March madness has new meaning in Cairo. This has been the month for visitors. Not too many people have decided to brave the “wilds” of BFE (a.k.a. Cairo), but those that did chose March to do it.
Our first visitors, since my family left in January, were Beth and Flash. They were unbelievable mules for us, bringing the most random, and sorely missed treats from the States. Think moto magazines, Almond Roca and salami!!! They arrived the day after we returned from Qatar, so we’d been home just long enough to make their bed and put out clean towels.
Although their stay in Cairo was brief (who flies from Denver to Cairo for only 5 days???) we had an incredible time. The laughter alone will keep us going for months! I was in classes most of their visit, so Jack got to do fun things like go to Giza (or Geezer for Flash). Flash also renamed the Khan el Khalili to the Hannukah Lili.
We were sad to put them into the taxi at oh-dark-thirty for the airport. So, too, it seems, were the “powers that be” causing them many delays in getting back to Denver. Thanks, guys, for braving the “wilds”!
Our second March visit came quickly on the heels of the first (Beth and Flash left Saturday, Lisa and Dan were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday – they made it on Wednesday, after an unexpected layover in Doha, Qatar). Lisa is a colleague of Jack’s at work. She and her husband arrived in Cairo from Thailand.
They had tourist places that they wanted to see, and tickets for “Upper” Egypt. In the time that they were here, we also dragged them along on (not one, but..) two AUC tours in Cairo! We were supposed to go on only one, but it got rescheduled for later in the day, so we did two! In the morning we went to Mohammed Ali’s Summer Palace in Shubra (northern Cairo) and the former port area of Cairo called Bulaq.
Pictures of the morning tour
We had a quick lunch of kosharee (yummy and filling bowl of PURE CARBS) before going on the second tour, to the City of the Dead – otherwise known as the Great Northern Cemetary. It is a cemetary, and there are fully active townships within the cemetary! Jack and I had been wanting to go, but without a guide (and an idea of where to go) it is not a very hospitable place for visitors. We had our favorite AUC guide for both trips, so we really got a wonderful experience in both places.
Lisa and Dan were troopers! They went everywhere! They were unbelievably easy house guests! Thanks for the visit
Pictures of the City of the Dead