Phew! It has been a busy few days! I officially start work tomorrow so my "vacation" is over! I am going to have to become a morning person because I am getting picked up every morning at 6:45 a.m. for my almost hour-long commute every day. It is worth it though to live in a neighborhood where I can walk around.
On Saturday, Walther (our school director) took us to Saqqara to see the oldest complete stone structure in the world. I thought I had visited Saqqara twice before one horse back, but turns out there is a lower Saqqara with a stepped pyramid that is not as old as the original Saqqara. So, once again, felt slightly ripped off, but it was my fault for not questioning why a 5,000 year-old pyramid had only one tourist policeman present to guard it.
On Saturday, Walther (our school director) took us to Saqqara to see the oldest complete stone structure in the world. I thought I had visited Saqqara twice before one horse back, but turns out there is a lower Saqqara with a stepped pyramid that is not as old as the original Saqqara. So, once again, felt slightly ripped off, but it was my fault for not questioning why a 5,000 year-old pyramid had only one tourist policeman present to guard it.
Saqqara
The Red and Bent Pyramids in a few miles away in Dahshur.
I can't believe the paint is still there after 5,000 years!
The oldest religious texts in the world.
Feeling like Indiana!
On Monday, after recovering from the brutal heat at Saqqara for two days, a group of us went to Khan El Khalili, one of my favorite spots in Cairo. We successfully navigated the stalls for the most part and avoided getting ripped off or sucked into buying something we didn't need. We finished the night at the Egyptian Pancake house where I caught a tourist trap. The waiter gave me an Arabic menu which I read to my friends, but upon my asking about the meaning of the one word I didn't know (which turned out to be a different word for butter), the waiter gave us an English menu. The English menu had about a third of the items listed on the Arabic menu and the prices were almost double what the Arabic menu said. At this point, I demanded they give us the Arabic menus!
One of the many entrances to the "Khan"
Standard kitschy tourist stuff - Magic lamps and the like
Egyptian section of the Khan - I bought Egyptian Tang and Hibiscus Tea
The Egyptian section of Khan
Lit up at night - the last night of the Eid celebrations
The next day, I met up with Justine, Chris, Mariko, and Brandon and took them to my old horse-riding stable. I was excited to remember how to get to the stable and all of the men working there remember me. "Hey! You are the one that fell from the horse!" which I kept having to point out was their fault since the saddle I was on was not strapped on properly! Mohsin, my horse guy, was still working there and happy to take us for a night ride to the Giza plateau.
The pyramids at night.
They have added a cafe/dance floor in the 4 years since I have ridden up there. They even had generator-powered lights and a booming sound system!
The light pollution of Cairo
Tonight, we went to Al-Azhar Park, a lovely green space on the top of a hill in Cairo that overlooks many sections of the city. We met up with our compatriots from the other school campus for dinner at the Citadel Restaurant.
There were hundreds of Egyptians there relaxing on the last night of the Eid break.
The Citadel and Mohamed Ali mosque.
The Citadel restaurant
Impromptu Egyptian dance party while we were waiting for our bus!
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