Friday 2 January 2009

Day trip to Alexandria from Cairo

23rd December 2008

7.45 am - Ramses Station (Cairo): Hubby and I arrived in Cairo this morning at 4 am and disembarked from the airplane on the runway, old school... it's been ages since I disembarked and walked on the runway, reminds me of my childhood trips with mom, when we used to visit Papa on his sailing trips. The new section of the Cairo airport looks very modern and swanky, but we were brought to the other side to a smaller section of the building to exit. Private drivers and escorts sent by hotels and companies were standing inside the security area and some were even present on the runway, with name cards to receive their guests, so if you'd like you could still be whisked away in style from your airplane itself ;) Our driver (we had asked the owner of our apartment to send someone since we would need a reliable person to take us home to drop off our bags so we could make it on time for our train to Alexandria right after) was waiting for us outside customs... The immigration kiosk officers had a very familiar attitude, very Indian... chalta hai types... we were lucky to be out very quickly. 

Our cab ride from Cairo International Airport to our apartment in Giza was very interesting... our driver spoke Arabic and we...well we did not, so not much conversation apart form the occasional cab driver points his finger at a monument/historic site & told us about it in Arabic, while we respond with a dumb nod and big smile, without any clue or understanding. All this happened at 4 am when it was pitch dark... the freeways were clear of all traffic and everything looked extremely clean, magical and special :o) On our way to the apartment we also stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some milk, eggs and bread... another very interesting incident so early in our stay ;) ... two non-Arabic speaking people surrounded by Arabic speaking people, we acting out things we want, and they pointing at things we should buy, but did not want. Now I truly understand how our friends and family have felt on their first visit to India...

30 minuted later we were out of the store with 6 eggs, 1 bottle of fresh milk, 1 loaf of bread & 2 large bottles of water... and we spent less than 3 pounds! I turned to hubby and said... we should shop here often, it's so entertaining and cheap ;)

Sunny and I kept looking left & right out of our cab window, like two excited children in a toy store... expecting to spot another monument/historic site and discuss what we understood or knew about it :D At some point our cabby got so bored by the two excited self entertained children riding his cab that he decided to play some arabic music on the radio... and that is when we both almost burst out laughing... we had never expected to hear what we did... it was less of music and more of loud confusing noise... and being Bollywood children we thought we had heard it all... guess not ;)

6ish we reached out apartment and were greeted by Ashraf (the owner) and he showed us around the place... we were very impressed by the size of the place and I must say we did well staying in a flat instead of a hotel. We were advised we should leave for the station around 7 am, as we were taking the train to Alexandria for a day trip... so I thought, great, 45 minutes, we could take a quick shower, get a bite and then head out... we had not even opened our bags when Ashraf rang the bell again and informed us that the driver suggests we leave in the next 5-10 minutes to make it in time, due to morning traffic. So we grabbed our backpacks and headed out the door! 

This time around the sun was out (rather quickly & it was quiet bright, I am told some equator phenomenon, as we are so close to it) and we got a better look at Cairo... it reminds me of India, may be a bit more dustier, like there is a lot more sand in the air and on everything around! The roads were busier and full of the hustle and bustle of the city... saw more local men walking around as compared to women. We reached Ramses Station a bit early... 45 minutes to be exact, so I could have taken that shower after all... oh well it will have to be later today when we return. Everyone seems to love staring at you and to know your business... strangers walk up on their own and ask your name, where you are from and what you are doing in Egypt... one just needs to ignore and move on. Since we had some time at our hands, we grabbed some coffee and cheese sandwiches and hopped on our train. Everyone seems to mistake Sunny to be Arabic and start conversing with him in Arabic...I guess the beard effect ;) I thought good sign, at least now we will blend in much easily... now only if I didn't have a camera around my neck all the time & Sunny didn't have the guide book in his hand, we would be more convincing ;)

Riding in the train to Alexandria through the suburbs and the rural areas, we both felt at home... this is exactly like India. Almost like sitting in Shatabdi and traveling from Delhi to Chandigarh! I can smell someone smoking in the first class AC chair compartment, so I guess smoking is allowed inside here... not very pleased about that, none of us are going to be too happy being passive smokers for the next 7 days. I am a bit sleepy and tired now, so will rest my eyes till we reach Alexandria... dear hubby is already fast asleep with the open guide book on his laps... we've had a very long day/trip and are exhausted!

 

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