Left Morocco for Egypt with relatively few hassels, other than that people here don't queue, they just kind of crowd forward and it took me a while to figure this out and just kind of crowd forward as well in order to check in.
I met two gentlemen in the airport who were also travelling to Cairo but on another flight. They both work for the Arab League (which they described as the equivilent of the EU for the Arab countries); one was in the legal department and the other was somehow involved in naval operations (I was not clear on how.) The one who worked for the legal department told me that this department was involved in such thigs as reducing corruption, bribery, organized crime and money laundering, as well as working to pass similar legislation in the countries to facilitate trade. They also told me that Canada has a good reputation in the Arab world as a sensible and reasonable country, politically speaking, and that they have a lot of respect for Canadian policies, which was nice to hear and made me realize how important Canada's political place in the world is, no matter how small we are. They subsequently apologized for talkig politics and gave me travel tips as well.
They were from Morrocco and Libya originally but had both lived in Cairo for several years, and told me that I should be prepared; that Cairo and Egypt as a whole was not like other coutries, that people might not be as friendly and that we would have to be a bit careful, but that it was a great place to visit. They also recommended several places to see, including Alexandria and Dahab.
Once on board my flight, I relaxed and tried to read a bit about Egypt and Cairo in preparation. Although I had checked out visas before I left Canada, the Lonely Planet guide omits Canada as a country that doesn't need to organize a visa in advance. So I spent a bit of time panicking, wondering whether I remembered correctly that I didn't need one, or if the guide was right and I did need one and had somehow forgotten to organize it! So I was relieved when I arrived and found out that, yes, in fact, I was right, the guide was wrong, and I could just buy my visa at the airport. ( Dunno what I would have done if I'd been wrong about that!)
Arrived at Cairo airport at 7 in the morning and had my luggage and visa by 8. Unfortunately, I didn't have any money because the ATMs at the airport didn't work! Actually, I had 13 egyptian pounds left over from buying the visa - about $2.40 - so my plan to take a taxi to the budget hotel that Rose and I were staying at was out the window. Luckily the public bus went right there for 2 pounds. So I headed over to teh bus station (which isn't marked) and tried to find the right bus (which has bus numbers in arabic, but no destination.) I just got on a bus and asked the driver what bus went to the Talat Harb (in certral Cairo, near the hotel) and about 10 men on the bus all had a lively discussion about which bus I should take, but finally settled on the best bus (I presume) and watched to make sure I got on it.
The driver on my bus didn't speak much English, but he knew where I wanted to go, and he was very helpful when we reached my stop (after about an hour) explaining the way to my hotel. So I successfully made it to my hotel for what really works out to be a measly sum of money and found Rose there, all checked in a ready for the day ahead!
In the next few days we managed a good deal of sightseeing and generally taking in Cairo.
We went to the Egyptian museum, which is home to an immense number of ancient artifacts, as well as the mummy room, which contains (as you'd expect) mummies from all different eras. The techniques varied over time, so some were prepared with colour to make the skin look more life like, and some used fat to make the skin look less dry and some had stones inserted in place of eyeballs, while other did not. Rose and I also enjoyed the animal mummification room, where we discovered all soprts of animals mummified - there could be pets, or food sources, or "votive" mummies (animals that were used to communicate with the gods and keep the mummy safe.) We were somewhat disturbed to learn that cats, which were had always though were sacred to the Egyptians, were just votive mummies and so cats were bred, captured and slaughtered with some regularity in ancient Egypt to protect the deceased. (Poor cats. Readers must know that, from our observation, cats in Egypt fare somewhat better today, in that we see loads of them in the streets as strays, foraging for food where they can. Kind of like rats I guess but much cuter in my opinion. And at least they are not being killed and mummified on a regular basis!)
Despite the amazing things housed in the museum, it is poorly displayed - there are few signs telling you about things, or rather they tell you what the thing is and when and where it comes from, but not its significance. Things are also a bit jumbled together.
We also took a day and wandered through "Islamic Cairo," a sort of maze of shops, houses, mosques, museums and so on. There was one square that was really busy and touristy, but the rest of the area was pretty quiet so we enjoyed just wandering and looking at all these amazing houses and mosques, as well as the old city gates.
Naturally, we went to see the pyramids and the Sphinx, which are surprisingly almost in the city. You walk up a street, and poof! There they are! The pyramids are cool - they are really massive - and I particularly enjoyed seeing the Sphinx. You can go into the pyramids, which is somewhat underwealming because there isn't much in there - just a passageway and tomb.
On the downside, the site is extremely disorganized, and it is kind of tourist hell. It's hard to find tickets, for one thing - booths are crappy and unmarked some of the time. Also, guys ride around on their camels and horses and offer you rides every 2-3 minutes, even if you don't want one. (Rose and I know how to say "No thank you" perfectly in Arabic now.) They keep at you and keep at you. One guy was so persistant I finally told him he would have to pay me five pounds if he wanted me to get on that camel! (After which he left us.) Also, when Egyptians ask you where you are from and you say Canada, they instantly respond (as if trained) "Canada Dry!" Swepps would be pleased I'm sure but a) it's a bit weird and b) it gets old after having heard it ad naseum. There is of course a lot of tack to be bought at the pyramids and in retrospect, I should have bought one of those snow globe-type pyramid things - a steal when you can bargain the guys down to like 50 cents for one!
We discovered a great restaurant in Cairo as well, which served us some amazing food, including a traditional dessert called Omy Ali - a sort of mix of cream and honey and filo pastry and cinnamon and cardamum - amazingly tasty!
Cairo is a crowded, busy city. It's pretty dirty and run-down looking as well, and the traffic is insane - you stand one one side of a busy road and dispair of ever crossing because the traffic doesn't seem to stop. Then you see the locals manage it somehow, and realize it takes a special knack, and if you follow the locals you realize the pedestrians are as crazy as the drivers but it works somehow! The horn is not an accessory to a car in Cairo, it plays a main roll and is used constantly.
As two blondes, Rose and I get our fair share of stares, and a few comments, and there ever present, "How are you? Where are you from? Welcome! You want to buy (insert item X here)?" We have been wearing ankle length skirts or pants and long tops with short sleeves that do not reveal any part of our chests, and I think this has staved off any of the more serious harassment that I have heard comes to other girls. We just ignore most things, and sooner or later people leave you alone. Mostly they want us to buy stuff, but sometimes they are just leering. Even on the subway (which is infamous for lewd behaviour) we were not touched.
Overall - crazy, interesting, dirty, and Rose and I had a lot of fun.