Day 343 - A Different Way

This afternoon I climbed another side of Jebel Kujur with an excellent groups of friends. We did not really know where we were going in the beginning, which meant we climbed up the other side of the mountain and not the usual trail...we used what Arabic we had to get directions and they never led us astray. We did come across where all the rock crushing families slaughter their animals and it was horrid. Cow horns strewn all over, organs, left over bits and the most unforgettable part, a puddle, I kid you not, a puddle of blood. To say the least we did not hang around here. We slowly made our way, asking people along the way if you were indeed going in the right direction. It was such a great feeling to reach the top. We made it. The view was gorgeous. It was overcast, windy and so lovely and relaxing. A perfect way to spend a Sunday. 

Day 331 - So Long Cairo

My trip to Cairo has come to an end. After spending five days in a city busier than the heart of a beehive I am ready to be back in Juba.

Sunday morning I left for a trip to the White Desert. 7am a driver picked me up from my hotel and we started our journey. I had expected that I would be travelling with some other tourists, however tourism in Egypt has decreased since the revolution and still is not back to normal. Alas I was alone in a hardtop land cruiser with a driver and my guide. My decision to go on this trip was last minute. One of my friends went on this same trip in 2009 and loved it. I have been on trips to the desert before and there is something amazingly calming about the vast distances of sand and rocks that one is surrounded by in the desert. There are amazing natural springs South of Cairo. The first one we visited was very warm, clean water. The second one was incredible. This water was boiling hot. There is no way you could immerse yourself in this spring. It was hard enough to put my feet in. They say that the springs have healing powers, particularly the boiling hot one. After 10 minutes of dipping my feet I did really feel somehow energized and uplifted. That may be all in the head but still...the water is so rich in minerals there has to be some sort of positive effect on the body.

Surrounded by light sand and white rock we made camp and prepared for dinner. Watching the sunset and the stars come out one by one in the desert is a gorgeous sight. The desert is completely silent apart from the noise we were making and the wind. The best part of being in the desert that night was the full moon. Watching it rise, bright and full into the sky was beautiful. An evening spent in natural beauty, untouched and uninhabited. 

Ripped my pants climbing this 5000 year old tree

 

Day 328 - A Special Day

My cousin is getting married today. Or rather is married at this point. And my other cousin is turning 2 years old. A very special day. And I am in Cairo :)

I am a person who can sleep on just about any surface under the condition that I have a wonderful pillow. The pillows at Bella Luna are not so wonderful, which meant for a restless 6 hours of sleep for me. Hard pillows are really uncomfortable. My goodness.

After an Egyptian breakfast, a hard-boiled egg, foul and falafel I made my way out on to the streets to do a little shopping. Mostly for other people and not myself. I purchased things for myself yesterday but not today. My morning was going so well, walking around, enjoying the weather. Then I decided I should go take some money out of the ATM. This is when I discovered I had left my debit card behind in Juba. Fail. And to make the situation better, I cannot remember my Mastercard password for the life of me, which means that is also useless to me. Panic ensued. I was not a happy individual. I was running through my mind every option I could think of how to get money…some of these options ridiculous. In my panic I left behind one of my bags which I had just purchase, at the shop where I bought a bottle of water. Thank goodness I realized that I had forgotten it and when I returned to the shop the owner had it behind his counter! Relief! So I make a hasty phone call to BMO. Tell them I am in Africa so not to take their time on the phone with me. The man I was talking to was great and set up my card for a re-set. All I had to do was find the right machine that would take my card. I did find such a machine and even did a little song and dance in the ATM booth when my money came out of the ATM. I did not ruin my trip after all! That was a stressful morning, but oh so very typical for me to do.

I made it back to Khan el Khalili to get my ring repaired, randomly got stopped along the way by a person who swore he knew me. Like from back in 2009 when I was living in Cairo. Weird thing was I totally recognized him and felt like we had had a previous conversation exactly like the one we had. Dejavu I guess. 

After the market I hopped in a taxi to go to the gigantic City Stars Mall, with what turned out to be a great driver. Spoke great English and even gave me a tea to drink on the way. I tried really hard to refuse it because me, with a small cup of boiling hot tea, in a car, driving down the roads of Cairo did not shout, good idea! However I was forced to accept it and I successfully drank the whole cup without spilling a drop. I forgot how massive the mall was. I was apprehensive about going in but I needed some things so I braved it. I could barely shop. It was so not enjoyable. I got the bare necessities, a black tank top and jeans, then ate a delicious meal of Seared Salmon with walnut, pomegranate, yogurt sauce and couscous. It was lovely. After about 20 minutes of being lost in the mall, I found my way to Marble Slab and treated myself to some ice cream. My goodness it was a wonderful treat. I ate it on my way back to the hotel because I had to get out of the mall before I lost it. So many people and things and noises. I couldn’t handle it anymore. The drive back was very enjoyable. The breeze from the open window was so nice.

Yet another day in the adventure that my life is. It wouldn’t be a trip with me if I did not somehow forget a very important item in my packing, however I have so far always got myself out of the unfortunate situations I get myself into. 

Indulgences....

Day 327 - From Afar...

I found myself feeling rather homesick for the first time since returning to Africa in January. I felt a little off in the airport but just put it off as the feelings only the Juba airport can give a person. On the plane I slept and while I slept I dreamt. I woke up so confused. I could not figure out where I was. Click. “Caryn, you are on a plane to Cairo” my mind kindly told me. It is amazing what the mind can do. I have only ever flown in and out of Cairo in order to go back to Canada. Thus explains my feelings of missing home. I tell ya, it is a very strange feeling to wake up on a plane and not know where you are.

Cairo. I have returned to your insane streets once again. I never feel like fighting at the airport for a taxi so I paid $4 more than I should have for my taxi to my hotel. On the way I noticed the increased security on the streets and I saw where the last riot was. There were still people there, however there were now about 15 tanks lined up, surrounded by Police, blocking off the street. Nothing else has changed. People still drive like maniacs. Call to prayer surrounds you. People are everywhere. This is Cairo.

Once I finally found my hotel downtown I was just about ready to lose it on my driver. He had no clue where he was going. So frustrating. I arrived, a little out of breath (6 flights of stairs will do that to ya), sweaty and annoyed. The hotel had a calming feel to it though and once I was shown my room I had forgotten all about the long ordeal it was to find the place. A lovely, clean and very simple room. Exactly what I wanted.  


                                      

After a cup of tea to relax I headed out to Khan el Khalili. I made a friend who I went for coffee with. Coffee actually ended up being strawberry juice and it was delicious! Juice turned into meeting 2 more people, relocating to another café so the guys could play cards. It was very entertaining and made for a very enjoyable evening/night.