Now, for some commentary on the visit to the pyramids... First, it was a very hazy day - the sky was full of sand, which produced pretty low visibility from far away, which is a little too bad, because every other day we've been here, there's been a picture perfect blue sky with no clouds whatsoever. Second, I was disappointed in how dirty and poorly maintained the pyramid site was. There was a ton of trash on the ground all around the area. Third, there were a ton of "hustlers" (as Patrick described them) there - trying to get tourists to buy anything they could possibly get there hands on to sell. Cheap trinkets, Coca-Cola, Camel/Horse rides, taking pictures, etc. And worst of all, they were RELENTLESS. It takes them at least ten "No's" to finally get it. They were seriously among the most annoying people I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. One guy kept on pestering us for over ten minutes shortly after we entered the site, and I finally put a little more assertion and angriness in my voice to get rid of him. He proceeded to cry like a baby out loud to us about how snobby Americans are. I just looked at him and laughed....he deserved it.
Of course, all the other Egyptians we have encountered (basically anyone who is not trying to take advantage of a tourist) has continued to be unbelievably friendly. Seriously....good, good, people here.
After the pyramids, we had an awesome night again with our friends Mohammad and Lamis, who took us on a falucca (boat) ride on the Nile River. It was beautiful, and so peaceful.
Here's a shot:
Lastly, today (Friday) is our last day here. We fly out tonight at 10:45pm to our IPSP destination: Kenya. But we did get to have a little fun today as well. Mohammad took us to his athletic club to play some good old sports.
First, basketball. It was me and Ryan vs. Mohammad and Patrick. Patrick declared the game as Europeans vs. Africans. Alright, well the Europeans won 9-2 (the Africans surrendered early because they were out of shape).
Then, we played a sport that I am no good at all at: Soccer/Futbol. But still, it was so much fun. The four of us played a pick up game against these adolescent kids, probably no more than 12 or 13 years old. They were pretty good, but they're no match for four adults, so we won the first game. Then we mixed up the teams and just played for fun, with no score as a ton more people joined in to play, including one incredibly good kid who was probably no older than 8 years of age.
Check out this picturesque shot amongst the high rise apartments in the back. Never thought I would be in Cairo playing a pick up soccer game.
Overall, the athletic club was a TON of fun. Not only did they have sports, but it was a genuine community center on a very community-oriented day. Friday is the holy day here, and people rest and relax as well as praying, so there were a lot of people there doing all sorts of activities. Kids were drawing in an arts and crafts class, there was a music room where I peeked in and saw old ladies playing traditional Egyptian music on lyres, and there were people eating food and laughing and smiling and genuinely enjoying each others presence. The three of us were so impressed by what we saw at the athletic club, that it made us wish that we had better community centers in America where people of all ages came together and played together. Our conversation drifted to America's obesity problem, and Michelle Obama's new "Let's Play" initiative, and how much impact strong community centers could have on the obesity struggle (not to mention all the social capital and trust it would build among neighbors). Admittedly though, the people at this athletic club were far better off financially than the majority of folks in Cairo or Egypt for that matter...
Well....off to Kenya now! It's been fun, Cairo. :) Time to get to work.
1 comments:
envy you :((
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