A Side Trip to Cairo

Egypt is so close. How could I not visit the Pyramids while I am in this part of the world?

With son Jonathan's visit as an excuse, I booked a four-day excursion to Cairo, doing the completely "tourist" things: see the Pyramids, check out the camels, tour the Egyptian Museum, navigate the Cairo Market, inhale essential oils at perfumery, dine on the Nile, have a Pharonic massage (Happy Mother's Day!), and bask by the pool of the Sheraton Cairo. How American of me.

Yet, that was the only sensible way to go. Traffic in Cairo cannot be explained in simple words like crazy, chaotic, maniacal, treacherous, terrifying, death-defying. We neeeded a driver wherever we went, and a personal guide eased us through crowded ticket booths and checkpoints. Thus, we had a little taste of Cairo, a relaxing time at a five-star hotel, and another bushel of memories. "Remember the hookah?" "Don't forget the Egyptian mango smoothie." "Was there really that constant cacophony of horns and engines and squeaking brakes? The Cairo Symphony, I call it." "Ah, the pool was nice."

Most noticeable was the extremely kind customer service and the genuine pleasure that we had in conversational exchanges. I spent several hours just talking to shopkeepers--no purchase necessary. Jonathan enjoyed his leisure time by the hotel pool. One of the pool waiters asked his advice to improve his pick up lines. "Can I say to a woman," he asked my son, "You are beautiful. . ." Jonathan started to nod, but the fellow continued "and you have a nice rack?"

Everywhere we went, Egyptians were pleased that we were enjoying ourselves, that we had selected Cairo for a holiday. Even if we were Americans. ("People are people," one man said, "not their governments.") A smile from us was met with the same response--from adults and children alike. It was a very positive experience.

Of course, it was rushed. Too little time and too many people at the Pyramids. Too little time and so much granduer at the Museum. Too many shops, too much confusion at the market. Too many bottles to sniff at the perfumery. And, did I say, "Too much traffic, everywhere?"

Cairo, at least the part we saw, was a contemporary mix of old and new, traditional and westernized, ancient construction and skyscrapers. Mosques, Coptic churches, government ministry buildings, armed police, few red stop lights.

Reflections: The pyraminds and Sphinx we saw seemed next door to the city (not isolated in the desert as I expected); the Muslim influence was ever-present but very tolerant and accommodating of us; Americans were in short supply--and that was O.K. Cairo was noisy and dusty, but progressive, too. There were far more parks and green spaces than I expected--and the U.S. influence was almost embarrassing: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Burger King, T.G.I. Friday's--the works.

Somedays, you just can't get fully away!

Cairo's 25 million inhabitants are spread across a mega-city and its environs. A trip to the airport from the Nile is over an hour--just in city traffic. On our return, we only saw three accidents--amazingly small number for the constant jockeying position on the streets. As Jonathan explained, "Yes, we have lots of traffic in California--five lanes, sometimes. But, we drive in the lines." At that point, we were on a narrow two-lane street: one car in the left lane, one in the right, and one straddling the center line, coming down the middle. Beep, beep, beep.