Yesterday we had a mission to visit the Northern Cemetery (City of the Dead) the subject of my second book and Al-Azhar Mosque and then perhaps a tea in a fine establishment known as the Mahfouz Coffee shop in the Khan. Well like all best laid plans it didn't work out that way. Cabbie didn't understand our destination or English and our Arabic was crap! He dropped us somewhere he insisted was the right place and it may well have been Al Qarafa aka City of the Dead aptly named as the living dwell among the dead. Approximately 50,000 homeless Carienes live among the tombs. Anyway, it wasn't the section I wanted to explore so we headed to the 'Khan El Kalili Bazaar'. Bizarre might be a better word for it...
Dave in his wisdom and great map reading skills NOT! took us completely in the opposite direction we wanted to go even though my intuition said otherwise. Of course he didn't listen to me because he had the map! Maps - I always follow my nose and usually end up in the right place. Anyway, let the man have his way since he insisted I was completely wrong! 'Trust me' he cried, 'I will take you to Mahfouz coffee shop.'
Instead we ended up in the middle of this Bazaar which quickly became claustrophobic as we were all vying for the same space. After finally figuring out the meaning of horn blowing throughout the streets of Cairo - I soon learn't the meaning of 'HISSSSSSS, hiss, hiss' in the narrow laneway of the bazaar.
- Get out of the way NOW, man, woman or child coming through with very heavy things on their head;
- Bicycles;
- Trucks backing up;
- Very large sack trucks more like a Haitian cart filled to overflowing with goods.
Dave and I were pushed, shoved and jostled every which way in this congested part of the Khan lined with carts selling shoes, belts, toys, enormous bras and disgusting looking lingerie for what seemed forever before we could find a way out. There's laneway after laneway and the Khan stretches for miles. Most of the women wore the black abaya's much more reminiscent of my earlier visit. When I read in the Lonely Planet guide about the amazing contrast between downtown Cairo and Islamic Cairo I wondered what they meant as downtown Cairo is not modern! But after what we experienced here in the Khan - Ahem...I stand corrected - Downtown Cairo is very modern!
We ended up full circle and right back where we started from so this time I took control. After three and a half hours of walking, being jostled and shoved. Jumped out at to buy! 'come eat, shishkebab, pizza' or 'how can I take your money from you?' I was extremely pissed off, tired and hungry so I followed my nose and finally found Mafouz Coffee shop. YAY!! Exhausted, needing air con and a good cuppa - but aahhh....I was greeted by the lovely, very princely looking Arabic waiter and told 'be open again in one hour.' ONE HOUR!! Aaarrghhhh - too much! Guess who was not my favourite person right in that moment!
We sat outside the mosque too tired to move and ate a small bag of nuts watching bus load after bus load of tourists fill the cafes and Khan to even more chocker proportions. Thank god we are independent travellers. We always thought when we got older we'd travel that way, tours etc, easier and all that stuff, but we just can't do it! Once a backpacker - obviously always a backpacker!
Once a bit of calm had washed over us and our sugar levels had risen a little we negotiated a price for a cab back to the Talaat Harb.
It was truly a BAZAAR - BIZARRE DAY!! and we didn't buy a thing!! Maybe another visit on our return in December without the stupid map and in a better frame of mind, it just might be fun :)
Midnight Rambler signing off...preparing for our overnight train to Aswan...
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