Why is Imran visiting Cairo?
The main reason to visit Egypt was to step on the African continent. I knew there were riots going on and a lot of political instability but wasn't sure how much problem it would cause. Since my mother was accompanying me I decided to be super safe and not go to any areas where there were any signs of riots or acts of protests.
This was my second stop in my first Round The World Trip in 39 days.
What I did?
Al Azhar Park
As I mentioned there were riots going on in Egypt and the amount of tourist activity to be done uber safely were pretty limited. After Jummah (Friday Payers) I decided to go check out Al Azhar Park which is the only place in Cairo where there isn't any smog, pollution or toxic gases in the air. There is a 20 Egyptian Pound ~$3 entry fee I think, I am not sure of the exact amount but there was an entrance fee. The highest hill in the park gives a 360 degree view of Cairo from where you can view the Citadel and Old Cairo. It is a good place to visit in Cairo and only one of the few places where you will not need an oxygen mask to breathe outside.
City Star Mall
Okay now I know a travel blog shouldn't contain an entry for a mall but because of all the riots and political instability we always ended up going to the City Star Mall which was a safe place to go. I had wanted to go check out the Egyptian Museum and other places to explore in Cairo but due to the environment we opted to go to safe places. I would call and ask the concierge and always get a reply "no sir it is not the safe go out, you can go to the mall which is the bretty safe." So I ended up hanging out in the mall :(
Mosques
Cairo is known as the city of a 1000 Minarets and has a whole lot of Mosques. I was in Cairo during Friday and had the opportunity to pray Jummah (Friday Prayers) at the Sayyidna Al Hussein Mosque. It is considered to be the holiest Islamic site in Cairo. It is located close to the Khan El Khallil Bazaar and is very crowded during Jummah. I was really surprised as to how unclean the mosque was as people were eating and creating a mess in the mosque, even the wudu (ablution) area was unclean.
I also wanted to go visit the Mohammed Ali mosque which has said to been inspired by the architecture of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Sadly I wasn't able to visit the mosque since after we left Al Azhar Park there was news of riots breaking across Cairo and we opted to go back to the Hotel.
Pyramids etc.
There is a high probability that any one who visits Cairo is doing so to go visit the Pyramids, I don't think there is any other reason to plan a trip to Cairo. The Pyramids are outside the city limits in Giza so it was a safe place to visit, but I wouldn't be surprised if Egyptians started protesting near the pyramids. There are 2 ways to get there a cheap way and a not so cheap way. The cheap way involves taking a cab driver to take you to the pyramids and show you around, which would cost you around $40 ish, you could probably even bargain more if you speak Arabic or have an Egyptian friend who is good at haggling. The not so cheap way is to do it through one of the numerous tours that take you to the pyramids and the surrounding area. Although be prepared to pay a premium for english speaking guides and the comfort of ac transport, by premium I mean 4 times more expensive than the cheap way for a full day 8 hour tour. We took a private tour from the hotel which took us to the Pyramids, Sphinx, Sakkara and the Memphis temple. Obviously I would have done it through the cheaper alternative if I was alone. We got to the pyramids around 11:00 ish and my first impression was just wow. I have seen the Pyramids in pictures and videos but nothing can prepare you once you are there. I think the pyramids are bigger in person than when you view them in pictures. There are 3 pyramids and the biggest pyramid is called the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids are almost 4500 years old and still standing. I am just amazed at the engineering feat accomplished 4500 years ago with no computers and modern technology. I doubt the same can be accomplished now even with the aid of computers and modern technology.
We also visited Memphis (not the one in Tennessee) in Egypt. It was the capital of Egypt during the old kingdom. The site we visited contained ruins from Memphis.
Miscellaneous Stuff
People I met
I was visiting Al Azhar Mosque where I ran into some Egyptian guys probably college students. They were really nice and helped me with directions. They were the only Egyptians that I met in my whole trip that didn't try to sell me some random things I don't want or try to rip me off.
What I ate?
When you think of Egypt you don't really think of it being a place with good food, although some of the things that I ate were not only cheap but were pretty yummy. I have heard about Koshary a kind of a spaghetti with chick peas, lentils and spiciness through some of my Egyptian friends. Koshary can be found on any street corner in Egypt with some places being more famous and serving better Koshary than the others. I had wanted to visit the famous Koshary joint called Abu Tarek Koshary which I saw on Anthony Bourdains show No Reservations. I didn't get to visit Abu Tarek since it was close to where all the riots were going on but I did manage to try a place close to my hotel, the name of which I don't remember. The place served good cheap Egyptian food, where me and my mother ate for $3. The meal consisted of 2 Koshary's, 1 Drink & 2 Rice puddings. Depending on your spice tolerance you can make the Koshary as spicy as you want with the hot sauce they serve you on the side. It is a carbalicious meal consisting of spaghetti, chick peas, lentils, fried onions and some other stuff. it is a very filling meal which doesn't cost a whole lot.
I also tried the Egyptian rice pudding which is equivalent to the Indian rice pudding called Kheer although the Egyptian version is a little less sweet and contains no dry fruits.
After eating Koshary we were walking back to our hotel where I came across a little bakery serving fresh warm bread. Since I hadn't had any meat that day I decided I should have some Kebab rolls which once again were pretty cheap - $1. I ordered 1 Kebab roll and a side of bread to eat the Kebab since I was under the impression I am only buying a Kebab and not a Kebab roll. To my surprise I had ordered a Kebab roll. The bread which I ordered was also filled with minced beef kind of like an enclosed burger. The Kebab roll was amazing and had very tender fresh meat. It wasn't really spicy just bland.
My favorite has to be the beef bread which I had initially thought of as being only bread. Once I had my first byte I knew something was wrong as the bread tasted meaty. I am not sure what the Egyptian name for the bread I ate is but it was comparable to an enclosed burger which had tastier meat than any burger I have had. It was also very filling.
Anthony Bourdain the host of the TV show No Reservations is partly to be blamed for my travel obsession. I had seen his Cairo episode where he eats hemam (pigeon) an Egyptian delicacy which consists of a fried pigeon with stuffing. Its kind of like a small scale thanksgiving for one where instead of turkey you use pigeon and is a lot more tastier. Eating pigeon may sound weird but trust me it tastes exactly like chicken and is a whole lot crunchier since it is fried. You need to ask a local where you can find good hemam and trust the locals decision. There is a lot of places where you can eat hemam close to the Khan El Khalil bazaar. Try going to a place which is crowded and doesn't have a credit card machine. Eating hemam is a challenge in its self since the bird is real small and the meat is pretty limited, but the inconvenience of using your hands and scraping the meat is all worthed.
Now I have heard of Al Baik chicken through some of my friends who just can't stop talking about the fried chicken from the place. At the City Star Malls food court I was surprised to find an Al Baik location as I thought Al Baik is not international and is found only in Saudi. I was keen on trying the fried chicken and figure out what all the fuss is about. To be honest I think the fried chicken was aight it wasn't the best I have had. Its probably because the Al Baik chicken in Saudi is different than the one in Egypt. I just need to go try the Al Baik fried chicken in Saudi and make a decision regarding my friends fanatical behavior over Al Baik chicken. I still feel the best fried chicken and wings can be found at Cluck - U - Chicken in collie park bubba sparx, murrland hollaa.
Cook Door is an Egyptian fast food joint which serves fresh fast food. It has weird names for sandwiches and combos like the bikini, fried viagra etc.. Although the sandwich names are weird but the taste is pretty good. I wanted to try the fried viagra but since I am not a big sea food fan I skipped on it. They have a disclaimer with the sandwich which says "If hunger lasts more than 4 hours consult a nutrionist"
Conclusion:
Cairo is a crazy city with even crazier people. The traffic is pretty horrendous, the pollution is off the charts, the people are always trying to rip off tourists and there isn't a lot of cleanliness. Now this coming from a person who has lived in Bombay for 20 years may sound weird but it is pretty true. It almost seems as if Egypt is going backwards and is always in the news for the wrong reasons. As much progress as the ancient Egyptian civilization had made seems to have vanished in the present days. Now I might have had a bad first impression about Egypt which is wholly to be blamed on the political situation. I am certain there is more that Egypt has to offer and is definitely a good place to visit during times of peace and stability.
The main reason to visit Egypt was to step on the African continent. I knew there were riots going on and a lot of political instability but wasn't sure how much problem it would cause. Since my mother was accompanying me I decided to be super safe and not go to any areas where there were any signs of riots or acts of protests.
This was my second stop in my first Round The World Trip in 39 days.
What I did?
Al Azhar Park
As I mentioned there were riots going on in Egypt and the amount of tourist activity to be done uber safely were pretty limited. After Jummah (Friday Payers) I decided to go check out Al Azhar Park which is the only place in Cairo where there isn't any smog, pollution or toxic gases in the air. There is a 20 Egyptian Pound ~$3 entry fee I think, I am not sure of the exact amount but there was an entrance fee. The highest hill in the park gives a 360 degree view of Cairo from where you can view the Citadel and Old Cairo. It is a good place to visit in Cairo and only one of the few places where you will not need an oxygen mask to breathe outside.
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| Mohammed Ali Mosque in the back. |
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| Mommy. |
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| Panoramic view of the park. |
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| Egyptian Gangsta. |
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| I was going to fall in. |
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| Panoramic view of the Old Egyptian Houses. |
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| Panorama view from top of the highest hill. |
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| View from top. |
City Star Mall
Okay now I know a travel blog shouldn't contain an entry for a mall but because of all the riots and political instability we always ended up going to the City Star Mall which was a safe place to go. I had wanted to go check out the Egyptian Museum and other places to explore in Cairo but due to the environment we opted to go to safe places. I would call and ask the concierge and always get a reply "no sir it is not the safe go out, you can go to the mall which is the bretty safe." So I ended up hanging out in the mall :(
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| Mom in the mall. |
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| Big Ice Cream. |
Cairo is known as the city of a 1000 Minarets and has a whole lot of Mosques. I was in Cairo during Friday and had the opportunity to pray Jummah (Friday Prayers) at the Sayyidna Al Hussein Mosque. It is considered to be the holiest Islamic site in Cairo. It is located close to the Khan El Khallil Bazaar and is very crowded during Jummah. I was really surprised as to how unclean the mosque was as people were eating and creating a mess in the mosque, even the wudu (ablution) area was unclean.
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I also visited the Al Azhar Mosque which is the oldest mosque in Cairo and believed to be the first mosque in Cairo. It is located within the Al Azhar University campus, which is believed to be the second oldest university in the world.
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| Inside Al Azhar Mosque |
I also wanted to go visit the Mohammed Ali mosque which has said to been inspired by the architecture of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Sadly I wasn't able to visit the mosque since after we left Al Azhar Park there was news of riots breaking across Cairo and we opted to go back to the Hotel.
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| Mohammed Ali Mosque in the back. |
There is a high probability that any one who visits Cairo is doing so to go visit the Pyramids, I don't think there is any other reason to plan a trip to Cairo. The Pyramids are outside the city limits in Giza so it was a safe place to visit, but I wouldn't be surprised if Egyptians started protesting near the pyramids. There are 2 ways to get there a cheap way and a not so cheap way. The cheap way involves taking a cab driver to take you to the pyramids and show you around, which would cost you around $40 ish, you could probably even bargain more if you speak Arabic or have an Egyptian friend who is good at haggling. The not so cheap way is to do it through one of the numerous tours that take you to the pyramids and the surrounding area. Although be prepared to pay a premium for english speaking guides and the comfort of ac transport, by premium I mean 4 times more expensive than the cheap way for a full day 8 hour tour. We took a private tour from the hotel which took us to the Pyramids, Sphinx, Sakkara and the Memphis temple. Obviously I would have done it through the cheaper alternative if I was alone. We got to the pyramids around 11:00 ish and my first impression was just wow. I have seen the Pyramids in pictures and videos but nothing can prepare you once you are there. I think the pyramids are bigger in person than when you view them in pictures. There are 3 pyramids and the biggest pyramid is called the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids are almost 4500 years old and still standing. I am just amazed at the engineering feat accomplished 4500 years ago with no computers and modern technology. I doubt the same can be accomplished now even with the aid of computers and modern technology.
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| Mom in front of the Great Pyramid. |
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| This looks photo shopped. |
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| This isn't. |
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| Walk like an Egyptian. |
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| Mom in a trick shot. |
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| I was trying to see how tough it is to push one block. |
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| Apparently it is pretty tough not even a rough, tough, rugged, handsome guy like me can push it. |
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| Inside the Pyramid. |
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| Me going to explore the inside of the Pyramid. |
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| Me after my exploration, there is a lot of squatting/duck walking involved going inside the pyramid. |
Saqqara is a burial ground of ancient Egypt and includes the worlds oldest complete stone building complex. The complex is about a 20 - 30 minute drive from the Pyramids at Giza. The step pyramid of Djoser was built for the Pharaoh Djoser by the architect Imothep. I believe the structure is almost 5000 years old and is still standing. I am not sure how it was built but it is just amazing that a structure almost 5000 years old is still present. There have been various conspiracy theories that believe the structures in Egypt were built with the help of aliens due to the engineering magnificence accomplished. Oh well. (TT: If you do take the trip with a personal guide, they will try to take you to small shops who will like all Egyptians try to rip you off by selling stuff like perfumes or carpets. You can just politely decline buying stuff from them or just ask the guide not to take you there).
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| Pyramid of Djoser. |
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| Mom with tour guide. |
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| Ancient gladiator tricks. |
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| Pre historic basement. |
We also visited Memphis (not the one in Tennessee) in Egypt. It was the capital of Egypt during the old kingdom. The site we visited contained ruins from Memphis.
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| Rameses II and I |
If you do visit the Pyramids at Giza you can pay a little extra and go inside the pyramids. The entry to the bigger pyramid costs $20 and the smaller is around $10. The price is not an issue as the opportunity to walk inside the pyramids is once in a lifetime. Everyone who is able and capable should try it. The problem is the limited space, which means you need to squat for a considerable amount of time. The bigger pyramid requires to duck, squat and walk for 20 -25 minutes and the smaller one is probably 10 minutes or so. I chose to walk in the smaller pyramid, although I wish I would have done the bigger pyramid. Now there is no electronic equipment allowed in the Pyramids but somehow I forgot to leave my cellphone behind so now you get an exclusive once in a lifetime peek inside the Pyramids brought to you by your local sponsor (Insert Brand Name here after payment).
Indiana Jones Treasure hunt in the Pyramid.
Inside the Pyramids.
Further inside the Pyramid.
The Inside Chamber of the Pyramid.
Fat Ass in the Pyramid.
Walking out from the Pyramid.
Trying my hand at carpet weaving.
People I met
I was visiting Al Azhar Mosque where I ran into some Egyptian guys probably college students. They were really nice and helped me with directions. They were the only Egyptians that I met in my whole trip that didn't try to sell me some random things I don't want or try to rip me off.
What I ate?
When you think of Egypt you don't really think of it being a place with good food, although some of the things that I ate were not only cheap but were pretty yummy. I have heard about Koshary a kind of a spaghetti with chick peas, lentils and spiciness through some of my Egyptian friends. Koshary can be found on any street corner in Egypt with some places being more famous and serving better Koshary than the others. I had wanted to visit the famous Koshary joint called Abu Tarek Koshary which I saw on Anthony Bourdains show No Reservations. I didn't get to visit Abu Tarek since it was close to where all the riots were going on but I did manage to try a place close to my hotel, the name of which I don't remember. The place served good cheap Egyptian food, where me and my mother ate for $3. The meal consisted of 2 Koshary's, 1 Drink & 2 Rice puddings. Depending on your spice tolerance you can make the Koshary as spicy as you want with the hot sauce they serve you on the side. It is a carbalicious meal consisting of spaghetti, chick peas, lentils, fried onions and some other stuff. it is a very filling meal which doesn't cost a whole lot.
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| I am not a Steelers fan I got the T shirt on sale for $5. |
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| Enjoying my Koshary yo. |
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| You can add the crunchy chips to make your Koshary crunchy. |
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| Egyptian Rice Pudding. |
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| I think I was bothering cook with my posing. |
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| Kebab Roll. |
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| Beef Burger Bread. |
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| Hemam = Pigeon & Kefta Kebab. |
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| Trying to figure out how to eat this joint. |
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| Searching for my lunch. |
Now I have heard of Al Baik chicken through some of my friends who just can't stop talking about the fried chicken from the place. At the City Star Malls food court I was surprised to find an Al Baik location as I thought Al Baik is not international and is found only in Saudi. I was keen on trying the fried chicken and figure out what all the fuss is about. To be honest I think the fried chicken was aight it wasn't the best I have had. Its probably because the Al Baik chicken in Saudi is different than the one in Egypt. I just need to go try the Al Baik fried chicken in Saudi and make a decision regarding my friends fanatical behavior over Al Baik chicken. I still feel the best fried chicken and wings can be found at Cluck - U - Chicken in collie park bubba sparx, murrland hollaa.
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| Excited to try Al Baik Chicken yo. |
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| Check out the # 11 Sandwich combo. |
Cairo is a crazy city with even crazier people. The traffic is pretty horrendous, the pollution is off the charts, the people are always trying to rip off tourists and there isn't a lot of cleanliness. Now this coming from a person who has lived in Bombay for 20 years may sound weird but it is pretty true. It almost seems as if Egypt is going backwards and is always in the news for the wrong reasons. As much progress as the ancient Egyptian civilization had made seems to have vanished in the present days. Now I might have had a bad first impression about Egypt which is wholly to be blamed on the political situation. I am certain there is more that Egypt has to offer and is definitely a good place to visit during times of peace and stability.
Nice experience dude that place is really interesting for me i hope i can go there also. i really appreciate your post thanks :)
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