I hated Cairo last time. During one of my last days in the city in 2005, I wrote my annoyance down in journal form:
I went to the Islamic quarter and the citadel, and I probably did something wrong—because it sucked. The Islamic quarter had some cool mosques, but following the guide books instructions to get lost, I did and soon regretted it. Getting more tired and frustrated, I ended up at the citadel, only to find out that the entire thing was under renovation and thus closed. I snapped a few pictures, proving I’d been there and took a taxi to figure out ths situation and the train station. All of this combined to put me in foul mood, many hours left in a city I don’t really want to be in.
I left the country fasting in order to spend less money in this ‘den of theives’ and continued to not eat for the three days it took to boat, bus, and taxi back to Damascus. For the intervening years, I wondered at the Arabic students that loved their time in Cairo, but was unconvinced.
Yet in Riyadh, another three day weekend means another trip. It was only after my 3 other top destinations were nixed due to security concerns that I reluctantly gave Cairo a second try.
I like it much more this time; although it may be that I’m becoming increasingly fond of any city that does not enforce café segregation. I do believe that Koshary is the Egyptian equivalent of a Chipotle burrito (in my book, this is a very positive review), and the view of the Nile from Semiramis is tough to beat. Also helpful, I’ve avoided tourist destinations like it’s my job. Just give me a good internet connection or good conversation. If I need some history, I’ll catch it on my next trip to Damascus. Finally, Egyptian Arabic is not as strange or as foreign as I feared, and I can communicate with minimal difficulty. There are plenty of interesting people to meet, so I have been having a blast. After giving the mother of the world a second chance, I think I can take it off my travelling blacklist.









