This morning we went to see the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. This is said to be the oldest remaining pyramid. There was another tomb to go in here and about 6 of us stayed behind because Sherif said it was about the same as inside the pyramids….very close quarters. I guess you figured out that I don’t do well with confined spaces, if you are the same way, you may have the same problem I did. A couple of people didn’t go in just because they were tired of seeing tombs…there were a lot of them!!!
Later, we went to see 2 mosques. I found this to be 1 of the highlights of my trip. It was so beautiful inside and quite serene. During your trip, you will get used to hearing the daily call to prayer, even the one at 4am. But learning why they do this is a whole other thing. Sherif told us a bit about his religion and why they do certain things and was quite open with us, which I really appreciated. He also allowed for a few questions. We toured the Sultan Husan Mosque and at the end it affords really great views of downtown Cairo. Ladies, be aware, if you are wearing something they deem inappropriate, you will be required to wear a cape over your clothes. To avoid this, wear long sleeves, long pants, or a skirt past your knees. Its no big deal to wear the cape (everyone in there knows you are a tourist anyway ) but some people complained of it being dirty. Also, you will have to take your shoes off to enter.
Lunch was amazing. Probably the best yet. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant, but it was near Khan El Khalili. We sat at long tables made of hammered brass (?) or maybe copper (?). They brought out so many different things for us to try, all were really good, except I didn’t like the stuffed grape leaves….I had many volunteers to take them away from me, so I know others really liked them. The best was the cinnamon rice…..delicious!!!! You must try it.
Since we were about to have some free time, a few of us decided to go back to Khan El Khalili after lunch for more shopping and then take a taxi back. It was more of the same bargaining and shopping when we went back after lunch. If you are going to go back, make sure to ask Sherif how much a taxi should cost ( I cant remember) because I remember having to haggle with the taxi drivers when they wanted to charge us a fortune. Settle on the price before you get into the cab and if you can remember to take a card from the Oasis hotel the 1st day, it might help…a few drivers didn’t know where the hotel was. BTW, the taxi ride, is an adventure in itself. You’ll be driving down the road with what seems like a million other cars on a congested highway and you look to your left and there is a camel riding next to you….quite hilarious.
Tonight is our farewell dinner. It was at the buffet restaurant in the Oasis hotel. The food was just o.k. , but it was kind of sad saying good bye to new found friends. After dinner, we sat by the pool and had drinks and chatted (mostly laughed) about all the things that had happened on our trip. Sherif joined us and ordered some Sheesha for those who wanted to try it. We got copies of every ones email addresses and said our good-byes. Some people were leaving in an hour (ME) and had to pack, others were not leaving until tomorrow morning or even some in the afternoon.
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