There was no online availability for an earlier train to Cairo so I had booked for 1200 midday. I’m sure I could have booked at a station and got a ticket for an earlier one. But I enjoyed the relaxing morning until I had to leave the hotel at 1100.
It was going to be a 20 minute walk to the station and in traffic, it would take that long by taxi. So I decided to walk. I checked with some locals for directions and they were helpful. An old man insisted on walking with me all the way there.
The train left and arrived on time, without the holdups that I experienced a couple of days back. I took the metro to the Royal Hotel and found it relatively easily. The hotel receptionist offered me a welcome drink of tea and tried to sell me a trip to the pyramids. Clever guy, emphasising on safety and hassle-free, both post-revolution factors.
But when I didn’t bite, he did advise me to take the metro to Giza then take a taxi, rather than a taxi all the way from the city.
I was out in about 30 minutes for a long walk to Khan Khalili and Al Azhar. Having not had lunch, I ate at the first place that I saw, being McDonald’s. The walk took about 40 minutes through some of the most chaotic scenes I have ever experienced, along a stretch of road that was under a flyover between Medan Opera and Khan Khalili.
Khan Khalili was relatively hassle free for me and I didn’t linger too long. I had a wander around the narrow alleys and the wider ones. It’s quite different from some of the great bazaars and souqs in the region which are enclosed.
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- One of many beautiful buildings in Cairo.
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- One of many beautiful buildings in Cairo.
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- Chaos reigns on these streets.
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- Chaos reigns on these streets.
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- Khan Khalili area.
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- Khan Khalili area.
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- Khan Khalili area.
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- Tent/fabric shelter in the Khan Khalili area.
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- Khan Khalili area.
I then crossed the road to the Al Azhar mosque where I met some Malaysian students. Once in the courtyard, it was an oasis of calm from the clamour of the surrounding area.
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- Minarets of Al Azhar mosque.
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- Minaret of Al Azhar mosque.
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- Inside Al Azhar mosque.
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- Courtyard of Al Azhar mosque is an oasis of calm.
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- Courtyard of Al Azhar mosque is an oasis of calm.
I walked back to the hotel for a rest before wandering out into the cool night air. I had a cheap and crappy dinner of macaroni with sauce as I was starving, before finding better options soon after.
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- They named this building after me. Apparently I’ve been told I’m very tiring at times.
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- Pedestrian mall cafe outside my hotel.
Having followed the news on Cairo over the last month and it worried me slightly coming here with soldiers being assassinated by protesters and protesters being killed, seemingly everyday. It feels absolutely normal now that I’m here. The pedestrian malls were buzzing with people out for tea and water pipe, with music blaring everywhere.
The experience now is so different from last time when I stayed at the Nile Hilton for a ridiculously low price; each night we had retreated to an area isolated from the local night life.