القاهرة - Cairo Egypt

  Cairo Photo Album Here

Coming to Egypt amidst the revolution was highly advised against.... but I'm so glad I didn't listen.  

After getting off at the wrong station, not being able to access Katrin's #, wandering around asking for Internet, ending up in a copy place, waiting for the dudes' cousin to bring the modem, getting locked out of my Facebook becuz apparently the concept of world travel is lost on facebook and viewed as 'strange activity', each page taking dial up time to load, the people helping me wanting to see utube vids of mine and then finally getting a hold of Katrin who came to get me at this random place, I am showered, my clothes are washed and I am finally in a comfortable normality. Haha. Panic avoided thanks to my increasingly better skills of mental management. A day certainly not lost on relaxation.

Curfew is at 12 so we're mostly in at sundown, tho I'm told that Cairo usually embraces the nite. We had breakfast and headed to the Egyptian museum, which is in Tahrir Square. It was intended to be the million woman march and flyers were handed out with a list of hopes for women of Egypt but the flyer was apparently slightly misguided, extreme and was focused purely on women while some of the points are a struggle for men simultaneously. Most women there to march were not Arab and many men were irritated by the hope that women could run a country. We left quickly to the most awesome Egyptian food, hearing later the men chanted against the women in the square. Equality among gender is not even a thought here. Many ideologies having no translation, explanation, or dictionary of modern concepts available available in Arabic. The words and ideas need to be created and published in Arabic, until then, many progressive concepts will always be viewed as a western ideology and considered not applicable to Arab nations. It's not a violent atmosphere Tahrir, it's a celebration, with most being there to make a change or to be heard. I will not deny tho, it is a country on edge and Cairo more than Luxor shows that. It is mid revolution, but time and understanding is what is needed to heal her as a nation. And I'm aware Arabic can be an aggressive language often misread by outsiders. We did leave the square in good time before anything started and before it all ended as well. I'm so happy I went, apparently the next day there were fights but it was quickly contained by the army and now Tahrir sits empty of everything that stood while we were there. Groups clashed over whether the protesters should remain in Tahrir, one side arguing that the continuation of protests in what is already the transition period is stopping the momentum of going forward and to the outside world portrays a continuation of protests, therefore making possible visitors rethink travel plans. I've been hanging out with politically motivated youths, one of which is starting the first real socialist party in Egypt. Socialism, along with any other form of political structure could be argued till the worlds end but, the basic principles of the party are a modern step forward in a land smothered by inequality and social division. No extreme party will take power soon, there has to be a transition from the current to a truly modern form of government and human rights with the transition providing the education to move forward and slowly phase out the kind of thinking associated with the current status quo. Through miseducation and an extremist interpretation of the Koran, many believe women cannot be president, the most refuted hope on the list handed out by the organisers of the million woman march. It appears many women are happy with their rights, however restricted, and most care very little of the politics.

There are many things that could be done here to provide the opportunities for a more tight knit community and to open the doors of communication between the class divisions, different religions, races and genders. Currently, there is a strong divide between many with some having little or no cultural identity as an Egyptian, no pride in their country, only pride in their race or religion. Leaving those with a strong cultural identity of Egyptian heritage feeling angry and disappointed at those who can't embrace both. Egypt, to the Arab nations, sets an example. The most educated, forward, and economic, it provides a beacon to developing Arab nations. What Egypt does is critical to the rest of the world. The way the west supplies it's needs, the way we trade anything and the way developing countries are used in a global sense could end with Egypt's inspiration. Currently, countries resources are obtained with the money going into the pockets of everyone but the people, proof is in the figures, but as long as nations continue to accept the conditions under which we receive resources, it will likely remain. The countries that are the richest in resources, oil, natural gas, diamonds, gems and many precious metals, are also the countries that have the lowest standards of living, education and connection. How is that possible? As we continue to accept goods under substandard conditions, we help to perpetuate the ever growing problem. Blood diamonds are at an all time low since the implementation of a system designed to reduce the chances of blood diamonds in the main market as well as increase awareness. This is one thing we have changed through awareness and threatened boycott (many did boycott) but there are so many goods we accept that are obtained through unacceptable methods. Cocoa is collected in Africa mostly by child labor and oil is collected and paid for into the pockets of greedy politicians. The west has almost inexhaustible knowledge, yet we keep it to ourselves. Numerous organisations collect money to feed the poor, though I'm always confused as to why, when if you teach a man to fish, he can do it for an lifetime. We have the knowledge to grow food, design structures and support a comfortable life in basically every environment yet... We keep it to ourselves? Instead of viewing it as our duty to help fellow humanity. Shouldn't it be as wasteful consumers of other lands? Shouldn't it be purely for the sake of all humanity?


I consider myself a Ideal Realist, hoping and imagining the best, but figuring out the most realistic way of achieving that. I find this easy when thinking of Bermuda economically, politically, environmentally and socially but Egypt, in all honesty, I would not know where to begin. 81 million people is incomprehensible to me, the religious overtones too make me realise how sheltered I have been in my island home, despite how many churches per sq. mile we have. It is not religions that are bad, it's the texts by man, the translations by man and the interpretation by man. There is not a single holy text that was not raped by man before our eyes graced it. Tho I believe a very close, long version of the Koran is still in existence. We have been taught to blindly trust that which is written despite how much is written, despite how much has been selectively destroyed or forgotten. I cannot trust any religion becuz it is man who has built it for the realisation of his own desires. I appreciate sometimes religion can bring people together but I cannot deny, it is often what pushes us apart. I've never experienced the kind of class divide that is so much a part of life here. Bermuda's poor would assume themselves lucky if they came here. We mention on the odd occasion that so and so has money but I don't think Bermudians think in class terms. But maybe that's just me.

Woke up feeling shit but still headed out to the pyramids. The taxi ride there was easy but on the corner turning in, a man who worked at the stable jumped in the cab and said something about tourism to the driver. He proceeded to tell me that the taxi could not take me all the way up and that I could not walk without a man and my only option was to take a horse, which I knew was not true. The drove me directly into the stables and told me they were government officials and that this was a government stable, forcing me to get on a horse, at which point started freaking out asking where the other tourists were and to take me to the ticket office immediately. I tried to get off the horse but 5 of them around me would not let me get off or ride the horse away and attempted to make me pay up front, I held my ground and refused. I've realise I am a much harsher woman than many are used to and while that can be a useful commodity to people fucking with you else where, being a fragile woman is a more useful commodity here. I began to cry still demanding they take me to the ticket office and they backed down leaving me with just 1 of the men attempting to calm me, saying I shouldn't be afraid and that I am welcome in Egypt, assuring me he is with the government, which, hellllllooooooo! You must be really dumb if you think I trust the government. Anyway, the man at the ticket office affirmed everything I already suspected and I ditvhed the liar. After warding off a few hawkers, I proceeded to have the most relaxing and spiritual of all my visits to ancient Egyptian sites. I rode a camel named Sugar for an hour and concluded that if I lived here, I'd have a camel, no doubt. Haha after passing out upon my return, Katrin came home and we got ready to go out and soak up a little nite life before curfew, which isn't too strictly enforced but still respected. She told me the taxi driver who drove me back called her saying I gave him too much and he wanted to be sure I meant to give him that much. 20 British pounds, I knew it was alot of $ but it ended up being 120 EGP over paid. I want him to keep it and Katrin had said exactly what I would have. So happy that there are still people like that in the world... For every 1 person who wrecks my faith in humanity, there are at least 2 more who restore it. Sometimes I feel humanity will undoubtably be lost to its own fault and that really we don't deserve a continued existence becuz of our growing disrespect for each other and our world but every so often my pessimism is clouded by examples of hope.

Yet another flight, regretting the rum, met the best people here. Wish I could have changed my ticket.
Ala. Tora pao stin Elatha!
But. Now I go to Greece!