Cairo 2.0

It's easier to visit a place you've been before. But visiting somewhere you've lived is the ultimate in ease. You know where things are, how much they should cost and where to get lattes. It's relaxing!

And then there's Cairo. I love Cairo: the energy, the people, the kushari. But it is far from a relaxing place to visit, except while floating on a felucca with friends in the middle of the Nile. And that experience only lasts an hour.

I planned my trip to coincide with the arrival of my old roommate at her sister. We toured several of the required tourist areas: the Khan al-Khalili, mosques and Coptic Cairo. These visits worked well with my shopping list, although some pressed upon the limits of my patience. At first Old Roommate’s sister was surprised by my behavior. She wondered why I was so argumentative with taxi drivers, for instance, or so rude to the various men who approached us to offer assistance or take our money.

A random pair of brass lions guarding a downtown jewelry shop:

Then the sisters went to they pyramids, and all was understood. I have been to the pyramids five times, and I have learned much from each tour. I discovered long ago that surviving in Cairo requires a certain level of bitchey-ness, of willingness for confrontation, and most importantly of intractable impatience. Now I refuse to pay more than I know is right for a taxi, and I now know that the most effective way to argue is to continue talking nonstop until the other person gives in. If someone tries to interrupt your onslaught, you must only speak louder. Speaking Arabic doesn’t always help the situation, but self-assurance does.

Abandoned opera sets behind the Cairo Opera House:

Still, despite a handful of fights with cab drivers, I had a lovely time and now miss the city more than I had before. I saw many (but not all, unfortunately) old friends, ate delicious food and drank as many lattes as I could handle.

The women's car on the metro:

I noticed some small differences in the city of today from that which I left a year ago, the most obvious of which is the addition of white, metered taxis to the traffic mix. Unfortunately, many of the drivers of said taxis still behave unscrupulously, to say the least, but occasionally the addition makes for improved transportation. The white taxis don’t ease traffic, however, so I took the metro quite a lot. As always, I was the tallest person in the women's car by about 8 inches. But as Old Roommate pointed out, this gave me not only an excellent line of sight but also some rare fresh air!

Also new: There is now a sign downtown that asks drivers to avoid using their horns, but I don’t see a difference. There is also a shiny new Iraqi Airways office - three flights from Cairo to Baghdad a week!

Old Roommate and I showed her sister our old downtown neighborhood, and one afternoon on the way to Abu Tarek kushari restaurant, I stopped by the kiosk where I used to buy water every day or so. I had been friendly with the kiosk owner and, when my parents visited, I made introductions. And although that was two years ago, the kiosk owner remembered me and even asked after my mother and father! He insisted I send them his greetings and I went on to lunch glowing with the kindness and friendliness of such a message.

The first day of my visit, the city was blanketed by the annual sand storm. The sky was gray and the wind stung. The rest of the time, however, it was actually blue up above and the intense sun kissed (or scorched, depending on tolerance levels) our faces.

I stayed in Maadi, with another old roommate, in my last apartment, in my former room. And whenever I had a free second, I went grocery shopping! Because in Egypt I could find all of the amazing American products that I didn’t realize I would miss so intensely. Besides Starbucks, of course, grocery stores in Cairo sell delightful things like Bisquick, refried beans, Doritos and fig newtons. I had brought an empty suitcase in anticipation of all the oatmeal I intended to transport, but I ended up buying so much food that I bought a new backpack too!

Starbucks with valet parking in Maadi:

There is also a whole world in Maadi that I only knew peripherally while living in Cairo. Had I known about it, I may not have left! My Maadi Roommate now belongs to an expat social club where members eat lunch/dinner/whatever, drink beers and hang out together having a jolly old time. I spent a few delightful evenings there with her, once with her giant dog (who has gotten even bigger, if you can imagine) in tow! It is certainly an exclusive, elitist, semi-colonialist atmosphere but it is a great relief from the bustle of the rest of city life. And the garlic bread is excellent!