Bringing in the new year...with Egyptian flare.

First of all, Happy New year! When I planned for this trip to go from December to January, I never once thought about New Year's Eve and how/if I would celebrate. But when I arrived in Cairo, I discovered that Kevin had made plans. Karen and Ana, the Chilean mother and daughter duo he met in my absence, had reservations for a Nile dinner cruise/New Year's party through our hotel concierge. We hopped onto their reservation and soon found ourselves sitting on a restaurant-style party boat on the largest river in the world. The clock struck 11 and the party began. We hadn't received any details from Mohammad the concierge, or the other Mohammad, our reliable hotel cab driver. But soon, elaborately-costumed performers took the stage and began showcasing their Arabic music and dances, while pulling the guests into their show. Of course, they pulled Ana, Karen, and me to the stage and we tried our best to follow their simple, but often uncoordinated routines. 

It's funny to see how many Merry Christmas signs are up around Egypt. Though, everyone wants some of your money (often for doing absolutely nothing for you), and if that means recognizing the tourists' religious holidays so you get a little business, then so be it. When our tour guide for the pyramids first jumped into our car today, the first thing he said when he turned to look at us was, "Happy New Year, Merry Christmas." Later he asked me when Christmas was. When I told him it was a week ago, he seemed confused. So between several similar conversations and the restaurant decor being New Year's Hats and Christmas trees, I've come to the conclusion that they believe it's the same holiday. 

I didn't come on this trip prepared to go anywhere nice. My nicest pair of shoes are black, strappy sketchers pseudo-athletic shoes that I couldn't pull off as nice if my reputation depended on it. The same went for Kevin with clothing, so we decided to do a little shopping. Our hotel is smack-dab in the middle of downtown. There are tons of people and the streets are lined with every shop imaginable. We only had to stroll down a couple of blocks to find exactly what we were looking for: a shirt and tie for Kevin, and a black, sparkly sweater dress and silver, beaded flats for me (for a grand total of $45 USD, I might add). Ana and Karen had tipped us off about the shops, and how cheap everything was because the Egyptian Pound is worth so much less than the dollar. Needless to say, we looked pretty sharp for the party. 

Of course, so did the group of Eastern European woman and their "friends" who decided to completely ignore every rule about decency in an Islamic country, and arrived in dresses that looked more like barely-there swimwear. But they clearly didn't have the dance moves we did, which is probably why guys kept asking to take photos of us. Specifically, there were two waiters and an Asian guy in his early twenties who were just fascinated by me. Of course, it could have been because of my remarkable good looks...and damn, they're good (that one's for you, pop), but it was probably because they just wanted to marry me and get an American visa. Arab men offer marriage proposals like they're offering ice cream. Mohammad the concierge disagreed. Apparently giving away ice cream is much more difficult. By the end of the evening, after a night full of dancing and interesting seafood full of little legs and sad, accusing eyes, we were exhausted. The waiter approached and asked if Ana and Kevin were married. Ana, who only speaks Spanish, didn't understand so in my rustiest Spanish I translated and informed him that she wasn't married to Kevin, but she did have a husband in Chile. Still, he persisted. "What is your email?" "No tengo una email." "Ok, then what is your phone number? I'll call you!" Yea. Right. lol. 


I am becoming well versed in the art of haggling. After we agreed to a camel and horse tour of the pyramids and sphinx this morning, our guide put us on our animals and began demanding payment. He started high: 680 EGP each for the "long" 1-hour ride that covers all three pyramids and the sphinx (and this is on top of the entry fees, which are already 90 EGP for getting into the park and inside the pyramid). We started our negotiations. Do you know what the best way to haggle with someone who only accepts cash is? Tell them you don't have as much cash as they want. We finally argued down to a reasonable 600 EGP for both of us for a two-hour trip (me on a camel, Kevin on a horse), which is the equivalent to about $50 USD each. At the end, he took us to his friends' shop where he showed us how they make papyrus and I once again worked my haggling magic to drop the price from 1500 EGP for an decent-sized art piece to 300. Tomorrow we hit the bazaar. Let the games begin. 


The pyramids were awe-inspiring. Of course, all the lime casing was stripped down to make Cairo's buildings long ago, but just the size of the things is incredible to behold. The Great Pyramid of Giza doesn't open until 1, so we opted to go into the smaller pyramid because "they're all exactly the same" ...all cleared out with nothing but the burial rooms. And getting to those rooms is not exactly a walk in the park. The trek involves climbing down a narrow wooden latter/ramp while hunched over to avoid scraping your head on the top of the tunnel. I don't recommend that for anyone who is even slightly claustrophobic. I'm surprised the historical society in Egypt hasn't created an artificial set-up of what the burial chambers would have looked like when they were sealed (before all the pillaging and archaeological rape). But, it's something you have to do once. 


Tomorrow, we will visit the Egyptian Museum and find out why Cairo is called the city of a thousand minarets.