Just another day in Cairo

*this is who Rob works for...they sent home a goodie bag for us! The cocoa/vanila swirl pound cake is by far my favorite! MMMMmmmmmMMMM

The title gives the illusion that this is a boring day. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Life in Cairo means unexpected interruptions, long waits and confusion beyond compare.....

To be honest, I was unsure how to label it...here's what I'd like to call today's post...

Police Detention, Taxi Delirium and Historic Cairo.....

I'll start w/ police detention. I intended to post a potty talk today, but too much else has happened...the toilet stories must wait!

POLICE DETENTION
Lovely day of 67 and full sun, no windy-dusty breeze...nice.....I got an invite from Yrene to go to the most historic parts of Cairo today so I accepted, but I desperately needed groceries from the market. The kids were finishing up w/ school so Rob said I should go alone - what a sweetie!

I'm walkin....got my backpack on....saw some "new to me" flowers...aren't they great? added me to the pic for those whom I know feel good seeing me smiling too ;)



I get close to Street Nine where my markets are that I love so much and the people in the community and I treat each other with respect it seems.....and I notice all the piles of rugs are gone and the family is not hanging around. Now I will know this means something....anywho...

the teenage boy and the 20ish young man "ya madam, ya madam" small talk as I know more Arabic than they know English, so....anyway....I ask about rugs, carpets, whatever....they are all confused....I don't see their baskets...the teen boy says "madam go have many nice day" so I say good bye in Arabic and move on, thinking nothing of it......

**remember this is a public blog, don't publically post your assumptions about my day ;) ** opinions ok but not gov't ones ;)

I continue to the fruit/veggie market maybe 2 blocks away in American terms. The 4 men who now recognize me, one with FLUENT English talks to me, we get my stuff, I practice my words on him ;) He tells me about his sick daughter :-( I pay and turn around and 5 Egyptian men are standing in my way. You remember the pic of us IN the market, right? how small? 5 men in my way...I turn back to see what's behind me and the 2 elderly men I paid are standing and saying something in Arabic...

The man w/ the sick daughter says

"you cannot leave now"

ok people, do you have ANY idea what I'm about to do? opening a can of kickin some bootie is an understatement....

when I IN RAGE say

AND WHY NOOOOT????

man w/ the sick daughter says

"too many police, eez bad, you stay behind us"

oh - like that's any better?

TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES pass - I did practice more Arabic and I also got a free water delivery ;) and after about 6 min, one man says...

"pleez, have tangerine and banana, many minutes more"

Then I hear much VERY aggressive Arabic speaking and man w/ the sick daughter says
"slowly eat tangerine and look at bussel" (he means onions)

As I'm doing so...I hear blah blah blah Emrekaya (American woman) then I notice movement, so I stand and slowly eat my tangerine trying to be as nonchalant as possible..and am looking into the face of an Egyptian man with a blue uniform and 2 stars on his shoulder. I greet him in Arabic, grab my bags and smile and he says

"madam leave now"

and he directed someone to escort me across the street and away....

as I go across the street, I see police "moving" things from the outdoor markets and putting things in big trucks, the street is blocked by trucks...I am stuck here now.

I finish my shopping VERY slowly.....when I leave, police allow me to walk to my home - WHEW! I quietly call Rob to call Yrene to tell her I am very late, cannot go with her today..he asks why, I mumble "can't talk"

I keep walking about 4 blocks and police detain me AGAIN...now they won't let me go IN EITHER DIRECTION!

Taxi Delirium

A very new, nice shiney taxi (this is key...a clean new taxi in Maadi?) anywho - looks confused and is arguing with police.....I ask police if taxi can help me? both men quickly load my stuff...

Taxi knows NOOOOOO ENGLISH! NONE! LOLOLOL he and I were both laughing!

I called Wy-el - he talked to the driver...driver slinks in his seat - you see, it is illegal to drive and talk on the phone BUT...all the police will NOT let us stop

HA HA HA!

So - gets off the phone, takes me home. I plan to take Anas' writing my address in Arabic WITH ME from now on EVERYWHERE! Taxi driver takes me WAY around so we are far from police whatnots happening....now I don't even know how to tell him to turn! HA! I am simply laughing SOOOO hard and man I'm sweatin like a pig - seemed like 120 ;)

I get home, Wy-el is waiting for me :-) he said to me "Taxi driver lost in Maadi, in trouble for being there, you helped him out too!"

NO WAY! HILARIOUS! so Taxi driver insists I not pay!!!!!!!!!!! :)

did you catch all that? YEESH!! I seriously am surprised I kept my lunch in ;)

Historic Cairo

Many of you may have heard of Khan el Khalili just due to Cairo research on your own or the suicide bomber of 2005. No bombers today :-) This is the most historic part of the city of Cairo! MAYA MAYA, NO?! :-)

ah, my dialect - even the rolling r's are making Rob nuts!

ok anywho - Wy-el and Yrene planned to wait for me and check on me...I came up, dropped off groceries, used the toilet (here we say toilet, no pleasantries..just the facts people) and left again w/ 2 bananas I picked this morning - AAAH!

We drove to historic part of Cairo, here are some photos of the drive there and back......





























































































































you can see part of the citadel and the Muhammad Mosque in the next couple photos
OH NO THE PLACEMENT OF PICS IS OFF AGAIN!AAAAH! do **not** make me restart! :-( SORRY!


ok, is lined up for you to see the proper pic for that note ;)

just near here is also "city of the dead" not Saqqara but the name of the most recent cemetery. I thought it 'crude' to take a photo - but wanted to tell you that people LIVE in the cemetery..they build "huts" there and live. hmmm.....





And now for photos OF the Khan el Khalili itself...you must know that is' basically 3 stories high...it is the oldest part of the city of Cairo. The narrow passages and stairwells you see is how you get from one "store" to the next!! Yrene's husband John invited his friend Brian and wife Ginger to come with us. Brian is also an American expat flying here, his wife Ginger does not live here. She visits every few months. Ginger came with Brian's best friend Amon. You will see them in pics ;) Amon enjoyed the day as much as Yrene and I did...I truly had SUCH a great time - little tricky and a little uncomfortable...but great experience nonetheless! I did some shopping and will show you pics at the end! :-)



it was maybe a 25 min drive, in case you're curious ;)

outside the Hussein Mosque - interesting to note that men go in barefoot and women NEVER go in when I see mosques?? Most men by age of looking 30 have large swell/bruising on their heads from the praying...took us awhile to realize it wasn't some Hindu "translation" from women ;)



Yrene, Sweet Sweet 6 mo old Joseph and me :-) Where I purchased my papyrus hand-painted Egyptian artwork! I was looking for papyrus...the real stuff, not the chemicaly light colored stuff we see and NUTTIN run thru a factory....WOW did I hit the jackpot here...and the remade ancient swords with goat skin and "horn"





Copper "genie lamps" ;)



Just a glimpse at one of the shops - Ginger and Brian smiling for you :-)





Us girls with Joseph and Amon.
The ceiling above the previous pic





while I'm waiting for this to upload, I can hear Madonna

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN CAIRO - WHOOOA - OH
WISH IT WAS IN CABO - OH....OH...
JUST ANOTHER DAY IN CAIRO!

(sorry, bad humor!)



in ALL seriousness, i do enjoy it here...but sometimes it's a little "wonky" the English have that word downpat here..."wonky" it is!

one set of stairs I went up first...and I turned and shook my eye w/ large eyes and grabbed my nose.....the smell of dead animals nearly knocked me down the stairs! not sure what was going on...but we decided no one wanted to find out!



a store of allibaster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I need to find this man again - I need a toothbrush holder and candle holders to bring back to Michigan one day :-) AMAZING stuff!!!







when we were done...the men and kids wanted us to come to the sports club - UGH!! we were beat, but wanted to see our families! so..how did Wyle get us all home? baby carrier on the top too - why not?
Gabriel, Xavier, Jorge, Joshua, Jasmine in back - LOL! Joseph on Yrene's lap with me and Rob squished next to them - ha! we could've gotten at least 1 more adult and 2 kids in there!



and now for a few of the things I bought today...first the hand-painted on fresh papyrus. The boat is definitely for me...I'm having a hard time imagining giving the other 2 away ;) Then a "game set" of chess with Egyptian pcs on Ebony, also a set of cards w/ King Tut on the back and the fronts are all diff pics of places in Egypt w/ small numbers/suit in a corner, it also came with small domino's.....the family was REALLY stoked about this!! I got my mom and I matching Egyptian blouses :-) she'll have to wait for hers until she comes :) I got my nephews a couple of Cairo Harley shirts :-) Jasmine an Egyptian blouse w/ camels on it and Joshua a t-shirt w/ the hyrogliffic ( do NOT make me spell that!) alphabet on it ;) Rob and I got key chains too...and I got Joshua some cool things to stick in letters as he keeps writing :) can't spoil what they are :)









last but not least....our neighbors are blessed with yards! aren't they too cute sitting out playing a game together in it? :-) Yep...that is a yard..a BIG one at that! SERIOUSLY!!