...post script for the Nile Photos

If the Nile is the life blood of Egypt it needs a transfusion.
I am saddened by the way it is abused on a daily basis by the very people who hold it in such high esteem. The rubbish that floats alongside people washing clothes and dishes leeches toxins into the very water they are using to clean with. Not dissimilar to Samoa in some ways. If only they would bury it rather than dump the rubbish into the river.
I  took the photos while our staff were on a cruise from the Corniche to Maadi and back again, about 4 hours. The contrast between those that have (windsurfers, speedboat, yacht and tour boat passengers, including ourselves) and those that don't is incredible. Daily life along the Nile is simple even in Cairo, the city of 19 - 20 million people. Seeing people going about their daily chores makes you appreciate the life you have. Even if it is stressful at times it can never be as hard as the one some of these people have. We've been told not to swim or drink from the Nile yet we see the locals swim and wash their dishes in it out of necessity.
Imagine if the Waikato or even the Waitemata became so polluted that we were told not to swim in it.

Diversity on the Nile

People live aboard the small boats.

The boat we spent 4 hours aboard.

We didn't see any other dead cows.

The soil must be rich enough for market gardens.

People wash their dishes in the river.

This group were ferrying a cow across the river.

This woman dumped her dirty water in the river.

Cows being sheltered from the sun.

There were all kinds of boats ...

Used by all kinds of people ....



and hopefully some were tourists.



There are many hotels on the banks of the river -

including the lovely, pink Sofitel

This abandoned palace is pre Morsi

There were a couple of marinas



The ladies had been out on their boat too

KHAN EL KHALILI

The Khan El Khalili is a souk (bazaar / marketplace). We have been warned by local Egyptian friends to be careful because it's dangerous for "foreigners", you can be pickpocketed and ripped off by the locals hawkers.
But being Kiwis and having that "give it a go" attitude we headed down there this morning, with Debra in tow. Once again we took the Metro (1LE each way per person) to Nasser Station and walked to the souk. 99% of the shops on the way to the souk were closed, today being the day after Eid so it was quite nice to walk without the crowds and heavy traffic which is usual for the area.
On arrival at the souk we were surprised that very few shops were open but the longer we were there the more shops opened. By the time we left most were open and the number of shoppers had increased tenfold.
I have to say I have got very good at saying "La'a" (no) or "La'a shukran" (no thankyou... when I remember) to the hawkers as they tended to head straight for Debra as soon as I said it once. She is too polite whereas I give them to look and the wave of the hand or just totally ignore them.
These photos show how quiet it was before all the shops opened. If you look back at the Walks through Old Cairo blog you'll see how crowded it gets, even today when we left.

In front of Ibrahim El Pasha's statue.
Debra chopped his head off.

On the way to the souk nearly all the shops
were closed. Was a weird feeling.

The gold and silver shops were all
closed when we arrived.

We found a café that sold latte (espresso with milk).
Tony found some new friends and the hawkers found Debra.
We should have sat inside.



Took this photo for Chloe. I think the little pink
and brown one on the right was 200LE (less than $40)

Our first tank photo. The soldier wasn't allowed
to smile but he was very friendly anyway.

Nasser Station. End of another great excursion this week. Will take
Debra to Carrefour on Saturday for more shopping :-)

If You're Greedy You Get Nothing

Tony and I decided we would go to Maadi Island this morning to have a look around. We had spotted it when we went on the falucca ride and I'd read a little about it. Off we went on another excursion - caught a taxi into the train station on Shara Tessa (just in case the post office was open and I could send the Gladstone kids their letters :-( sorry it was closed).
We only needed to ride one stop today but when the train pulled up we both wondered if it was an actual station because it looked like a construction site. And there were a lot of young guys just hanging around so we made our way out of the station and along a street that looked like it headed in the direction of the Corniche (the road beside the Nile). Once clear of the crowds out came the map to get our bearings - right on track so off we went again.
It took us another 15 minutes to reach the gate to the island. There were a few police milling around outside the gate but we are so used to them being everywhere we just ignore them now if they re in a group. Otherwise it's the usual greeting and a smile.
To get to the actual island you have to cross a bridge and sitting at the entrance to the bridge were the 3 trolls. I had read that the cost was 10LE but they would try to bump up the price if you were not Egyptian so I was ready for it, sort of. Only one spoke English and when we asked him how much he said,"30LE." We replied,"You're joking! It's only 10LE," was rebuffed with, "not today." So we turned and walked back towards the road. I was peeved about the laughter that followed us up the ramp but then again who got the last laugh? We saved 30LE and missed out on a walk around a park about the size of Western Springs. They missed out on our 30LE entry and any money we would have paid for lunch in a café.

The entrance to Maadi Island.

A view across the military hospital helicopter pad to the island.

Maadi Island I don't think we'll be back to see you again in the near future all because of the 3 trolls who live beside your bridge. I wonder how many other foreigners they turned away today.

Zamalek via the Metro

We thought we would be adventurous and finally use the local train system today to go back to Zamalek.
Last time it cost us 50LE each way. This time it cost us 4LE for the train, that's for both of us, and 10LE for the taxi to the train station and back. 1LE for someone to ride from New Lynn to Auckland City is incredible and the trains come through every 5 minutes. BUT there is a downside ... because they are so cheap ALL the locals use them and they get very very full. We were okay going into because it was early but on the way back my friend Debra and I jumped on the women's carriage and Tony took the mixed one because they were chocka block - even in the women's carriage where no men are allowed we were crammed in like sardines. Funny though because this didn't stop the hawkers from coming on board and selling their wares (makeup, wipes, belts today).
Zamalek was a 20 minute walk from the Nasser Station and on the way we had  few obstacles.


There's always rubbish in the way.

Mark Sandford send some cones and tape please.

Found some of Mum's crocheting in a shop.

Boat houses on the Giza side. Cheap do ups!

We found a modern day Noah's Ark. The building at
the back had no lower floors.

When walking past a busy butcher you might
see carcasses hanging outside.

This you don't normally see ... but it's Eid.

And this is what we went to Zamalek for - our new bedspread from Uzbekistan.

 

Walks Through Old Cairo

Don't forget to click on the photos so you get a better view of the detail.

This first group of photos are from the walk we did through the Coptic Christian area of Old Cairo. When I say old I mean OLD. The first church we visited, Abu Serga, was built in the 4th century AD because  the Holy Family had stayed there during their exile to Egypt when Jesus was a baby. (Did you know that??) Unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside but you can google the church if you're interested. 

The alleyways between the church and the synagogue were filled with shops, stalls and hawkers trying to sell their wares.

              

The Ben Ezra synagogue is the earliest synagogue in Egypt which was originally a Christian church.  Unfortunately another place you need to google if you want pictures. The Islamic artwork inside it is amazing.

The Hanging Church was built in the 9th century and is suspended about 30 metres off the ground. There are mosaics on the outside walls that lead to the stairs that take you up to the actual church. The colours of the tiles and skill of the craftsmen is amazing. The pulpit in the photo has 13 pillars which represent Jesus and his disciples. Interestingly one pillar is darker than the others, representing Judas. It also has a large collection of relics from patron saints which adorn the walls on either side of the church. The last photo in this group is the Church of St George which is under restoration by the Greek Orthodox church 

 



 

We drove to the Citadel, a fortress which was started in 1176 and continually added to by the Ottomans in the 1500  -1700s. In the 1800s Mohammed Ali, an Albanian governor turned pasha who lived in the fortress, decided to build the Alabaster Mosque in the Citadel. These photos are of the Citadel and the Mosque.

      

                  







This clock tower was given to Mohamed Ali by King Louis Phillippe. In return Ali gave him an obelisk from Saqqara. The clock has never worked, Saqqara has only 1 obelisk and the other is a well known landmark in Paris.

 





The outer square of the mosque.

        

Mohamed Ali's shrine

  the smaller pulpit

The main dome

View back over Cairo. Spot the pyramids.

An original entrance to the Citadel

To finish the tour Memo took us to the Khan al Khalili Market. On the way we passed the City of the Dead, an area where approximately 50,000 people live among and care for the tombs and mausoleums of their dead. They even have shops and schools.

The market was like stepping into another dimension. The stalls and shops were packed side by side and our van could just fit down the main "roadway" when we were leaving. Side roads and alleyways branched off the main roads and you could probably find anything you wanted in this area which would be about the size of St Lukes Mall. Each stall was only about 2 metres. The hawkers were onto us as soon as we arrived but the shopkeepers stayed within the confines of their little areas. The noise was incredible considering we had just come from the peace and tranquillity of the mosque.

       

 

City of the Dead is like another suburb. Some mausoleums are as big as houses.

 
The Al Hussein Mosque at the market has huge mechanical umbrellas which they open for Friday prayers and when it rains. Note the hawker who wanted to sell me a scarf, charging me nothing to look. I couldn't get past him for a decent photo.

We stopped for a falafel at one of the cafes Memo knew. Hawkers didn't give us much peace but then they were the same with the locals too.

 
The Alabaster Mosque is on the hill behind the market. The shop owners reached out to draw us into their shops so it paid to walk in the middle of the road. This is the same road we drove down to leave.
 
 Looking forward to a revisit for a whole day. Apparently we only covered a very small block for tourists... lots of trinkets but some very cool, reasonably priced stuff in amongst it ... if you can cope with the hard sell.

So, another full on day with a birthday party to go to later on. We were pretty tired today and have spent most of it on the couches listening to the league and getting this blog entry done.
Thank you 6th October for the 3 day weekend! Back to work tomorrow for 4 days then another holiday :-)