i had 24 hours in cairo, which was amazing! luck had it that my classmate jenna and her mother were on my air sinai flight from tel aviv, and her mom was a little anxious about visiting cairo, so i was able to attempt to allay her fears. grabbed a cab into the city with these ladies before parting ways. i wandered around the area where we had lived when i studied abroad in cairo – agouza. i went to the now internationally infamous tahrir square, and viewed the poignant revolution-inspired grafitti and burned out bohemoth government building called the muktada where we once squandered an entire day getting our visas extended. wandered the ancient pathways of khan el khalili market, where i made friends with an egyptian law student who got me unto the roof of a large mosque for an unforgettable view of old cairo.
pictures of the new president, al-sisi, are everywhere. unfortunately, egypt seems to be on a pendulum ride between democratically-induced islamism and dictatorship, and now we’re back to the latter. i asked some new acquaintances i met how they like al-sisi – all say that he is a good president, but perhaps the length of the pause before they answer is more revealing than what they actually say.
i found myself near a huge mosque in old cairo during friday night prayers, and suddenly the power went out, pitching the whole area into complete darkness. normally tourists (at least those wearing shorts) are not allowed inside the mosques during prayers, but thanks to the confusion i slipped in and sat on the plush carpet in the dark listening to islamic prayers being sung in arabic, and contemplated the big questions in life. always a good time in cairo:)
