Saturday, May 12, 2007
To Al-Qahirah to see the Abu al-Hol
When I was little, my parents became friends with an Egyptian family. I vaguely remember the tasty dishes and toys they gave me. They had a daughter about my age and we played together amongst the small concrete apartment blocks in Japan.
I wonder what went through their minds as they had to adjust to a different culture. Now that I have visited Egypt, I can imagine that it would have been quite a big culture shock. From religion, climate, food, cost of living, to language -- I assume there were many surprises. However, there may have been some familarity as well, such as friendliness of strangers and neighbors, and family-oriented structures of society.
(I am totally digging this photo. Something funky was going on with the camera, and everything Marwan took came out blue).
The Shpinx (or 'Abu al-Hol' in Arabic). There were some cheeky Egyptian kids hasseling us at one point, shouting "I'm here to see Abu al-Hol. He's my grands-father. You know him?!?" I only found out later that they were taking the piss out of us.
It's amazing to think that these pyramids were constructed over 5,000 years ago. There are only 3 giant pyramids, spanning over 3 generations of pharaos -Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaura. When you can have people working for you to build such a grandiose tomb, you know you are in power. The adminstration of this scale must have been a huge undertaking. I wonder what it would have looked like in its original form - the limestone casings were removed long ago to build temples in Cairo.
Camel!
They are one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. They make monstrous noises and have the ugliest teeth that would make a dentist cringe. I am frightened by them. The view from the top of a camel is pretty darn cool though, especially when crossing the desert.
Faces, Places.
What made my trip more than delightful were the people. Seeing Dody again was a real treat ;) Whether it be at a bar in NYC or at Trudy's (sipping Mexican martinis) in Austin, the Dode is always willing to enlighten me with his infinite wisdom.
At 1 year-old, Silverkey Cairo is starting to become a big boy. Cheers, Dody & Adam!
The fun thing about nomad-ing is that you meet the awesome people you have heard or read about. Tom is a super awesome & sweet host - not to mention the expert on Cairo. He has an ultra cool job, that everybody envies. He's just one of those really memorable people who makes you chuckle once in a while as they pop into your head unexpectedly (I can still hear his voice saying, "Isn't it great, eh?" Or "That is awesome!!!") Thanks mate, for all the great stories and the couch!
Adam was one of the reasons I decided to make it out to Cairo. Hanging with the Madisonites on Halloween, they convinced me that Egypt was a happenin' place. I was impressed at how he takes Cairo in stride.
Marwan was my partner in crime for visiting the pyramids. With his help, I got to have the microbus experience (loved it) and wander around the desert on a camel. He has an interesting background too. Marwan is Palestinian and Hungarian... but in the roots, he's a Chicago kid (born and raised, yes ma'am!).
Living it up.
Food
Unfortunately I have little to say about the food. What I truly enjoyed was the fresh fruit juices that you can get on the streets. And I tried goat for the first time - it is delicious and loaded with fat... Mmm...
Ibn Tulun Mosque
I was underestimating what the country has to offer. My stay was way too short and I just went at my own chill pace. Maybe I'll get a chance to see more of Egypt next time - Insha'allah!
I wonder what went through their minds as they had to adjust to a different culture. Now that I have visited Egypt, I can imagine that it would have been quite a big culture shock. From religion, climate, food, cost of living, to language -- I assume there were many surprises. However, there may have been some familarity as well, such as friendliness of strangers and neighbors, and family-oriented structures of society.
(I am totally digging this photo. Something funky was going on with the camera, and everything Marwan took came out blue).
The Shpinx (or 'Abu al-Hol' in Arabic). There were some cheeky Egyptian kids hasseling us at one point, shouting "I'm here to see Abu al-Hol. He's my grands-father. You know him?!?" I only found out later that they were taking the piss out of us.
It's amazing to think that these pyramids were constructed over 5,000 years ago. There are only 3 giant pyramids, spanning over 3 generations of pharaos -Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaura. When you can have people working for you to build such a grandiose tomb, you know you are in power. The adminstration of this scale must have been a huge undertaking. I wonder what it would have looked like in its original form - the limestone casings were removed long ago to build temples in Cairo.
Camel!
They are one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. They make monstrous noises and have the ugliest teeth that would make a dentist cringe. I am frightened by them. The view from the top of a camel is pretty darn cool though, especially when crossing the desert.
Faces, Places.
What made my trip more than delightful were the people. Seeing Dody again was a real treat ;) Whether it be at a bar in NYC or at Trudy's (sipping Mexican martinis) in Austin, the Dode is always willing to enlighten me with his infinite wisdom.
At 1 year-old, Silverkey Cairo is starting to become a big boy. Cheers, Dody & Adam!
The fun thing about nomad-ing is that you meet the awesome people you have heard or read about. Tom is a super awesome & sweet host - not to mention the expert on Cairo. He has an ultra cool job, that everybody envies. He's just one of those really memorable people who makes you chuckle once in a while as they pop into your head unexpectedly (I can still hear his voice saying, "Isn't it great, eh?" Or "That is awesome!!!") Thanks mate, for all the great stories and the couch!
Adam was one of the reasons I decided to make it out to Cairo. Hanging with the Madisonites on Halloween, they convinced me that Egypt was a happenin' place. I was impressed at how he takes Cairo in stride.
Marwan was my partner in crime for visiting the pyramids. With his help, I got to have the microbus experience (loved it) and wander around the desert on a camel. He has an interesting background too. Marwan is Palestinian and Hungarian... but in the roots, he's a Chicago kid (born and raised, yes ma'am!).
Living it up.
Food
Unfortunately I have little to say about the food. What I truly enjoyed was the fresh fruit juices that you can get on the streets. And I tried goat for the first time - it is delicious and loaded with fat... Mmm...
Ibn Tulun Mosque
I was underestimating what the country has to offer. My stay was way too short and I just went at my own chill pace. Maybe I'll get a chance to see more of Egypt next time - Insha'allah!
// posted by sakit @ 3:29 PM 
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What a true nomad. Your pictures are beautiful. It looks like your having a great time, and still traveling a lot. How do you do it? Hope all is well.
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