I got sand in my shoes….

Picture this - the population of Canada living in a sprawling city not much larger than the GTA. You’re picturing Cairo – the largest city in Africa and the Arab world. Its subway system (the only one in Africa) transports over 700 million clients annually…700 million. Needless to say, the streets are often a parking lot.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I feel privileged to be part of this soup of the history, the future, the Jews, Muslims, Christians, and tons and tons of tourists. When I arrived my senses were exploding. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the listening – I felt like a baby being born into another world. In a sense, I was. Actually, I had lived for 8 years in Aleppo, Syria – in another life…a long long time ago. I was struck by how new everything seemed, but also how familiar it was to me at the same time. I feel a certain kinship with the Arabs…the harsh tongue, their disregard for personal space, the “we’re all in this together” mentality.

I initially moved into a hotel close to the airport, Intercontinental City Stars…one of the most luxurious hotels in Cairo. I was a little disappointed when I learned that my office would be in Cairo proper and that I had to move. It was one the best things to happen – I moved from the equivalent of Mississauga to downtown Toronto. The Nile is a stone’s throw from my bedroom now – the Nile!!!

It’s funny, but when you travel alone, you bump into the most random people. Just yesterday I had sheesha with an old couple from Dallas, Texas. The guy looked like a retired executive who was enjoying life – his wife was a loud, big, kind American. He was constantly telling her to watch what she was saying. Then she told me about this hibiscus drink that she was going to make back in Dallas. Her husband rolled his eyes and said “yeah right”. She also told me that she was going to buy a sheesha pipe – she had smoked it for the first time in Cairo and was hooked.

I went swimming in the afternoon and bumped into this older Egyptian guy in the pool. I apologized; he responded “tamam” as in “are you okay?”. I didn’t know whether he was upset or genuinely worried. We got to talking and he ended up being a General in the Cairo secret police (our Special Investigations Unit). I asked him about terrorism in Egypt and crime. They don’t seem to have that problem here, it is just that the economy is struggling with so many people and the youth have no aspirations for careers here. It is tough to find meaningful work. We have it lucky in Canada.

Last night, I hopped into a cab and said “downtown” – not really knowing where he would take me. We drove along the Nile for a bit and then turned left into chaos of people, shoes, cars, clothes, and lights. I got out and walked for a couple of hours – it is fascinating to watch people in their own habitat with no agenda. I literally people watched the whole night. Last night I realized that amongst all the chaos, there really was order. Somehow, someway all the cars make it to where they’re going and everyone gets to park somewhere. Families enjoyed corn on the street and soft cone ice cream by the river. I saw a guy drinking a black juice and asked him what it was…”tamarhind”…or tamarind juice. I bought one for the equivalent of 20 cents. If I was going to get sick, this would be it. It tasted pretty good – and I haven’t gotten sick yet (cross my fingers).

I came back to the hotel and had some sheesha before going to bed. The weekends here are Friday and Saturday. I had one more day before getting back to work…what would I do?

I woke up early on Saturday morning and headed off to the pyramids. The pyramids. You get a strange feeling when you walk up to them – a humbling comes over you as you stand in front of something great that has seen the world change for so long. Imagine this – think of Jesus Christ. Sounds like a guy who lived a loooooong time ago right? Now think of this: we are closer in time to Jesus Christ than he is to the pyramids. It isn’t even fathomable. These cones of rock have been around forever (virtually).

It was relatively peaceful, albeit the usual local entrepreneurs looking for a quick buck. One guy took my picture and asked for a tip. I said no, then he asked me to take a picture of him…I asked him for a tip…he said no…I guess we were even at that point. This is how the conversation starts:

“Hey mister, where you from?”

“Canada”

“Ahhh your face Egyptian! Canada dry…very nice”

“Welcome to my country, here is a gift” (they give you a headdress)

“You know what this is?”

“Yes, a headdress”

“You keep okay? Friend. Welcome”

(I start walking)

“Hey mister, no tip?”

“For what?” (I gave him back the headdress)

“You give me something”

“No”

“You take picture”

“No”

“You take camel, very good right, giza, sphinx, panorma, very special”

“No”

I literally had the same EXACT conversation with like 8 people.

So I spent the afternoon walking around these monuments, and then sat on a rock and read. What a wicked start to the day.

When I was done, I hopped in another cab and went to Old Cairo. This is a maze of copper trinket shops, mosques, coffee houses, and mosques. Everything in Cairo is old – the coffee shop I stopped at to have some tea and sheesha has been open for 200 years. They have been serving tea in that very spot for 200 years! I sat next to a dutch guy who was here for his bday – a four day getaway. He shared his travel stories with me, talked about life and then we parted ways.

I’m not back in my room – ready to pass out and let the sun’s warmth soak into my being.