Ah... Cairo again.. and there is our guide, Morad. For some reason he doesn't look very happy to see us.

Now we will have the Cairo tour that we missed by spending the day at Aswan airport.. and we go off the see the Mosque of Sultan Hassan... the Alabaster Mosque.

The 14th century mosque is at the Citadel, a fortress built by Saladin in the 12th century, when he was much worried by the Crusaders. Much of the Citadel was created from the limestone finishing blocks from then nearby pyramids. They didn't have much regard for antiquities in those days. Of course, they weren't as antiquated then, either.

Before viewing the mosque we make a pit stop in the dirtiest bathroom I have ever seen in my life. How long can you hold YOUR breath? And this rest room had a matron on duty.. with her hand out for tip. I'll give you a tip, lady.. hose down the bathroom!


The Albaster Mosque, though interesting was a bit anteclimactic after Jordan.. and Morad told us what we had already learned about Islamic beliefs and customs when we were in Jordan. Then back on the bus.. he announced that he wanted to go see his daughter perform in an athletic event.. and hopped off the bus and got into a cab. What the....???


Our driver took us to the Kahn al-Khalil Bazaar for lunch, but because of traffic we didn't get there till three o'clock.. which left us only an hour to shop the biggest bazaar in the world. Now THAT is a bummer.

We spent most of our time getting lost and trying to find our pick up point again. So not much shopping was done.. and this is a stinging disappointment for poor Gypsy. We finally accepted the offer of a guy... to lead us where we needed to be. We were all so grateful we each gave him a nice tip.. so at least someone was happy at the end of this ill fated shopping trip. I guess it is a good thing that Gypsy wasn't alone.. or she never would have been seen again.



So much for the tour of Cairo.. as it turned out.. that was it. We were taken to our day room at the hotel where we could rest up, shower, and compose ourselves for the trip home. Our flight didn't leave until midnight.. so we were ready to doze as soon as we boarded, it has been a long day starting before light in Petra this morning.



Cuz: Ever anxious to get home, Cuz sat and watched the people entering the boarding area (always watching for psycho terrorists). Suddenly the x-ray machine's screen went blank and still the security agents sat there staring at the blankness and allowing people to board. When this was brought to their attention, they slapped the machine a couple of times and when that didn't work they went to another gate so we couldn't see. Boy, EgyptAir sure lives up to its nickname "'gypAir".



The next day we glided easily through customs procedures in New York and got a small commuter plane to Boston.. I guess American Airlines has decided to fly again. We arrived home in the afternoon.. weary but happy travelers.



Our trip to Egypt was an adventure of a lifetime and Jordan was a great bonus. Do travel to Egypt some day; you won't regret it! And remember, "Ana raggat keteer!"

Oh... while I have you here at my web site... here is a favorite photo of mine that doesn't have a thing to do with Egypt.

Now I should think about what I will need to pack on our next trip... Hmmmmm....

March, 2001





Return to Index