I had an 11 hour layover in Cairo, and it couldn’t have been better spent than with Manal from Egypt Fun Tours. I was able to adjust my tour once we left the airport and Manal had some really great suggestions when I told her what it was I wanted to do. She took me to a lovely hotel at the base of the Great Pyramid where we enjoyed a coffee and she explained to me, using the sugar bowl, cream pitcher and packets of sugar, how the complex was laid out. We wandered the pyramid complex for about 2.5 hours. Manal, an Egyptologist, was so knowledgeable and explained the standard theories about the pyramids and sphinx as well as some new theories which I, as an anthropologist, thoroughly enjoyed.
I then asked Manal to take me to a place where I could purchase an authentic papyrus painting that was actually painted with paint and not stamped. The shop was great, and I had an amazing cup of Turkish tea that probably had more caffeine in it than I have in a week back home! I purchased 3 paintings, and then we were off to an Egyptian perfumery and to wander through the old town. The old Islamic part of Cairo was beautiful. Wandering through the streets and the various street stalls and vendors and food establishments; pausing to admire the architecture; having a nice bite of Egyptian pizza were all divine.
We made a quick pass through the big tourist market but didn’t stop, and I think having Manal with me made the vendors less aggressive than I’ve read they can be.
We then met up with Hani and enjoyed a falafel and mint tea while listening to the Call to Prayer and watching the myriad people wandering to and fro. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. I can’t say enough great things about Manal and Hani. Manal was an excellent guide and I consider myself lucky that she was mine through my 11 hours in Cairo – Ask for her!!
Apologies that my one Blackberry photo is so poor – I had so many more but had an SD Memory card malfunction in the 109 degree heat of Dar Es Salaam and have not yet been able to retrieve my photos.
