And now for the main event...

Since you started reading this blog, you've probably been wondering when I would just shut up and go to the Pyramids. Simply put, you can't go to Egypt without checking out the those big hunks of rock. The two go together like PB and J; The 4th of July and fireworks; my life and awkward moments...............err...anyway...

Well, truth be told, I was waiting for the arrival of two very special guests: my mother and my older brother, Christopher. They had already booked a two week trip to Israel in February, and when we knew that I would be in Cairo for the semester, they figured they'd stop by and visit me for a few days before heading up to the Holy Land. So, figuring I only wanted to go to the Pyramids once, I simply waited a couple weeks for them to get into Cairo.

Their flight got in this past Saturday. At about 6 pm, I ventured out to their hotel (the infamous Hotel Luna) in downtown Cairo to collect them. They had just gotten in, and hadn't seen any of the city, so for the first night, we decided to walk around the area, planning on eventually making our way back to Zamalek and my dormitory.

Right down the block from their accommodations was a bakery called Al Abd. And while I'm sure their pastries and baked goods were fantastic, that's not the reason they get a shout out in this blog. Here's why: they had the most amazing ice cream I've tasted in a good, long time. I'm not sure how much actual dairy was involved in its production, but the stuff was exceptionally flavorful and refreshing. The mango tasted like actual mango; the raspberry tasted like actual raspberries; and the snozberry tasted like actual snozberries (if you don't know that movie reference, please go yell at your parents for providing you with a deficient childhood). And to put the metaphorical cherry on top of this delicious dessert was the fact that we paid 3 LE (60 cents-ish) for each cone. Sorry Culver's, I've found a new favorite.

After Al Abd, our next stop was Zamalek, relatively simple one would think. After all, the island was directly west of our location at the time, and if we ever lost our way, we could simply use the Nile as a reference. Plus, I'd lived in Cairo for about 2 weeks, making me basically a native.

However, after wandering around for probably 2 hours without even a sniff of the Nile, let alone Zamalek, I kind of got the idea that we were a little bit lost. In truth, it probably wasn't the amount of time that had elapsed without making any real progress that clued us in. It was most likely the fact that people were setting things on fire in the middle of the street, or that packs of wild dogs were roaming around. I though I'd explored some of the shady areas of Cairo, but this was a new experience. Keep in mind that it was about 10 at night and we hadn't seen another white person in over 120 minutes, and you can understand why we were a bit unnerved. As my dear mother said, if we found ourselves in an equivalent area in the States, we'd be fearing for our lives.

Finally, we located the river- a good mile north of where we had intended to head. I don't know which was more personally devastating: the fact that I got lost in the first place or that my Arabic apparently wasn't good enough to get directions to something as general as النيل ("the Nile"). Nonetheless, the little excursion built some moral fiber and also gave my mom and bro a chance to see a side of Cairo they don't show you in the guide books. Plus, I got a photo-op with the locals.

Sunday, after school, I met mom and Christopher for Mass at the Catholic church a few blocks from the student housing. After Mass, we headed back to my dorm, intent on dropping some things off before heading out for dinner. However, the dorm was hosting a free "Welcome Dinner" for the new semester, so, being the cheapskates that we are, we stayed and feasted on fine Arabic cusine, while being entertained by a "talent show" that primarily consisted of some fairly impressive free-style rap.

After the dinner, we ventured back into downtown Cairo on foot again, avoiding the errancies of the last night, and arriving at Hotel Luna. We rested for a bit, and then I treated my visiting family members to a truly unique Cairo experience: Cafe Harea. My mother, apt in the observation department, described it as "the fringe of society."

We really weren't in a drinking disposition, so after a Stella a piece (my mom had an alcoholic free Amsetel), we caught a cab back to my dorm in Zamalek, just in time for The Game. What game you ask? Why the Super Bowl of course! Instead of paying a 100 pound cover charge to check out the clash between the Saints and the Colts and some fancy American hotel, we watched it in the comfortable lounge. However, the game wasn't as exciting as I thought it'd be. Maybe it was the fact that it started at about 2 am local time, or that we were deprived of the SB commercials, or that there were only 4 of us watching in a big room. Whatever the reason, I'd had enough after three quarters, and left with the Colts up 17 to 16. Hey, cut me some slack, I had to get up at 7:30 for school.

On Monday, we didn't do anything exceptionally exciting. We met at a classy establishment called Maison Thomas that specializes in pizza. Christopher and I each ate a large apiece, and afterward, I felt ready to explode.

Finally, what you've all been waiting for: the Pyramids of Giza. Our trip began at about noon. We caught a city bus from Tahrir Square bound for Giza and paid 50 piasters a piece (10 cents...and actually we didn't even pay 'cause this cool guy named Abdul did). About half an hour later, we were in Giza, with the Pyramid of Cheops looming up in front of us, with apparently no separation between it and the urban sprawl. After picking our way around the wall and avoiding Egyptians promising to give us a "great deal," we found the entrance, paid admission (30 pounds for me due to a student discount, 60 for my mom and brother), and headed on in.

Our first stop was the Sphinx, or أبو الهول (Abu al-Hol- the Father of Terror), as the Egyptians affectionately refer to the big cat. This cool little Egyptian kid came up to us and showed us how to get the right angle to get pictures that make it appear like you are kissing/punching/leaning on the Sphinx. At first we were a little wary of him, but he did an exceptional job, and didn't even ask for money when it was done, even refusing a tip. I wish I would've spent more time listening to his instruction and less time worrying about him stealing my camera.

After the Sphinx, we made our way to the main attraction, the Pyramid of Cheops. I'm not going to patronize you with a history lesson- go to Wikipedia for that. Let it suffice to say that the Great Pyramid is an awe-inspiring structure. When you consider that it was built about 4500 years ago, it leaves you dumbfounded. It was definitely pretty neat, but at the end of the day, it was just a big pile of rocks. And what do you do when confronted with a big pile of rocks? You climb it. There were guards around the pyramid, but they seemed more concerned with taking pictures with people then actually doing anything productive. And the backside of the pyramid was completely unsupervised. I climbed a decent way up, probably about 1/3 of the way up. That thing is steep! And treacherous- one false step, and you could easily lose your life. Here's a look at the view below:



Definitely not for those afraid of heights. A full scale climb may be in the works in the near future...

After we'd seen all we needed to see in Giza, we headed back downtown and ate at a classy kosheri place, where the highlights included Chritsopher hitting his head on the low hanging ceiling and Christopher attempting to steal a bowl from the restaurant. After dinner and some more Al Abd's ice cream, we headed to Hotel Luna for some rest and recuperation. With our batteries fully charged, we set out for the world famous bazaar, Khan al-Khalilee. And since we refused to take a cab, we of course took a rather round about route. At Khan al-Khalilee I: was followed around by an old man trying to sell me a carpet for half an hour; paid 8 pounds for a cup of tea (easily 8x what it really should've cost); and I made my first "touristy" purchase, a cool red and white keffiyeh, like a true desert sheik. When we were all worn out, we caught a cab back to my dorm in Zamalek and said our good-byes.

Although they were only in town for a few days, and I had seen them only a few weeks earlier, my mother and brother's trip was very well received. I love them very much and I'm very thankful they were able to come. Here's to them having a great time in Israel over the next two weeks.