A magical moment

Day 1: Rough

I always say that travel is about the highs and lows. The problem with travelling alone is that I have no one to share the highs with, and no one to help me through the lows.  Travelling solo is an awesome experience and I’ve met so many great people. But it’s not always easy or glamorous.

My lonely hostel boasts a stunning view of the city (but looks can be deceiving!)

...because in reality, Cairo is mad

My first day in Cairo is tough. I am exhausted when my alarm goes off (I have too much to see and do to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in), I seem to have pinched a nerve in my back, because it’s alarmingly painful, and if I am honest with myself, I feel lonely. I hop on the subway, the only white person, and one of the only females, and pretend that the overt staring isn’t happening. In truth, it’s unnerving and I today I feel like I don’t have the patience or strength to endure it. I feel irritable, like I want to yell at everyone to stop staring at me. But I endure as I make my way to old Cairo, which allegedly has some cool sights.

In Old Cairo there's sheep and goats in the markets....maybe for sale?

Cairo in general is a gong show. It’s not as bad as Marrakesh, but definitely chaotic. There’s a lot of garbage everywhere and gobs of people, specifically men. I see tourists, but not as many as I thought I would. Traffic is intense. 3 line hiways are treated like 5 lane hiways. There’s very few traffic lights. Crossing the streets is complete mayhem.  Basically to get across the streets, do this: close your eyes, step into traffic, and assume they will drive around you. I marvel at how the heck the cars squeeze so closely together without hitting each other. Getting cut off is about as common as hearing the horns, which means A LOT.

Behind the traffic you can see tons f signage for some sort of election...and I thought the States was bad!

I hop off at my sub stop and peruse the streets. I see more interesting stuff, suffer more blatant stares, and try not to be too rude to the countless men who either try to talk to me or just stare. (And it’s not just me- all white females I have talked to get stared at here). Part of me feels like it’s a disrepectful thing. Mulsim women don’t venture too far without their men, so somehow being a lone female wandering the streets makes me feel like they think I’m some sort of floozie because I don’t have a man to escort me around. Apparently there is a lot of disrespect towards white women in general, thanks to the women on American TV and movies who throw themselves at men. Add this to a culture where women are inferior, and it’s no wonder I feel uncomfortable by myself.

I loved seeing the Nile

Not normally a museum person, many fellow travelers tell me that I have to see the Cairo museum of Egyptian artifacts. It turns out to be good advice. There is everything from authentic mummies to chariots to tons of golds found in the tombs.  I was also advised to hire a guide. This turns out to be a mistake as I have a hard time understanding him. I am tired and strain to understand him, mostly unsuccessfully. He occasionally quizzes me on what he has just told me and I don’t know the answers. Then he grows impatient and condescening, and makes me feel stupid. I find the Egyptian men slightly hotheaded, impatient and easily irritable. I witnessed several fights and shouting matches in general, and impatience towards me when I don’t understand them.

No cameras allowed at the museum, but I saw this mask and real mummies, amongst thousands of other cool things.

After some fantastic Egyptian food–alone–I go back to the hostel. I am thrilled to see some white guys in the common area watching a movie. I plop myself down and start talking to them, barely apologizing for interupting the movie. They are from Canada and  we talk for more than 2 hours. It wards off the social starvation and I feel much better by the end of the day.

An amazing thing to see

Day 2: Great

The next day I go to see the pyramids. I originally just wanted to walk around and avoid the tourist traps, but the opportunity to ride camels and horses through the Sahara desert and the pyramids is too much to pass up, so I cough up. And it is well worth the splurge. It is a profoundly impacting experience, one that I am not prepared for.  It’s one of the most magical moments of my trip to date,  and I marvel at the sand, animals, and the massive pyramids (the only remaining ancient wonder of the world!) before me. My guide mistakes my “Yes, I know how to ride a horse” for experience, and tells my horse to go. He runs (runs!) around the desert, the sound of his hooves echoing on the sand he kicks up. I feel like I am in a movie as the wind and sand whip through my hair and I let out a “Wahoo!” As my horse runs, he spooks the dusty blue doves that are everywhere and they look gorgeous as they fly away. They look much nicer than the white ones I have seen.

I'm clutching a 143m pyramid

The Sphinx is amazing, too. It’s massive. As I stare at it, I feel a little sad. It really is too bad it’s nose fell off, but I suppose that is what gives it character.

The Sphynx is Most Impressive

Of course the rest of the day I have to fight with traffic to get across the street and suffer stares. But it’s okay because I’m euphoric from my experience in the desert. I walk around with my iPod so I don’t have to hear the comments. At the bus station waiting to take yet another overnight bus ride, I am practically the only woman in the station, and the only white person. By the time I get on the bus, my irritability is high and I actually snap at the guy behind me who doesn’t want me to recline my seat. I argue with him and am upset and rude to the point that later I apologize. Anyone who knows me will vouch that this is totally out of character.

My horse's name is Michael Jackson and my camel's name is Mickey Mouse

But hey, one can only deal with Egyptian men and their disrespect for so long.

It’s a long, uncomfortable ride to my next stop, but it was totally, completely, unequivocally worth it. More on that later.

Me and the Nile