A Day in Cairo, Part I

(July 26, 2010)

Our travel plans got hi-jacked this summer while in Kampala, Uganda. Allison’s boss called to inform us that her project in Nigeria (our original destination) got held up for one reason or another and to ask if we could go to Zimbabwe instead. No problem! I had never been to Zim before, and we had a lovely two weeks in Harare, including an adventurous weekend jaunt over to Victoria Falls. However, we had already booked my ticket back to the US from Abuja, Nigeria, and we couldn’t change it. So in order to get back to the States without having to buy a whole new ticket, somehow I had to get from Harare, Zimbabwe to Abuja, Nigeria. Enter EgyptAir. They had the cheapest fare across Africa, from Johannesburg to Abuja via Cairo. Being that these are cross-continental flights, they run them through the night. Translated: a 16 hour layover in Cairo, Egypt over daylight hours. Score.

This was the first opportunity I’d ever had to travel the way I’ve always wanted; to explore a entirely new city by myself without knowing the language, without a tour guide, without a plan or schedule, just some money in my pocket and see where my feet take me. [Note to self: July is NOT the time to do this in Cairo, Egypt, especially after having slept only a few hours the previous two nights, one of those being on a plane. But I wasn’t going to let 36 C and some fatigue stand between me and old-town Cairo.] The plane landed at Cairo International Airport early in the morning, and I excitedly, and sleepily, disembarked. I filled out my immigration card, laid down fifteen US dollars on the visa counter, and – stamp! – I was in Cairo, Egypt.

I had done a little homework about the city and decided NOT to see all the major sites in one day. Thus, I had already ruled out the pyramids and the antiquities museum, but instead planned to visit the old part of the city called Islamic Cairo. Before leaving the airport I made two stops: the ATM to withdraw 300 Egyptian pounds (about $55); then the convenience store to pick up a pocket map of Islamic Cairo and a bottle of water. I hadn’t even finished counting my change when a middle-aged man approached me, asking if I wanted a taxi. Of course I did, so off we went.

I wish I could have tape-recorded the conversation that ensued. I had had precious little experience with Middle Eastern culture, thankfully, or I probably would have been a complete wreck. It took the entire 20-minute ride to negotiate the price of the taxi. We sat side by side in the front of the car, with him speaking very loudly, almost shouting but not quite. I knew to expect this; else I probably would have paid what he wanted right off for fear of offending him. [I used to really hate haggling prices, but I’ve since learned not to be afraid of it. Now I kind of get a rush off it, actually. It’s like an extemporaneous, comprehensive exam of all the social skills you’ve ever learned in your life shrunk down to one conversation that typically lasts no more than 5 minutes, if that.] This particular negotiation felt a bit like a handling a conversational time-bomb. He couldn’t believe that I was in Cairo for one day only and did NOT want to go to the pyramids, the museum, or the downtown district. He was positively incredulous.

"You are in Cairo for one day only, and you do not want to see the pyramids or the museum? This is crazy talk! Nowhere else in the world can you see the pyramids, only Cairo, and you will not see them. You are crazy man!" I must confess that, even though I was prepared for this experience, I was still quite unnerved.

He wanted to take me to all those places, of course, and for only 300 pounds. He couldn't believe I would resist such a good price. I lost count on how many times I politely (yet firmly) refused, but it must have been close to a dozen. At long last he understood (finally!) that “yes, I only want to go to Islamic Cairo” and then be picked up later in the afternoon, if possible. He dropped me off in front of the Khan al-Khalili, the main market just outside Islamic Cairo. I paid him 90 pounds, which was more than I wanted to pay but felt right based on how the negotiation had proceeded.

My day in Cairo was barely 30 minutes old, and it had already been an adventure.