From Smiley Fritz to Santiago...: From Egypt to Eggplant

After five months it was finally time to say farewell to Europe, and leaving Budapest behind (after lunch at Frici Papas of course!), I was set to add yet another continent to my year-long adventure as I boarded a plane bound for Cairo, Egypt. Of course, my departure from Europe also marked my departure from the (somewhat) English-speaking world, the world of western toilets, safe food and drink, incorrupt government and police, set product pricing, safe streets and public transport, and street crossings where pedestrians have even just a slight chance of crossing the road without being run down – however, I didn’t set out this year in search of a holiday, I set out in search of adventure!

Cairo Bakery! Yum!

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is one of the most ridiculous, busy, chaotic and over-populated cities I have ever been to. With a metropolitan population of just under 20 million (imagine the population of Australia in one city), and what seemed an equal number of car and taxi horns to match, the crammed and congested streets of the city are a hive of activity – accompanied by an equally chaotic soundtrack of spruiking street vendors and traffic (did I mention car horns?), all shrouded by a thick cloud of exhaust smoke, industrial pollution and humidity. Yum.

The view...

With every intention to spend the majority of my time in Cairo seeing the city’s sites, I had booked myself a ‘budget’ hostel on the top floor of a residential building, not expecting to spend much time inside. Overlooking the pollution-covered roof-tops and bustling streets below, the hostel certainly lived up to its ‘budget’ rating… and with no glass in the windows, and rotting wooden structural supports, it was also a particularly welcoming venue for Cairo’s million-strong population of mosquitos – as I found out when I woke up the first morning!!!

Unfortunately, due to (at the time) the political situation, and a number of kidnappings of tourists in the weeks leading up to my visit to Egypt, land border crossings in and out of the country to Israel and Jordan were closed to all tourists, and my time in the city was cut unfortunately short.

With only a couple of days to explore (and a bout of Eggplant Baba Ghanoush induced food poisoning), I spent my first day walking the city streets, exploring the incredibly overcrowded Egyptian History Museum, Cairo Tower, Zamalek Island and the Islamic District walking along the crowded, polluted stretch of Nile which runs through the city. The many markets, alleyways and food stalls of the Khan El Khalili area kept me entertained for the afternoon, however it turns out I should have probably listened to the travel warnings regarding visiting Tahrir Square – I had some glass bottles thrown at my by some rather unhappy, and unhospitable locals… however I did manage to come out the other side relatively unscathed!

After another night playing my part as a blood donor/food source to my million dorm mates, I was up early the next morning, as I decided to brave Cairo’s public transport system in search of the famous Pyramids of Giza. Although officially the third largest city in Egypt, Giza is now more of a suburb of Cairo than a separate city, and for the budget traveller, is ‘relatively’ easily accessed using the city’s underground system, and a bit of luck!

Following a train ride reminiscent of my time spent in Mumbai, I managed to hail a local driver on the side of the highway, and along with the 19 other people in his 8 seater van, was on my way in what thankfully turned out to be the direction of the Pyramids.

Built around 2500 BC, the ‘Giza Plateau’ consists of three relatively intact large Pyramids (one of which is the Great Pyramid of Giza – the only remaining Ancient Wonder of the World), and The Great Sphinx of Giza, the world’s largest monolith statue.

While it is true the area surrounding the Pyramids is revoltingly commercialised (you get a better view of the Pyramids from Pizza Hut than you do from the entrance!), I had a great couple of hours wandering around, fighting off the hoards of vendors, camel riders and photographers, and was absolutely blown away by the Pyramids themselves. Electing not to put myself through the discomfort of trying to fit my non-Egyptian sized body inside the narrow, low and winding passageways which snake their way through the structures, I instead admired them from the outside, attempting to pull even the slightest bits of school history lessons from the depths of my memory.

While I am sure everyone has at some point heard about the accuracy and integrity of the structures, and the quality and precision of the building materials and techniques, to stand in the shadow of a pyramid, and look up at a structure which has remained intact for over 4000 years is a truly amazing experience!

Leaving Cairo early the next morning, I was on yet another plane (unfortunately the only way out of the country for me), as my journey continued in the surprisingly beautiful Middle-Eastern city of Amman.

Amman, Jordan

Capital of Jordan, Amman is one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a history dating back to the 13^th century BC. It’s geographical position between Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and a strong economy and government have made Amman a powerful player in international business, and the city is a clean, developed and bustling area today – and a great tourist destination!

Amman Citadel

The large city surrounds the ruins of an ancient citadel, and its location on a series of rolling hills sets a spectacular backdrop no matter where in the city you happen to be. With a Muslim population of 92%, the city is home to countless mosques, and watching the sunset from the citadel, while surrounded by the muezzin call coming in from 360° was an absolutely beautiful and moving experience – one which I hope to remember well into the future.

I spent my first day in the city sightseeing – exploring the Roman theatre, the famous Rainbow Street, the old-town, and city markets, before settling in for dinner at my hostel – where I was very pleasantly surprised to bump into Emma (she appeared in this blog way back in Xi’an, China). Having extended her trip abroad to now include volunteering at a hospital in Kenya (which really doesn’t explain why she went from China to Jordan… but anyway), Emma was also in the country for the next week, and had plans about as set as mine – which was not very set!!!

Heading south of Amman the next day, I spent a day admiring amazing mosaic works in the city of Madaba, and exploring the impressive ruins of Karak Castle, before finally arriving to meet up with Emma in Wadi Musa, a small town in southern Jordan – and the site of the ancient city of Petra.

Possibly best known from its appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Petra is an archaeological site in the south of Jordan, dating back to around 300BC. Left uninhabited for almost 1000 years, the city was rediscovered in 1812, and today is Jordan’s most popular tourist attraction, and one of the most unique and interesting places I have been to date.

Fortunately for me, my early departure from Egypt had left me ample time to explore the ancient city, and I spent the next two days absolutely blown away by the city – the Siq (entrance passage), El Deir (monastery), High Place of Sacrifice (no explanation needed!) and the famous Al Khazneh (treasury) – and the countless caves, carvings, structures and waterways which lie off the beaten tourist path. While the site is a UNESCO heritage site, and the ‘tourist path’ is well worn and restricted, the whole site is open to the public, and Emma, Anthony (our Northern Irish tag-along) and I easily filled two days exploring the ancient city, walking for hours on end without coming across any other tourists.

Leaving Petra behind, I continued my Jordanian journey with a two-day camping trip to the desert of Wadi Rum (The Valley of the Moon) – a spectacular sandstone valley (the largest in Jordan) which stretches inland from the Red Sea. Camping out under the stars, the (very touristy) trip included 4WDing through the sand dunes, climbing the largest dune in the Wadi (this I had to do by foot!) and scaling spectacular rock formations and cliff faces – all before a gourmet dinner prepared by the cook, a ‘real’ bathroom in the middle of the desert, and a bed and mattress on the sand… not the sort of camping I was expecting, but nice nonetheless!

Heading back to Amman for my last couple of days in Jordan, I spent my time wandering the city streets, marketplaces and alleyways, before yet again making my way to the airport, and on to the next chapter of my adventure – back in the southern hemisphere in Cape Town, South Africa.