7. Cairo to Alexandria to Cairo: Trains and Taxis; Friends and Food. 12/22/22

Greetings from Cairo as we pack up to head to Luxor (one hour flight) tomorrow

So, yesterday was Mike’s birthday and we celebrated by going to the Garbage City as described yesterday (a typical birthday celebration); and then last night we went to a very hip restaurant called Sachi in the Heliopolis neighborhood (about 20 minutes by taxi from our area in the Islamic center of Cairo). Getting out of the taxi in Heliopolis and entering Sachi more than highlighted the class differences in Egypt. Sachi is a very upscale restaurant (incredible food that is described as Japanese/Mediterranean fusion) and I’m certain that none of the diners (all 40-something Egyptians) have ever been to the Garbage City, and rarely frequent the Islamic center of old Cairo, where we are staying. Like in all cities, it’s totally possible to live one’s life without knowing what is going on outside of your small geographic location.

Among other things we had great cocktails (mine was some kind of vodka/basil smash); starters – citrus sea bass tartare with mango and citrus dressing, centered around finely sliced avocado; calamari with a lemon yogurt; for mains we had salmon with Yogurt Tahini Sauce, Walnut and Cherry Tomato Salsa; and a pasta dish with tomato, pine nuts, and caramelized eggplant. We’ve been drinking Egyptian wine which is quite good.

Thus, Mike’s birthday was divided into two parts – Third World and First World.

Today, we got up extremely early (5:30 am) to get to the train, which was at 8:00. We knew we’d have to find a taxi to the train station and fight traffic (since it seems to be a 24/7 thing) and then to navigate the station and finding our train. The Riad packed us little breakfasts, which we ate inside our friendly tourist police office at the train station. One of the cops was asleep when we walked in and the other was also having his breakfast. This one seemed a bit more formal than yesterday’s cop. He did take us to the correct platform and explained the sequence of the cars so that we could wait in the appropriate place to board. The job of the tourist police seems to involve roaming around the station looking for foreigners and offering help if needed. So, the walk from the office to the train platform was slow as the guy stopped every time he saw someone who looked like they were not Egyptian.

Finally got onto the train – this was the VIP fast train and First Class within the VIP train. Frankly cannot imagine what the “standard” train here in Egypt is like. But it was fairly efficient and got us to Alexandria in time (just in time for the rain; first bad weather since we got here). A few funny things about the train: there is a digital display on the wall at the end of the train car that shows weather, time, and date. Nothing was correct. They had the temperature at about 80 degrees F but it was more like 60, the time 20 minutes fast, and the date about two months ago.

Arrived in Alexandria and headed to the 15^th Century Citadel (Citadel of Qaitbay) – built as a defensive fortress on the Mediterranean coast. It was erected at the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. There are some complicated tragedies that occurred including a massive earthquake and now a small mosque sits on the site. From there we hopped a taxi for a quick look inside the Biblioteca of Alexandria – the amazing library. I won’t go into the history of the original library which began around 245 BC and set Alexandria as a city of intellectuals. But in the 1980s there was an international architectural competition for a totally new, modern library. The competition was won by the Norwegian firm Snohetta. And was completed in 2002. It functions as a modern library and cultural center, and also commemorates the original Library of Alexandria. It’s quite a complex building—a beautiful display of modernist thinking; inspirational and functional with everything woven into a shared atrium-like space with cascading shelves of reading and research areas under a single roof that was creatively serrated with solid and glass openings to provide constant daylight without the annoyance of sunlight. 

Then we met up with Mona, a former graduate student of mine when I taught at ASU. I only had her in one class but remembered her to be thoughtful, mature, inquisitive, and driven. Together we all taxied to her home which was about 40 minutes from the library. She lives with her husband and his two children in a five-story building in an area we would (and she does) call a “slum area” on the outskirts of Alexandria. Mona is a PhD and her husband is also well educated, along with the rest of the siblings and parents. Mona works for an NGO that provides micro loans to women and encourages women entrepreneurship. Her husband used to be a diving instructor in Sharm al Sheik but now owns two small boats that are used for fishing; his passion is definitely the sea. So, in a way it was interesting to see that these slum areas are inhabited by all kinds of Egyptians.

The house contains 10 “apartments” – all of which are occupied by her husband’s family. It was built by his grandfather about 70 years ago, with well-intentioned ideas but limited craftsmanship and using the hand tools of the 1950s. Everything is “approximate,” so every tread and riser on the five story walk up was different. The street (and all the other streets nearby) was lined with similar 5- to 10-story buildings constructed with this “approximate” construction. As we entered the building through an outside stair, it was pitch black inside the stairwell (until we got to the 4^th floor where light came from the rooftop). Given the uneven concrete treads and the unfinished nature of the stairs, it felt treacherous to ascend and I began to dread the descent as well. Eventually we used our phone flashlights to at least see how the next step differed from the one before… and we made it to the apartment. 

We were immediately greeted by Ahmed, the 7-year-old and later joined by the 12-year-old and two cousins of similar age (all boys), and a baby who belonged to the husband’s sister. Then came the sister-in-law. Everyone lives in this building in separate apartments: siblings and their families; the parents; cousins.. and maybe more. It’s like a big commune with everyone moving fluidly between apartments.

Each apartment is probably about 900 sq ft; the kitchen is about 50 sq ft. Somehow, they have a 6-burner gas stove, a sink, and a washing machine in that tiny kitchen. The refrigerator was in a separate room (bedroom) next door. There is a living/dining room, two bedrooms, a bath, and some alcove areas used as study areas for the kids. Mona’s husband was busy preparing our feast from well before we arrived until about an hour later – hustling about that tiny kitchen to ultimately emerge with two different fish platters (one with fish from the sea and one with fish that was “farmed”), octopus, tiny clams, shrimp, rice, tabouli, roasted vegetables, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. They are Muslims and don’t drink. We all squeezed into the living room to eat (they were seated on the floor, and we were on a couch—fearful that Mike wouldn’t be able to get up if he tried to sit on the floor). The food was fabulous; simple but perfect. 

We chatted about politics (theirs and ours), tried to understand the reason for the total collapse of the Egyptian Pound, and the history of the building they lived in. They were totally gracious and warm. Mona seemed genuinely happy we visited. I was the first American from her ASU days (a decade ago) to come to Egypt and look her up. 

At about 4:00 we began to get antsy about making our 6 pm train. The original plan was for us to take a “toc-toc” to a local train station and then travel to the main station. But as time got tight the plans kept changing and eventually Mona’s husband borrowed a car from one of his brothers (he has 4 brothers) and he drove us to the station. We were a little confused because he took us to a different station from the one we arrived at. We got to this different station with about 10 minutes to spare, but were a little lost and kept asking where to go. As we waited on the appointed platform, three different trains heading to Cairo arrived—fortunately, a young woman who spoke English (quite well) helped us and explained that these were all trains to Cairo but not ours. Ours arrived next and we boarded. Arrived in Cairo at about 9:00 pm and trekked into the center area where our hotel is located (15-minute walk). 

A great final day in Alexandria. Now we pack to head to Luxor tomorrow,

All the best –

Fern