An Incredible Journey-24 Hours in Egypt

Getting to Egypt was a bit of an adventure. After Katie and Dan dropped us at the East London airport in South Africa, we got a lift to our hostel in what we thought was a taxi (but actually turned out to be some random guy who offered us a lift). After the impossible task of locating Buffalo Backpackers (quite possibly THE WORST backpackers on earth), we headed to Spar to grab some dinner. We bunkered down, read some and relaxed after a jam-packed week and a half with my friends from home.

Around 4 p.m. we pulled out our bus tickets--the ones that would take us from East London to Joburg, where we'd catch our flight to Egypt (and then on to India). It was only then that we realized our bus left that night! Somehow we'd read the tickets wrong and assumed we left the following day. We ran to the bus station only to learn that a) it was closed and b) buses to Joburg leave just once each day. Missing our flight out of the country wasn't an option. And since it departed the following day, taking the 22-hour journey by bus wasn't an option either.

So we scrambled.

No one at Buffalo's would let us use the phone and not a single person could tell us where a pay phone we could use was located. So we raced around the streets of East London trying to find a way to contact the local airport. With 30 hours to liftoff, it seemed our only option. After several desperate minutes on the phone, we'd been assured there was space enough on a morning flight from East London to Joburg. And while it would leave us 16 hours to wait at the airport, we were mostly just happy to be on our way and out of the black hole of East London. We were, however, less than pleased about the $120 price tag (especially since we'd already purchased a bus ticket on top of it).

So the following morning we loaded up our bags and headed to the airport, where we barely made it on the departing flight. Once we reached Joburg, we were unable to pass through airport security (we had 16 hours til our flight, after all), so we settled in at a cafe, people watched and read Shantaram. The book, which is a fictionalized autobiography of a guy living in Mumbai, is probably bigger than the Bible, so we were happy to offload it before boarding our plane to Egypt. (Turns out 16 hours is long enough to finish reading an 850 page book and to walk around the entire international terminal a few dozen times.)

Egypt wasn't a big part of our six-month travel plan, but when Rachel looked at tickets and found the cheapest way to Mumbai was through Cairo, we were pretty excited about the prospect of a visit--even if it was for just 17 hours. I'd always dreamed of seeing the pyramids and had heard from others that the city was a great destination.

Getting off the plane was like entering another world--one where females didn't exist. There were no women anywhere--none in the terminal and certainly none working. It was something I'd continue to notice when we left the airport and ventured into the city. Men were present and moving about everywhere you looked, but women were nearly impossible to find in this very traditional society.

We payed for our visa and hired a car for the day--one that would take us to the pyramids, the Sphinx, over the Nile and to a historic mosque, but also around the city limits, too.

Aside from the men, who stared endlessly as we walked out of the airport, the first thing I noticed about Cairo was that it was freezing! After two years in a place where the average temperature is over 100 degrees, arriving to sub 60 degree temps proved a major shock to the system. One we definitely were not prepared for.

Our driver took us to a hole in the wall for breakfast, where we feasted on the best falafel I've ever had. From there, it was through the city and to the pyramids. I was shocked by how run down Cairo looked. I'd imagined it to be a city of wealth, not just because of the tourists who arrive from around the world, but because of the pictures I'd seen prior to visiting. But as I looked out the window, my eyes were met with smog, pollution and decay. Rooftops were literally covered in garbage and it looked like buildings were breaking down before my eyes.




The Nile (Thats not a reflection off the water. It's smog.)




These cars are not parked. The traffic was INSANE.

I expected the pyramids to be somewhere more isolated--smack dab in the middle of a desert or well off the beaten path. So I was incredibly surprised to find that where the city ended, they began. You can literally walk from the door of a Dominos Pizza to the Sphinx.



Just like Mount Rushmore, both the Pyramids and the Sphinx were smaller than I expected, but both were still interesting to see. There were men offering camel rides everywhere we turned and plenty of people eager to take our picture for a price (neither of which we were interested in).


The Sphinx




Rachel and I looked like gypsies with all our brightly colored sitenges wrapped around us. It was mostly to keep warm, but also to avoid the leering eyes of men.





After the pyramids we headed to a famous mosque within the city limits before returning to the airport for our flight to Mumbai.




A traditional Fez Maker

Seventeen hours later, we finally boarded our plane to India. We were unsure where we'd stay once we arrived (we hadn't booked anything in advance--not the best plan, considering we would arrive on New Year's Eve), but we were still incredibly excited (and a little bit sad) to finally leave the continent of Africa after 27 months there.