Last full day in Egypt :-(

Last full day in Egypt :-(

Cairo, Egypt, Africa

Today started out horribly when the train worker knocked on our door at 7:04am. First of all, he didn’t really need to knock on our door at all because I was still wide awake from the night before. The train ride was just as bad as the first one, so neither Ryan or I got a wink of sleep. It was hot, uncomfortable, REALLY bumpy and unbelievably loud. Apparently Egyptian trains just aren’t for us, but at least it was over. Secondly, we were supposed to be woken one hour before arrival in Cairo, so we ate breakfast, packed up our bags and were ready by 8am. The problem was that we didn’t end up getting to our destination until 9:45am, so we had way too much time to sit around and do nothing on a train, especially after an incredibly uncomfortable night on the train!

We were told that we’d be arriving in Cairo in 15 minutes so when we arrived at the next stop (20 minutes later) we all got off with our suitcases. We couldn’t see Assem so we asked the platform attendant where we were and he said Giza. So we all scampered back on the train before it left to make sure that we would make it to Cairo. As soon as we got back on to the train, Assem came running down the side of the platform telling us all to get off because even though we weren’t in Cairo, our bus was waiting for us in Giza.

We got onto the bus and headed over to the Saladin Citadel to see the mosque that was modeled on the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. It was very impressive to see, but the one in Istanbul was nicer inside. We then moved on to the Step Pyramid and Sakkara where we saw the first stone building ever built in the world. The pyramid paled in comparison to the three pyramids of Giza, but the story behind it was interesting. It was also amazing to see how perfectly they had built the Sakkara 4700 years ago. The walls were flawlessly flat and had a shine to the coating which you wouldn’t have thought possible for that long ago.

We went for lunch at another traditional Egyptian restaurant, but this one didn’t measure up to our previous lunches. It was not as much food, not as good and the service was pretty slow. Regardless, we ate and got back on the bus where we could relax in the air conditioning as today was about 95*F (32*C) but felt even hotter in the sun. The group was brought to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, but I absolutely could not be bothered with another market full of beggars and people throwing things in your face trying to get you to buy. So a few of us stayed on the bus and relaxed for the hour that the others were gone and tried to catch up on some sleep that we had missed on the Death Train last night!

We’re just back at our hotel in Cairo now and all getting ready for our last night together. We’re heading out to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner tonight, which I’m stoked about because I’m craving normal food!

So the trip to Hard Rock was an unforgettable experience! We got four taxis to bring us to HRC which was about 20 minutes away. If you remember me talking about how crazy the driving was in Cairo from my first visit here, then you have an idea of what I’m talking about. The taxi drivers are absolutely mental here! They seem to make up their own lane in between two cars, where there doesn’t seem to be enough room for someone to walk, never mind drive a car through!

We made it to the restaurant unscathed by about 8:30pm, but due to the lack of service in Egypt, we didn’t get our food until about 10pm, but it was worth it. I’m not sure if it’s because we have had different food for the last week, but I’m pretty sure it was the best Caesar salad and chicken fajita I’ve ever had! The only problem was that now we needed to get home in another taxi!

On the way home, we got two cabs with drivers who apparently knew each other. All the way back to the hotel (where neither driver knew where they were going), they were racing each other through the manic streets of Cairo. It was like being in the chase scene of a movie! The cars were weaving through four lanes of traffic and they would speed up and stop constantly to stop from hitting pedestrians carrying babies and to try and get directions from other cabbies. It was absolutely mental, but we did make it eventually, and I had Krissy’s claw marks in my forearm to prove it! We got back to the hotel around midnight and said our goodbye’s to everyone who was still awake. It was a bit sad to say bye to some people we’d been with all day every day for a full week, but knowing that I was going to be able to sleep in my own bed the next night was a good motivator! Thanks for the good tour, bye Contiki!

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