Cairo

After we got back home, from our vacation in Holland, I had another assignment for Adearest. I had to shoot photos of the production proces in Dubai Investment Parrk, at the Panel Factory.

During the weekends we met our friends again in the pub for a drink and dinner, almost everybody came back from their vacation.
We had an evening at Peter and Marja's, we spent an evening in the Belgium pub with Monique & Marcel, Onno & Belinda, another night with Andre with and his crew colleagues and Engelien & Cor and so on... so we had quit some social weekends again. :-)

About a week later Hans called from the office, asking me if I would like to join him to Cairo, he had to visit a customer at SIT's office (actually a very important and huge project) for Grade (joint venture of Grasso-Adearest).
Of course I couldn't say no, I had never been in Egypt before and heard so many great stories about the country.

Next day we would fly to Cairo with Emirates Airlines, but of course I needed to arrange someone to take care of my cats for 4 days. Luckily our neighbour was so kind to do it.

We flew, joined by Ziad from Grade, during the afternoon, arrived in the evening, just in time to enjoy a nice dinner in our hotel. We staid in the Ramses Hilton, in the city of Cairo, very close to many places of interest.

Next morning, after we had breakfast together, Ziad and Hans were picked up by a taxi to go to the office of SIT and I had a tour guide available, taking me to the Pyramids that day.

 
Dinner in our hotel, Ramses Hilton, with a great view at the Nile.
    

The Nile by night
   

To the Pyramids of Giza:      

                        
                                                       The Step Pyramid at Al Saqqarah.
      

                        
Tombs of Saqqarah.
   

                        
Temples with more tombs of Saqqarah
   

 

 

                        
Hieroglyphics outside the Mastabas of Ptah-Hotep and Mere-Ruka
I went inside with the lady guide, unfortunately it was not allowed to
take pictures of the hieroglyphics. Very unfortunate, because the
drawings and writings with it's colours inside the tomb are still so
well in tact, it was defenitely worth the visit, very interesting!!         

 

                                                      
They all beg you to take a picture of them, but of course they all
want money (dollars, Euros, even Dirhams) for it. I refused to take
his photo, untill he said oke, no pay. :-))

 

                      
School for countryside carpet
The guide took me to a school where young children learned how to
make carpets. Allright, it was nice to see how it works, but it is only
10 minutes.  But then they started to push you to buy a carpet and
that I didn't like. I had only 2,5 days in Cairo and didn't want to buy,
but I wanted to see as much as possible of Cairo. I must admit there
were quit some very nice carpets, especially the bedouine types.
       

                        
In front of the Pyramid of Cheops there are many tombs of servants
and relatives etc.
       

                        
The pyramids of Chephren and Mycerinus.
         

                        
The Pyramid of Cheops behind the mummification temple.
               

                                                         
One of the 2 statues at the entrance of the mummification temple.
         

                      
The Pyramid of Cheops
      

     
Pyramid of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus
                  

                        
The pyramid of Chephren
         

                                                      
The Sphinx means 'living figure', with the Pyramid of Chephren left.
      

                        
         

     
            
The tour strarted at 09.00 and at around 16.00 I arrived in the hotel. The tour was very impressive, she brought me to a Papyrus factory, where again they wanted me to buy things, which I didn't and next she took me to a souvenir shop, but I was defenitely not interested in buying anything, I just wanted to see Cairo :-)

But the pyramids and the stories she had to tell me (she was an archaeologist herself) were very interesting. I defenitely had a great day.

But since Hans and Ziad were still busy working I decided to drink a cup of coffee in the hotel and went outside to have a walk in the streets around the hotel. I didn't mind it at all, because I was still under a lot of impression by this interesting city. And now I saw a whole other part of Cairo, ehm I guess places where tourists usually don't go, but that is what I like the most.
       

                        
The river Nile starts at Lake Victoria, in East Africa, and ends in the
Mediterranian sea, in Alexandria. The river Nile is the largest river
in the world and reaches a length of 6695 kms.               
               

                        
Ramses street

             
Through the narrow streets of Cairo, outside the tourist area:
         

     
         

                                           
            

                         
                

                                                         
The traffic opposite our hotel, look at the layers of traffic :-)))

It was becoming dark and I started to get quit tired, thus I walked back to the hotel to take a shower and to finally end up in the bar downstrairs sitting behind a cold glass of beer.
A few hours later Ziad and Hans arrived and joined me for a drink.
In Dubai it was around 46 to 50 degrees C. that time, in Cairo it was not that hot, only approx 40 degrees C. :-)
Imagine how I looked like at the end of the day, completely soaked in sweat, that day I had taken a shower 2 times....

Next day I decided to call of the tour guide, she told me the 2nd day would only be about mosks... well I do like mosks, but not the entire day. So I decided I wanted to be more flexible and asked for a taxi in the hotel.

The taxi took me everywhere I wanted to go in 4 hours or even longer if I wanted.
So the day started with breakfast with Hans, Basam (who'd just arrived in Cairo) and Ziad. Next the taxi brought me to the Citadel.
               

                        
Alabaster mosque inside the Citadel of Salah al-Din. It's
construction was initiated in 1824.   

 

   
The view from the Citadel
                        

 

                         
From the Citadel you overlook the City of the dead.
      

                        
Outside the Citadel.
      

      
This appartment building was just outside the Citadel, nothing
special in the meaning of tourism, but I just liked the the total picture
very much.
(why are all colours fading after resizing and adding the pics to the
logs?)

Next he drove me to the City of the dead. He told me I could take pictures, but I had to do it quickly, sothat noone saw me, as he told me the people who live there don't like it at all (which I do understand a little). So the pics are not the best ones I shot, but it gives you an idea of the city.

It is a cemetary where people live on top of the deads. A lot of the graveyards are very luxury made tombs and that is where around 400.000 people (the exact amount is not known) live.
There are many varieties in stories of how people tell you why these people are living there, in the first place because they have no place else to live, poor people who have no money to rent a proper house. However I got also told that the people, mostly muslims, who live there don't want to leave they have chosen to live there, as they will never live like this so cheap... but others tell you they are poor and there is simply no space for them.

Anyhow, to me it is very macabre and while looking at the city and passing through it it gave me the creeps, but also very very sad people have to live like that. (if you like to read more about this, just google on the internet: cairo, city of the dead)
    

      

                        
   

                        

   

The taxi driver was a very kind man, telling me a lot of the life in Cairo.
Next he drove me to Khan El Khalili, it's the famous bazaar actually not too far from our hotel. I didn't go there for shopping....but for photos of course :-)
         

                                                      
    

                                                      
    

                                                         
      

                        
      

                        
    
       
                        
    
    
                                                      
   

                                                       
          

                        

            
After driving me around for 4 hours he brought me back to the hotel, I went straight up to our room and took a shower. I really needed it as even though I am used to the Dubai temperatures, walking outside with a high humidity and still 42 degrees works you out completely :-)

After the shower I stepped into the pub, on the ground floor of the hotel, ordered a coffee and went outside again. I decided to take a walk along the Nile, looking for nice shots :-))

                  
                                                       

                  
                        
                   

                          
             
       
                                                       
In the liquirstore I noticed Johnny Walker Black Label, but just
slightly different from the one we know.            
             

                                                       
In a tiny little shop, between the mess, there was still a small space
left for the man who was making furniture out of reed and bamboo.
            
   
                      
The mailman :-)))
                         

   
I walked away from the Nile and wandered my way back via a
shoppingstreet. Such a waste, this 'Writer shouse' was hidden
behind the trees, a gorgious building falling apart as noone seemed
to look after it.
          

                        
                  

                        
                           

                      
When the evening falls people come out on the boulevard to have
a walk or just to sit down on a bench enjoying the view. 

         
                                                       
I kept on walking, soon it would become dark, but I wanted to spent
as much time outside as possible. I reached the opposite site of
boulevard and noticed a local market and decided to have a look.
This shoemaker wanted me to take his picture, while chatting with
him I was rolling my sigarette and he looked at it and asked me if I
could make him one too.

             
                        
      

                         
I wandered through the market for maybe 10 minutes, it was
becoming dark and somehow I did not feel very safe over there, the
people's attitude felt quit hostile to me. But I was dying for some
great pictures at the market, so hopefully I will return to the market
one day. The atmosphere was so special, I can not describe why I
liked the market.
   
      
                        

 

            

    
It was so nice, everwhere you saw the bread salesmen walking the
streets for their deliveries.
   

                         
hehe, the men had to push the car sothat the other guy could replace
the tyre, a very creative solution if you don't have the equipment.

          

So very cliche, but sunsets are always beautiful, isn't it?      
      

The sun went down, I walked a bit more, I had a chat with some guys at the boulevard. I had walked for sooo many hours I was dying for a beer now.
I walked over to out hotel and went straight to the pub.
(The barman recognised me from the evening before hehe.) I ordered a Sakara and sat there reviewing my day in Cairo. :-)
         
             
                  
         
               
 

Hans called me while I was enjoying my beer, he was going to pick
me up. The last couple of days Hans, Ziad and Basem had been
busy at SIT's office, and that evening we were going out for dinner
together.
It was great because back in Holland of course I had been talking to
them by phone or via email, but now 3 years later I finally met the
people from SIT,  Mr. Sayyed Abbas, Mr. Mustapha Azzam and Shaden, it was a lovely evening and terrific food.
         
                        

Next day Hans and me were flying back home to Dubai.
Mr. Azzam told us he wanted to show us something before
we were leaving, together with Shaden we stepped in his car and
he drove us to a place. But before reaching that place we got stuck
everywhere in the narrow streets, it was already midnight and still
all the streets were congested with people and cars. Of course for
them it is a pain, but that night to me it was an adventure trying to find
our way through the crowd in those very narrow streets.
       

Mr. Azzam and Shaden brought us to a local market, just before the Ramadan starts markets stay open during the day and it is decorated on the streets, a small festival before Ramadan.
The shops are full with sweets, spices, small gifts and lanterns. Shaden explained to me, from years back the lanterns were used to bring the cosiness into the homes during the month of Ramadan.You can compare a little with our Christmas, when we start decorating our homes, for them the lanterns are important as a decoration in their home during this festival.

Anyway it was a very nice experience, a very friendly atmosphere and people stay outside till deep in the night, market open whole night.

                               

It appeared to me that everywhere you go in Cairo you will find heavily armed security, of course especially there where tourists are. Since I have been alone during the days and I had been walking in and out our hotel, most hotel employees knew me already :-)
So I had a friend, no... not the man, but the dog :-)))) She was a military dog, her job was to search for boms in every car approaching the hotel.

Anyway the dog was so sweet, I cuddled her every time I walked out the door. I wanted a picture taken from her and of course her proud owner wanted to be in it too :-))))

So, that was my last moment before we flew back home. There were no flights available with Emirates flying back to Dubai that day. The problem was, Hans' residence visa was expiring on the exact same day we were flying back home, so no option to take a flight later next day.Because his visa was expiring that same night he had to be back in Dubai at 0.00hrs. But in the office they knew about this so they had booked us via another airline.

We ordered a taxi who took us to the airport.... our check in was at a private terminal, woww, it was totally empty, except for the terminal crew we were almost the only ones. Hans and me were told to sit here and the crew was arranging everything for us, our luggage and tickets.
    

                        
    
One of the crew checked with us if we had a visa for Saudi Arabia, Hans and I knew we were flying via Riyadh and they had told us we did not need entry visa, thus no, we didn't have a visa.
But this man had never experienced that before and he was going to check that out for us.

After a while he came back and sais they were confident that upon arrival there would be a solution to this... oke...
He asked us to follow him, he brought us next door, to a beautifully decorated room where we had to wait for boarding. Wow this was so luxurious, they served us anything we asked for.
We were flying with a private company which has small aircrafts with business class only, the aircraft could take about 40 passengers only. Sitting waiting in that room full of luxury I almost felt like a royal myself, hehe.
      

                        
          

                        
               

This was our plane Kayala, taking us to Riyadh, before transferring further to Dubai.
    
                         
                        

Wow, I'd wish I could always fly like that, what a space and the food was terrific.

Once we landed in Riyadh we got a little nervous because of the visa we didn't have. We stepped inside the customs and immediately they started helping us with all the procedures, however the men told us they do not experience this a lot, people flying Riyadh without visa, but they promissed us it would be allright, but they just had to be cautious taking the right steps.

The problem was, our flight to Dubai was leaving from another terminal at the airport. You are not allowed to leave the customs section, but since we had to move to another terminal there was no other way than to leave this customs section. And that is what they needed to arrange and make sure we were escorted, because leaving customs section means you are entering Saudi Arabia, and for that we did not have a permit (which I would not get in a million years, hehe). So it was a bit exciting, but honestly, they were all very kind and helpful. (and smoking makes friends :-))))))

Anyway, what I wanted to say is, as a woman I am not allowed to enter Saudi Arabia, but I can now tell you I have been in and seen Saudi Arabia :-))))) Oke oke, only from the air and in and around the airport, but I had never expected to come this far :-))))))
         
 

                        
         

                        
          

                        
    

                        
            

                        
      

                        
I was not allowed to take photos, but the nice customs officer told
me to take one from where I was standing.... I was aiming for the
sunset, it was sooooo gorgious, but he begged me to stay away
from the window, away from people to see me.
               

                        
                        
The paperwork was done, the customs officer drove us to the other terminal building, he walked with us to finalise the tickets and customs clearance and we thanked him for his help and kindness and he left.

The airport is very beautifull, the roofing is very special and I spent quit some time playing with my camera (in there it was allowed).
      

                        
            

                         

And quit some artworks can be seen in the airport hal.

Finally we got back home and we travelled instead of 9 hours instead of 3 if you fly straight to Dubai :-)))))

But it was a very nice trip and I wish to go back to Egypt one day. But well there are so many countries I'd wish to visit, but at least I'd seen the Pyramids and Cairo.

 

(it almost sounds like the weblog is only about me, isnt's it, I'll try to persuide Hans to write something again.)

            

ahhhh bugger... if I look back at the pictures online at the weblog all colours of the photos are faded or even gone..... what is that????  The colours of the airport in Riyad are gone and teh coloful streets look dull and even the sunsets are almost colorless.... I don't know why this is happening.... Anyway, this was a bit of the backlog so far... rest to be continued.