Day 4 - Islamic, Coptic, and Old Cairo

We checked out of our nice five star hotel. I wonder if tonight’s accommodation will be as nice.



















First on the agenda was the Mosque of Mohammad Ali. It was quickly pointed out that this was not built by the boxer. It is also called the Alabaster Mosque because of the amount of alabaster on both the outside and inside. It was completed in 1848 after 18 years of construction. It sits on the Citadel, the home of Egyptian rulers for over 700 years. There is a clock that was a present from the French for the Pharaonic Obelisk that sits in Paris. It never worked and is still awaiting repair. Salma says the French may finally fix it. We’ll see.

We then went to Saint Sergius, the first Christian church in Cairo. It is reputed to be built over the cave where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph hid when they fled Israel to escape King Herod. Inside there are old Roman pillars that have been reused to build the church.

It seems strange that there is a Jewish population in Egypt, but there are several hundred living here. Ben Ezra Synagogue is the oldest in Cairo. It is built in the shell of a fourth century Christian church. In this synagogue there are symbols for three faiths; Jewish, Christian, and Islamic.

We finished our Cairo tour with a stop at the Khan al-Khali Market. This is the same market that was bombed just a couple of months ago and tourists were killed. It’s kind of hard to get this out of your head as you’re strolling around. Since we were US tourists, we were provided with an armed guard. We didn’t know he was with us at first. We kept seeing the same person right behind us. Each time we stopped, he would stop and wait. Jon was getting creeped out by this, but he soon realized he was a guard assigned to us. He was there to keep the shopkeepers from grabbing us and pulling us in their shops. They only do this for US citizens. Kim thought it was kind of cool; like having your own secret service agent protecting you. The only difference is the secret service officers keep their guns secret. This guy let the magazine of his gun stick out of his coat. Salma says the vendors go nuts when they find out you’re an American and people are constantly asking you where you’re from. Vendors love Americans because they’ll buy so much and even after bargaining, will still pay ten times what the product is worth.

Salma wanted us to sample some local cuisine. There was a dish called Cocherie that is a pasta, rice, and bean dish with tomato sauce and spicy vinegar. She took us to one of her favorite places around the market. We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Many people just stared at us. We shared a small dish of cocherie that was more than enough for both of us. The cost was less than fifty cents. We have learned to let our guides purchase food and drinks for us. It can be much cheaper.

We dropped Salma off at her house and started our long drive into the Sinai. In the US, we are not really accustomed to seeing security check-points in the roads. At some, they had to check us out to see if we were really tourists. It was a little freaky to see machine gun nests and barriers in the road to prevent you from driving straight through. It’s always unsettling to have guards staring at you and demanding to see your passport.

At first, we were on something resembling a four-lane highway. When it went to a two-lane highway, it seemed like our drivers were playing a game of chicken with the on-coming traffic. It was scary for us, but it probably routine driving for them. Cars will pass in any situation, even though the road is two lanes wide there is always room for three. We stopped at a rest area and Jon, the seasoned traveler, just hands over 100 LE (Egyptian pounds) for a couple of cokes and a water. He ended up paying about three times as much as it was worth, but he learned a lesson. Another trick that we have already encountered many times is that the vendor claims not to have any change. You need to ask before you hand over your money.

As we progressed into the Sinai, some areas reminded us of the Badlands in the Dakotas. There was not much vegetation and the mountains had many colored layers.

We thought they were taking some chances with our lives with some of the passes they were making, but that was nothing compared to what happened after dark. Going around a sharp turn in the other lane was a bit discomforting for us. The use of headlights must also be optional in Egypt. I (Kim) thought for sure we were going to die. I cannot even begin to understand why you would drive around curving country roads at 50 mph and not use headlights. When two cars approached each other they would flash their lights briefly and continue on. There were also people walking alongside the road in the pitch darkness. I feel we came dangerously close to hitting more than one person.

We arrived in el Milga Bedouin Camp a little later than we wanted. We met Sheik Mousa who we had been in contact with for almost a year. I had the entire trip planned down to the littlest details except the next few days. Every time I would try to pin down Sheik Mousa on the basic itinerary, he would say: “When you get here we will talk”. I was a little uncomfortable starting the trip without a solid plan, but I put my trust in Sheik Mousa. We talked about a few things and agreed on an itinerary. It wasn’t how I would have imagined the trip, but based on the heat we were experiencing, I thought it was something that we could easily do.

Sheik Mousa talked about how they are trying to spread the wealth out to all of the Bedouin families. They have a rotation, so all of the guides and camel drivers get a chance to make some money. He talked about trying to set-up Eco-treks into the Sinai to help protect the area.

We needed some sleep for our travels in the morning. When we saw our room, it was clean, but small. There was only a small window and no air-conditioning. There are two things that we hate when trying to sleep; heat and bugs. There were no bugs, but we had plenty of heat. It took a long time for us to get to sleep. There was a bathroom not far from our room. The toilet was barely working, but it was a regular toilet and it will be the last one that we see for the next three or four days. In the middle of the night, I (Jon) must have gone to the bathroom with diarrhea three times. I hope I can make it though the next few days. (To Stephanie, It looks like those Depends might not have been such a bad idea after all. From, Kim)