A visit to the pyramids

The last thing we expected on our trip to the pyramids was to be freezing cold and practically alone. Winter is usually peak season for Egyptian tourism, but since the revolution all the most popular tourist sites are pretty much dead zones. Which was great for us, but not so great for the Egyptians.

A rare view of the Pyramids at Giza (without people)

The main pyramid at Giza

Sandstorm at the Sphinx

While I can appreciate the sheer majesty of the pyramids, their age, their size and their history – something about the experience was a little underwhelming. I think the fact that where once the glorious and majestic Nile once ran in front of the pyramids has now been replaced with a sprawling urban mass. In fact one of the best views of the pyramids can now be seen from the Pizza Hut building, which is just depressing. Couple this with the fact that the recent (actually not so recent if you account for Mubarak’s entire reign oh and the entire period of colonialism) troubles this country has experienced has only amplified the desperation of its people. Everywhere you go, and I mean everywhere, in any major tourist site you will be hassled. It’s relentless and arbitrary and beyond annoying. All the guidebooks tell you to beware of the hassling but the level has increased so much that it’s almost hostile.

It’s a tragedy what has happened to this country. We saw practically no police the entire duration of our trip – in fact the whole country had a wild west feeling to it. In major tourist attractions like the Egyptian Museum in Cairo the toilets were dirty and largely unclean without toilet paper. Unpaid staff were buying tissues with their own money and trying to earn some money by selling these to toilet goers for tips. And the museum wasn’t cheap. The place just reeked of corruption and greed. And a country once gloried for its advanced sanitation and hygiene programs is now almost one giant toilet bowl. Dirty, uncared for and desolate.

I heard that a lot of Egypt’s treasures now live in the museums and squares of other countries around the world, and originally this angered me. How neo-colonialist and paternalistic I thought. But when I visited Egypt and saw the way in which some of their sites were (not) cared for I had to be thankful that at least some of the historic relics will survive.

Egypt has such potential but it is a ravaged country. Ravaged by greed and corruption and blinkered religious fervour. And they largely have the West to thank for it – first through colonialism and then through their support of one of the most slimey despots of our time – Mubarak.

The joys of tear gas in Cairo

Tear gas isn’t such a great thing. I’m sure tens of thousands of protestors, ordinary people in war zones and soldiers already know this. But for me tonight was my first time. Sadly I can’t say we were doing anything exciting like protesting – we just went out for dinner.

Dinner was very nice by the way. It’s just that while we were out the police fired tear gas in the area around Tahrir Square (not far from our hostel). There was only a slight hint of it when we went out tonight, but coming back from dinner we must have been down wind so got a heavy dose of it. For the record it’s very unpleasant – I’d definitely recommend it if you want to disperse a crowd.

As luck would have it (we had no idea when we booked our flights) we arrived in Cairo on the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution (25 January). In general, arriving in a city on the anniversary of an emotionally charged day, when there’s still a lot of discontent with the government, is not ideal. I’m guessing most travel guides would also suggest to not travel to countries in the Middle East that are experiencing, celebrating or protesting any sort of revolution. Revolution’s sound cool, but if you’re a tourist, probably just best to watch them on TV.

But we have to say, the day of the anniversary seemed fairly peaceful in Cairo. The streets were quiet and shops were closed in anticipation of possible violence, but luckily it didn’t eventuate. There was however violence in Port Said – over 30 people were killed – and there has been on and off unrest since then in Cairo.

There’s been growing discontent with the new government over the past 2 years. The few people we’ve spoken to all expressed disappointment with the government’s progress since taking power – fuel prices and electricity have almost doubled, and security has degraded (the Police have apparently rarely appeared in the area around Tahrir Square since last December). Freedom is a word people seem to use a lot here – saying it was promised but not delivered. Although it’s hard to say what people think freedom really means.

Overall, it has been exciting to be here at this time – all of the cafes around our hostel have been filled every night with students watching the news, chatting and drinking tea. Most people seem quite calm, so we’re relaxed too. Despite being close to Tahrir Square, it feels like we’re a long way away from the action.

Last night the protests kicked off again and tonight there’s been some more clashes, in response to a state of emergency the President has announced in some Suez cities.

On the day of the anniversary, we saw lots of people out on the street demanding changes in a peaceful way, and the fact they were able to do that without the police or military trying to stop them, arrest them or shoot at them, is definitely a good thing.

Here’s hoping the protests return to being peaceful, and the government actually takes action to address people’s concerns.

Protestors in Tahrir Square

Revolutionary graffiti in Cairo

Street art of some of the Revolution victims in Cairo

Protestors in Cairo

Part of the tented camp in Tahrir Square

How to spend 3 quiet days in Cairo

Everything you read about Cairo tells you it will be loud and busy, with crazy amounts of traffic. Not so when we arrived. We had three of the quietest days you could imagine in Cairo. Here’s how:

Day 1: We arrived on the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday – it’s a holiday – everything was closed.

Day 2: It’s the second anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. Shops remained closed for fear of violence – people stayed off the streets (apart from the protestors).

Day 3: The court announced the result of a politically charged court case, involving the football massacre of 2011. Shops remain closed and people stay inside for fear of violence. Luckily there wasn’t any in Cairo as they were happy with the result. There were major protests and deaths in Port Said however.

Luckily Cairo was calm over these three days, and as a result it was actually the perfect time to cruise the streets, enjoying the city without the usual barrage of traffic, noise and touts!