am told, a sawn off automatic weapon. They actually closed streets with guards so that our convoy could pass. People came out and waved. The Egyptian people, in general, are most hospitable and welcoming. It was a fascinating trip to Cairo, through and around Cairo. Would like to go back there. 20 million people, not a lot spent on public transport and infrastructure. People are housed in a lot of identical high rises. There are many individual homes unfinished, some looking none too stable. They leave them with great pylons of metal sticking up so they can be added to in future. They don't finish the houses a) because you pay tax once the house is finished b) don't have enough money to finish or c) leave room to add when son gets married. It was a mixture of stark desert which is mostly everywhere, with areas of green where there is irrigation. Around Ismalia they grow mangos and there are acres of trees. There are mosques just beside the road; when a new estate is built, looks like the mosque is built first because there are acres of desert with a mosque in the middle and a couple of houses here and there; there were many military instalations between Port Said and Cairo, a testament to the fact that they've had two wars since I've been alive. A city of contrasts .There are fruit sellers with donkey carts. We saw sheep and goats just on a corner in the city where people were selling them. Then housing developments, all desert and no trees, where a two bedroom apartment costs AUD1million. The local buses I'd say, are never cleaned, maintained or repaired. We saw people on the highway just standing there waiting for someone to stop and pick them up. A truck with tray stopped and picked up about 20 men. We saw a double cab ute with all the men inside and the women sitting in the open tray. I'm glad I saw the pyramids but it really is a zoo with hundreds of buses, hard sell vendors, people trying to sell a ride on or a picture with a camel. People for US$1 will show you how to take a picture like you're holding up the pyramid or kissing the Sphinx. All at 40 degrees and dusty. Our 'cruise' lunch on the Nile was enjoyable though I would have liked more middle eastern food. It was like taking the Kookaburra Queen cruise in Brisbane. Had to keep reminding myself I was on the Nile and in Cairo. There was an Egyptian band which I quite liked and a belly dancer. Photos were taken of her and passengers and quickly produced for US$6 each. John and the belly dancer look quite cute. Then they had a whirling dirvish man – amazing. Impossible to photograph because he was turning so quickly. The bus trip home was quite scary because the buses jockeyed for position towards the end, to be first back and the driving was quite dangerous. Probably at the same level as Mark Webber. We were driving at speed behind the bus in front with only about six feet clearance and they were both ducking and weaving, one trying to stay in front and ours trying to pass. Hope they cut that out for next year. By the way, we won! Have put in an objection for what good it will do. Could have shot a canon through the Horizon Court this morning. We went for breakfast at 7.45 and it was empty. Big day yesterday. Because there is a general strike in Athens the day we are due to arrive and there will be no one to dock us let alone trains etc to travel on, our itinerary has been changed and we are going straight to Athens tomorrow then back to Istanbul, Kusadasi and ANZAC Cove. Doesn't suit friends of ours whose son is flying out from England to see them and now we won't be there. Both Sally and I won genuine gold plastic Nefertiti biros on the coach – me for being able to say hello in Arabic and Sally for being the only one who could say what our guide's last name was at the end of the trip. I couldn't even have told you what her first name was.
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