Arab Spring

G'day Mate

I was soo sad leaving Greece. Not only was chilling in the islands a great summer experience, but I feel like I am leaving family that I will not see for another year! I took the ferry from Spetses on Sunday avo and jumped on a bus direct to the airport. Destination: Cairo

Ok, so I know that Egypt kinda just went through a revolution and all - but has that ever stopped me before? As this would be my second visit to Egypt - I was curious to see if things had changed post Mubbarak.... I was a little apprehensive also because it was the middle of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month where believers fast every day from sunrise to sunset. I thought that the combination of lack of food/drink, 35+ summer sun and a revolution would make Egyptians a little on edge. Curiously, it turned out to be just the opposite - the locals seemed to be very relaxed and just getting on with their everyday lives.... Ramadan also provided an opportunity for me to real get into the spirit of Egyptian living.... During the day a few shops and cafes were closed, however due to Cairo's sizable Christian and secular populations finding a bite to eat and a bottle of water to drink is not hard at all. At around 7.30 every night the restaurants would pack out all over town as Muslims flocked to break the fast with the Iftar meal. After that its out to the Ahwas (Cafes) for a tea and Shisha, or its time to hit the shops! When I say shops I mean thousands of flea markets fillings every backstreet possible in downtown Cairo! Its quite a sight to see what seems like every Cairo resident (all 15 million of them!) out on the street enjoying life into the wee hours of the morning.

So what did I get up to in Cairo? Well after getting mobbed by 100 taxi drivers at the airport I decided to get a "Government regulated" cab. This mobbing was the first sign I noticed that Egyptians are getting desperate - you see, due to the revolution, Tourism has dropped significantly and it is this tourism that brought a livelihood to so many Egyptian families. I jumped in my "official" cab and after being told that the driver knows exactly where my hostel was, we drove around in circles for almost an hour until finally we arrived! The hostel was right in the heart of downtown Cairo - I chose this hostel because it was not too close to the infamous Tahrir square - where all the protests had been held during the revolution. That evening I popped up the street to one of the many small Ahwas (coffee shops) and enjoyed a tea and a Shisha (for less that 1 dollar!!!)

The next day I headed out to the Ramsis train station to buy a ticket to Alexandria. The train station is being renovated so navigating proved very difficult due to my inability to read handwritten Arabic signs! After finally getting my ticket I went for a wander through the backstreets of downtown Cairo. Cairo seems to be one of those cities that has more cars than people (and thats crazy seeing how many people there are!), so it should have been no surprise when I stumbled across a whole suburb of car part shops including a street market where you can pick up everything from a "taxi" roof-sign to a starter motor for a 1975 Lada (these are in hot demand!)

I finally arrived at Tahrir square. The square is really a large noisy round-about packed with cars, people, donkeys and western fastfood restaurants. Since January it is also home to hundreds of soldiers, tanks, and riot control men. They looked very bored I must say! Also to be found are plenty of peddlers selling pro revolution and pro Egypt flags and T-shirts.

That afternoon I took a taxi to the famous Khan-El-Kalili market - a must for any Cairo visit! This huuuuuge market is built in the heart of Islamic Cairo and is surrounded by historic stunning mosques and madrassas. I only visited one mosque on my previous visit to Cairo so I decided to do a Mosque-hop! I visited about 6 different mosques - it is a nice place to relax from the chaos of the city and the heat which is why they were all packed with men young and old half asleep on the floor.

Heading back to the market I was suckered into looking at some "genuine" egyptian perfume. This guy drove a hard bargain, and after an hour of debate I managed to score a good deal - and even got a free drink! The sun had gone down at this point so off I went to the famous El-Fishaway coffee shop to join scores of Muslims breaking their fasts. As I was not fasting I enjoyed a tea and a turkish coffee. Fishway is a historic building right in the heart of the market and a great place to soak in the Egyptian Ramadan madness.

At 9 o'clock that evening I headed out to view a free show put on by Sufi dancers. This was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!!! The show is in two parts - the first shows off the incredible talents of the many musicians including drummers and flutists. The skill level was truly incredible and the beats were enough to get your heart pumping! The second half is the real deal - the whirling dhirmishes.... This tradition of spinning continuously around in circles is a trance like religious dance that has its origins in Turkey. The men that twirl wear incredible colourful costumes that stream out as they spin. And boy do they spin! - One man span non-stop for over 25 minutes!!! Eventually, while spinning, the men remove their costumes and spin them above their heads in a beautifully complex coreography of rhythm and colour. Truly amazing!

Last time I went to Egypt I saw the Giza Pyramids as well as the Sakkara and Dashur pyramids so I figured that there is no point seeing them twice. However I reconsidered, as I figured that I may not be back in Egypt for some time - so off to the Giza pyramids I went! The 9 pyramids and the Sphinx are truly a must see. They stand their so graciously in all their ancient glory. I walked around to take in the view from all angles - the vast Sahara desert to the West and Giza city to the South. In the far distance you can just get a peek at the even older Sakkara pyramids to the south-west. Another sign of the decrease in tourism - every fricken camel driver strongly encouraging you to take a camel ride - "maybe latter??!!!"

After returning to Cairo I headed to the Salah-Addin Citadel perched high up in south Cairo hills. Built in the 12th century by Saladin as a fortress against the crusaders it boasts a number of structures - most impressive of which is the main Mosque with its huge turkish-style minarets. The view from the Citadel is incredible and one can see the Nile river and its many flanking skyscrapers. On the horizon lies the Giza pyramids. Also in the complex is the national army museum. Just outside the entrance are 2 Israeli tanks captured in the 1973 war. Next to them are 4 Egyptians tanks from the same war - it is clear how inferior Egypt's tanks were! The museum was pretty interesting but not much on display regarding the many wars with Israel - not surprising really considering they lost them all!

That evening I was off to Alexandria. I had heard that it was once had a romantic european-style charm - but I imagine (and soon confirmed) that this had unfortunately been lost. The train arrived around midnight and I took a cab to my hotel. This hotel receives the award for the wost hotel ever!!! Dirty sheets, cockroaches, no air-con and useless staff!! Only good thing is that it was located right in the centre of town next to the waterfront.

Early start and off the famous Alexandrian library. Of course not the original library that has long been destroyed but the modern, super-high-tech, architectually stunning complex built right on the waterfront. Nothing much to see inside - just books and a few pieces of Egyptian art - however still worth checking out. I popped next door in a pricey cafe for a quick lunch and was surprised to see "Fat Freddy's Drop" advertised in the Egyptian youth magazine - go NZ! I grabbed a ride on a horse and carriage driven by this young kid (who tried to sell me hashish and prostitutes) around the downtown sites including a set of 5 beautiful mosques, the citadel and the markets. Post-fast I popped down to the beach for a tea. I watched scores of little kids splash about in the meditteranean - rather them then me.... the sea along the Alex coast is anything but clean!!!

My last day was time for a bit of archeology. First stop - the Roman theatre. A small set of ruins containing an ampitheater, and a Roman village. Next was the catacombs (which btw - no taxi drivers knew what this word meant - had to get it translated!!). Descending underground into an ancient graveyard is a Egyptian/Graeco-Roman tomb. As I explored the many tunnels and passageways of the tomb I was greeted to Indiana Jones music blaring out of some tourist's cellphone - it nicely set the scene! The final stop for the day was Pompey's pillar - another ancient Roman village flanked by a large pillar and two Sphinxes.

Friday - back to Cairo and time for a relaxed (albeit lonely) Shabbat. On Saturday morning I visited the Shar Hashamayim Synagogue in downtown Cairo. This is one of 2 open shules in Cairo (the other Ben Ezra I visited last time), however they only get minyans on Yom Kippur. Shar Hashamayim had been in the news recently because someone threw an explosive at the shule from a nearby hotel - it did no damage. The shule is surrounded by 15 or so soldiers and the caretaker (not Jewish) was more than happy to tour me around the complex.

On Saturday night I found out about the huge protests in Giza outside the Israeli embassy due to the IDF killing some Egyptian soldiers. One of the hostel staff members had just come from the protest and it was interesting hearing his perspective on the matter..... not so pro-Israel as expected, however not fanatic.

So long Egypt... Hello Dubai! I had 2 days to kill before I return home to Kiwi-land! First impressions of Dubai: Soooo clean (for an Arab country) and not many Arabs!!! So many internationals, mostly from Asia and India. Businessmen and woman everywhere!!!

My Hotel was pretty sweet and around the corner from the Dubai metro - a convenient driverless modern transport system. Islam is taken much more seriously in Dubai with all cafes and restaurants closed during Ramadan fasting - so if you combine this with 40+ degrees during the day its seriously a killer! I don't really know how people can live in a country that is 32 at midnight midsummer!!!

On the first day I headed out to the Dubai Mall - one of the largest malls in the world - famous for its aquarium and its proximity to the world's tallest building: The Burj Khalifa. I visited the Aquarium first - it is similar to Kelly Tartons with its huge tube passageway. It was cool to see divers training right above my head mingling with the sharks and rays! Next - off to the Burj Khalifa. This building is 828m tall - and standing at its base quickly gives you a sense of its massiveness! The viewing deck is on the 124th floor. Although this is not even near the top - the other skyscrapers start to look like matchsticks even from this height! Oh yea - thats the other thing about Dubai ..... millions of high-rise buildings everywhere!! In the evening I sat in a cafe out in the Dubai Mall promenade to watch the amazing water fountain show set to music. Good times!!

What I really wanted to do the next day is to go snowboarding in the world's largest indoor ski field at the Mall of the Emirates - however it was closed for repair.... lame.... So instead I wandered through various malls (nothing much else to do here in this heat) admiring the ridiculously overpriced fashion brands that I would never buy! Oh - I also spotted the famous Burj Al-Arab - the worlds only 7 star hotel (whatever that means!).

To be honest - Dubai is quite boring.... The city is fake - everything is high tech and modern with very little historical or cultural places to explore... If you like shopping and expensive restaurants - it is probably for you.... I prefer Egypt!

Well my trip has pretty much come to a close! I just flew for like 19 hours from Dubai to Auckland (with a 45 min stopover in Brisbane). I am sick and jetlagged and still have to wait until like 8.30pm for my flight to Wellington!!

I really had the most amazing trip of my life!!! Made some amazing life-long friends!!! Had some once-in-a-life-time experiences!!! And truly discovered myself! I will be returning to some of these places soon I know!!! (Especially Greece and Israel!!)

I am looking forward to catching up with all my family and mates back in Welly!! Will see you guys soon!!!

Signing off......

Daniel