Killing Time in Cairo

Well, well, well. Froody and I have now been in Egypt for about 2.5 weeks, yet I feel as if we just got here. One reason is because of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan all good muslims are fasting during the daylight hours, which means a lot of shops and sites have strange hours and good luck finding cheap, local food. Also it was frikken' hot so we were not motivated to do much during the day anyway. However, the nightlife during Ramadan cannot be beat. The streets are (finally) full of people, all the stores are open, as well as all the coffee houses and juice bars. (yah, yah, I know I blogged it before, but whatever.)

So, yesterday we FINALLY ate food at a locals-only type place. No, we don't speak Egyptian yet (class hopefully to begin tomorrow more likely Saturday), but the waiter was very nice and by smiling and pointing we got some fuul (mashed fava beans with onions and flavor), falafel (not what they call it here, but can't remember the real name), some sort of eggplant stuff, and aisha or pita bread. We also had a side of cucumbers and tomatoes and pickled veggies which Froody didn't like but I find OK. The waiter asked us if we wanted Pepsi and we said, "yes," and he served us nice, cold Sprites. I guess "Pepsi" is the general term for "soda". Dinner was spent at a kushari place which serves only kushari (very easy to order!). Kushari is made up of short macaroni, noodles, rice, lentils, fried onions, and a choice sauces: tomato-y, garlicky, and spicy! In spite of (or because of) the inordinate amount of carbs this was a very filling meal and very tasty. Tonight we stopped at a fried food stand that showcases all sorts of fried fishes, shrimps, and pigeons. We got whole blackened fish that came with pita bread and more pickled veggies. We got it to go and looked forward to more tasty egyptian food, but that fish was a lot of work! The black stuff just got everywhere and the veggies were really salty. :-( Luckily, we had bought some tomatoes and cucumbers at the street market yesterday (man, a smile and pointy-finger really go a long way in this world!) and we each enjoyed this makeshift salad. (BTW- one kilo of tomatoes set us back 2 LE, about 45 cents!)

Now it is evening and we walked around a bit. I got a deck of touristy playing cards, the kind with pictures of ancient Egyptian gods and stuff, and we made our way to this internet cafe. Cairo is chock-a-block full of internet places and you can smoke in all of them! We're thinking of getting satellite TV, mainly for the American football and BBC news, but I think know that I'll like listening to well-spoken English.

The Color of Cairo
Cairo is the color of dust. Each building is a different shade of something that isn't brown. To me, brown is a very solid color, warm and soft, but that doesn't describe Cairo. Sometimes, while I'm waiting for a break in the traffic so that I can cross the street, I'll look up and find that I can see through the layers of dust, all the way down to the building's original beauty: a mosaic, a reference to pharonic times, wrought iron vines, art deco lines and curves. Through all this grime emerges the imposing bulk of the mosques, the only things enhanced by the dusty environment. It's as if the dust emphasizes the details, making the delicate structures appear more solid and allowing the minarets to pierce through the haze.

The true color of Cairo is carried by it's women. I love how the women are drenched in color from head to foot, the colors layered expertly on each other. These colors undulate, moving between headscarves and long, flowing skirts. Even those who are all in black have a sparkle of sequins about them.

No matter how they are covered, the women's personalities still shine through. I've seen women in full veil laughing with each other and cuddling their children.

I wish I had new pix to show you, but Froody hasn't found fast-enough internet to upload them yet. :-(