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When I was announced that I will only have one day to explore Cairo , I was simply mazed! I was traveling to Egypt for a whole week during an exchange of experience, and I was very excited. But what can I do in only one day? Well, if you manage to plan well your schedule and point in the key games in town, and of course, if the crazy traffic let you find your path, you might bite a great piece of the authentic Cairo .
I started the marathon by paying my respects to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Very impressive, indeed, but the big crowd of travelers with their guides, along with the locals inviting you for a camel ride or a souvenir might get quite disturbing.
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I skipped the breakfast, and didn’t schedule lunch, so I grabbed in a hurry a falafel from a local fast food, just next to the Giza entrance gates, and together with my guide and the taxi driver I got into the traffic adventure of the peak-hour, but I eventually manage to reach my next stop. Khan el Khalili is just… chaotic and fascinating. Without notice, I found myself bargaining with the locals, drinking tea, trying a galabeya, shaking hands with the vendors, striking a group photo in a sheesha store along with the vendors kids.
I was dizzy, tired, but extremely charmed and happy with my souvenirs. Well, it was about time for a small rest but still in the Cairo theme, so I went ahead for renting a felucca. It sure worth, as I believe there’s nothing to compare with the sunset along the Nile , hearing the fuzzy prayers from the mosque, far from the traffic and the city noise.
It’s sure written in all Cairo guides, and since I wasn’t eating much during the day, I just couldn’t skip a traditional dinner at the opulent Abu el Sid, in the Arabian Nights atmosphere. I fall in love with the sheesha and the voice of Oum Kolthoum, a very loved traditional Egyptian Singer.
My guide didn’t give me much time, so we head along for Le Meridien, where the the bellydancer Fifi Abdu's was proceeding with her weekly belly dancing show. Madame Fifi, self-crowned Queen of the Nile, charmed everyone, but although the atmosphere got really hot and people were starting to dance on stange with her, I had to say goodbye as my plane was taking off at 5 am. Back to the Real World, a short packing session, and I simply don’t know when I fall asleep watching silent the millions of lights of the huge Cairo from above…
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