gun museums and *blank* stores

Okay, this is going to be a long post, because I actually went somewhere and did something today. Surprise!
Three friends and I headed downtown with the intention of visiting a few places that we hadn't been yet. Our cab ride from Zamalek was pretty interesting, because as our cab driver informed us, President Mubarak himself was downtown today. Doing what, we don't know, but the streets were covered with soldiers wearing uniforms with shiny shiny buttons and belt buckles, looking bored and not very protective, but threatening nonetheless. So that slowed down our drive a bit, but it was still really interesting to see.
The first place we walked to was the Abdeen Palace Museum. Basically it's a presidential residence, part of which is now a museum for awesome things that Egypt owns. The best part of this was the knife and gun collection, which was massively ridiculous. Ridiculous in that it included things like a pistol with four barrels and guns disguised as swords disguised as walking sticks and a jewelry box with doors that swing open to reveal guns in case of thieves. I simply cannot describe the amazing ridiculousity of this museum, so I'm not even going to try any more. I wish I could show you pictures, but no cameras were allowed inside.
Other rooms in the museum were filled with shiny things given to President Mubarak including a solid gold palm tree and a fighter jet pilot's helmet. On our walk through the museum grounds, we saw some Daleks, which was surprisingly freaky. Again, no pictures, but I swear. Daleks. (A gift from Davros and Skaro to President Mubarak, I presumed.)
After we left the museum, we headed by cab to a supposedly pretty garden, which turned out to be not very pretty at all, so we decided to skip it and get lunch. We went to Gad, a big Egyptian fast food place, where the food was cheap and good, but definitely not fast. Then we tried to visit a synagogue, but it was closed and the guards kind of laughed at us.
Then it was time to head to Khan el-Khalili to get some Christmas shopping done. First we went to a *blank* workshop, where we learned how to tell real *blanks* from fake *blanks*. I bought a *blank*.
Then we wandered for a long time, getting hassled and trying to make good bargains with not much success. It was fun, even though my feet hurt. (They didn't hurt as much as my friend's who had just climbed Mt. Sinai, though, so I'm grateful for that!)
After we had bought everything in the market proper that we wanted, we went to another *different blank* shop. The store owner was very nice and gave us good prices for two *blanks*. They were awesome.
It was about dinner time, so we walked a ways to find a famous sausage restaurant we'd heard about. It was called Zizzo, and the food was delicious and the service was great. For dessert we had some bread and cream and honey thing that was amazingly good. The best part of the night was learning that the gentleman we'd been sitting near was Mr. Zizzo himself. He was very nice and we complimented his food extensively. He liked that we were Americans, because I don't think he gets many foreign customers at his restaurant since it's a bit out of the way.
We took a cab back to Zamalek after getting some after-dinner juice, and went our separate ways. It was a really really fun and productive day, but I'm completely tired out, and my lungs kinda hurt from breathing in downtown air all day. It's totally worth it though: I bought some really neat *blanks*.
p.s. And I was also stampeded by cats in Khan el-Khalili. True story.

spamwow

I spent most of today doing the Project for Awesome again, and it was really really fun. Now my commenting fingers hurt, of course, but I think I'm actually a better typist now than I was two days ago. Go figure.
When I wasn't p4a-ing, I went to Coffee Bean and had chai and read Harry Potter, which was really nice. I also hung out with friends for a while and made plans to explore some museums around Tahrir Square tomorrow, which should be really fun. I'm also going to Khan el-Khalili tomorrow to do my Christmas shopping. [Note to self: do not reveal on blog what you purchase at the market tomorrow. It's supposed to be a surprise.]
Tonight I also went out with friends to hang out and drink tea on the roof of a building somewhere across Zamalek. It had a really pretty river view, and it wasn't too cold to enjoy being outside. We talked about all sorts of things, and I had a really great time. I'm really going to miss all the new friends I've made this semester when they all leave Cairo to go back home.

pyramids with stefana and co

Today was a really excellent last day of vacation. It started out with me sneaking into my friends' hotel to munch on their free continental breakfast, and then we took off for the pyramids. When we got there, we learned that the second pyramid (my favorite) had been closed for repairs, but that the third one was now open. This was exciting because I had never been in Menkaure's pyramid before, so we all bought tickets and visited it. There was a lot more going on inside that little pyramid than in either of the giant ones, which was pretty cool. The other three girls also bought tickets to go inside the great pyramid, but I passed on that one, because like I've said before, once was enough. (Also, side note, I've now hit my head on the inside of all three Giza pyramids. No, not on purpose. Ouch.) If anyone got cool pictures of us by Menkaure's pyramid, I'll link to them when they're posted, because my camera is still broken. I should do something about that.
After the pyramids, we took a cab to Khan el-Khalili, where we had juice (banana for me, pomegranate for Stefana, and pineapple for the other two), and I pointed them toward the market, then headed home to study for my quiz that's coming up this week, and to write for NaNo.
Then we all met up again for dinner at Crave, which was delicious again, especially the desserts: chocolate lava cake and strawberry cheesecake. So good. If it weren't so expensive, I would eat there all the time.
Tomorrow, I've got school again, and the girls are heading off to the museum, and possibly back to Khan for some more shopping, then we're going to try dinner at Abu el-Sid (with proper reservations!) and a felucca ride. Nothing can possibly go wrong.
NaNo word count: 34855

egyptian museum and khan el-khalili

Well, that was a long day! I have so much to talk about, but not a lot of time to say it in, because I want to get to sleep. Luckily (not), since my camera is still broken, I don't have any pictures to upload, so that works out great.
Sarah and I slept in this morning, then got a late breakfast at a restaurant called Cafe Noir before we headed off to the Egyptian Museum. We both tried to order pancakes, only to be told they were really crepes, and we could have apple or nutella. We both opted for apple, and ordered mocha lattes to go with. The food and drinks were delicious, and I'll definitely go back there another time.
We got to the museum, sharing a cab with my friend, and found two other students and Professor Ikram waiting. She let us all into the museum with her awesome magic paper, and then left. It was really nice of her to make the trip, just to ensure that we didn't have to pay six dollars to get in.
We had a little mix up with Sarah's camera, which meant she had to leave the museum to put it in a locker, then buy a ticket to get back in, but it all worked out. Starting from the right wings on the first floor, the two of us made our way through the museum, dodging tour groups, and saw almost everything, and definitely everything we were interested in. That took about four hours, and then I went off to describe a statue for my Art and Architecture paper, and Sarah went to check out the gift shop.
When we were done, we met up and (after walking a few pointless blocks) caught a cab to Al-Azhar mosque, near the famous bazaar of Khan el-Khalili. The cab dropped us off in a place I didn't recognize, so we headed off down the street in search of something. What we found was the completely non-touristy section of the market, which was wonderful. We walked through an alley lined with stall, and no one yelled "Obama!" or "Let me take your money!" at us. We bought delicious baclava from a funny old man who wanted us to take a picture for some reason, and pretty scarves from two other vendors. Eventually, we retraced our steps and crossed a busy street using a pedestrian overpass. Then we bought pomegranate juice from a juice stand, and sat to drink it out of small glass tumblers with straws.
When we were done, we wandered a bit more, and stumbled onto a part of town that I recognized, the place I had asked the cab driver to take us, Al-Azhar mosque and the section of town known as Islamic Cairo. It was dark by this point, but we still wandered for an hour or two, and found a mausoleum that was open and free to wander around in. We also found a silver shop where Sarah bought a tiny box for a really good price, even if it isn't really sterling silver (but I think it is).
Then we caught a cab back to Zamalek and had dinner at Hardee's, because we were both kind of craving some protein. I also recharged my phone after I ran out of money on it for the first time this morning. It was terrible not to be able to call or text anyone all day.
When we got back to the dorms, we realized our mistake in eating at Hardee's because tonight was Turkish night, and there was a huge free buffet for everyone, with all sorts of delicious food and desserts. We were stuffed and tired, though, so we went upstairs for a bit, and when we came back down, all the food was gone. Oops.
So that was today, full of walking, and paying for things, and completely wonderful. Sarah's leaving tomorrow, which makes me sad, but it was amazing having her here, and I wouldn't trade the last five days (the scare of two nights ago notwithstanding) for anything.
NaNo word count: 10337

tomato, tomahto

In Egypt, you never want to mistake a tomato for a cat. According to my survival Arabic teacher, this is an easy mistake to make, so she took the time to make sure we were safe. Today we learned our fruits and vegetables, and the long lists of produce were so overwhelming that no one in the class, not even me, bothered to say anything when a tomato was listed as a vegetable. But I digress.
In Arabic, tomato is oo-tah. Cat, on the other hand, is o-tah. They're very close, only spelled one letter differently, and sound almost identical to a non-native speaker. This is, I guess, the reason why one of my teacher's former students once told her that in America, we eat cat all the time. She was surprised, and luckily asked for clarification before assuming that all Americans went around eating their pets. After hearing this story, no one asked whether cats were eaten in Egypt. No one wanted to know.
Also in Arabic class today, we learned of a small miracle of Egyptian cooking. In Egypt, there is no vegetable that cannot be stuffed. 'What about carrots?' I asked. 'Can you stuff those?' 'Yes,' she replied. 'In Egypt, we can stuff everything. Except okra. It is too small.' That answer was fine with me, though. Why would anyone want to stuff okra?
An hour later, we were discussing the abundance of juice stands in Egypt. They can be found on almost every street at night, once the fast has been broken, and the juice is made fresh, served in a glass cup, and is drunk while standing on the street. I have yet to try it, but my teacher gave it such a glowing review that I'm sure I will. 'What kinds of fruit juices are there?' 'All kinds,' she answered. 'Even batikh (watermelon) ? Even moz (banana)? Wouldn't it be lumpy?' 'Yes, all these. Any kind of fruit. Even sugar cane.' I was impressed. Maybe next time I'm out on the street I'll buy an asiir moz and find out for myself.
During my break from class today, I reserved my spot on the school-sponsored trip to Luxor and Aswan. At 2000 Egyptian pounds (about 300 dollars), I had originally thought it was too expensive and not worth my while. However, I talked to my teacher, and she was shocked at how low the cost was for the trip, especially during Eid al-Fitr, the coming holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. She encouraged me to reserve my space, and I did. Hopefully I won't be disappointed, although since I'll definitely get to see monuments in Karnak and Luxor that I've dreamed about seeing my entire life, how bad could it be?
Tonight, my friends and I ventured into the city by taxi for the first time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, although the traffic was horrible. We were heading to Khan el-Khalili, a famous bazaar that stood as the entrance to Cairo hundreds of years ago. Now it is in the middle of the city, surrounded on all sides by tall buildings and freeways, but it still seems magical. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to post, since the entire experience was completely overwhelming, but I will take some next time I visit.
This trip, we mainly stuck to one row, and were constantly accosted on both sides by people selling their tourist trap wares. If we had ventured farther, I think we would have hit upon the main market where more quality wares are sold for realistic prices.
I didn't end up buying anything, but I have plenty of time. My friends, who are all here for only a semester, went ahead and haggled their way into some pretty nice souvenirs for fairly good prices. No one we dealt with was too insistent, and the only people making us feel uncomfortable were ourselves, and we got over that pretty quickly.
We were quick to find a place to eat, and bought our first street food - pita and falafel sandwiches, which were delicious. I surprised myself by stepping up and being the speaker for the group, although my Arabic was far from fluent. Literally, I think I asked for 'One that. One that please? How much?'
Our biggest problem was guaranteeing that the food didn't contain sesame seeds, since one of my friends is highly allergic. We crossed that hurdle though, and everything turned out fine. (And as a side note, our dinners cost four pounds each - less than one dollar for a filling meal.)
After our shopping was complete, our total haul consisting of an inlaid box, two sets of pyramids, an Anubis figurine, a cat figurine, and a set of four canopic jars, nothing of which was mine, we caught a cab back to Zamalek.
Our cabbie was very confident up until a certain point, when we reached the island, and he started asking us for directions, and then began pulling over periodically to shout the address at passers-by with very little luck. We found it eventually, though, once we recognized the Harley-Davidson shop, and he dropped us off right by the front steps of the beit-toliba (dorms).
All in all, it was a satisfactory, if very long, day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better. After all, how wrong can a trip to the pyramids go?