Late November - Last Days in Cairo

During my last couple of days in Cairo, I mainly visited the Egyptian Museum, which was so close to my hotel it was an easy walk for a lazy day.  It is a fascinating place, despite the lack of light and signage. Many of the exhibits probably have more dust on them than they had when they were dug out of the tombs, and I doubt many museums would tolerate feral cats wandering around among the exhibits.  (Possibly they are Bastet!). None the less, it is endlessly interesting.  The first couple of times one visits, it is the large things that have the impact, but with plenty of time to explore, the wonderful small things in the glass cases are probably the greatest treasures.

The fabulous Meidum Geese.

Another exquisite little fragment

This is a little corner of a wonderful collection of workmen's rough sketches for tomb drawings - just lovely quick sketches outlining a proposed scene.  A wonderful insight into the development process.

One's camera is confiscated before entering the Museum.  Fortunately, they don't bother about phones, and don 't really seem to care very much if they are used for photos.

And apropos of nothing in particular, this abandoned Belle Époque palace, built by an 19th century Pasha was just outside my hotel window:

It's a great shame - it is just rotting away, nobody seems to care about it at all.

On one of my last nights in Cairo, everyone staying in my cheap little hotel got together, picked up a few beers, and rented a boat for a night on the Nile.  It was great fun actually, a truly motley group of all ages and all countries just having a good time dancing on this little rental boat.

You don't get that at the Hilton.

Finally, it was time to head home.  The taxi dropped me at the airport, where I expected to be an hour at least trying to get into the terminal, as everyone entering the airport has to go through security screening, and there were hundreds of people milling around outside waiting to go through the screening.

I was about to plunge into the mob when my bags were scooped up by one of the unofficial porters that work the airport.  He raced off, away from the crowd, with me in pursuit, heading for the furthest end of the terminal.  Here there was one very small door.  My little man pushed in front of the small knot of people there, and I saw my bags vanishing through a security scanner.  A quick handful of cash to my little man, and I flew in behind my bags, with no idea where I was going to finish up.

Turns out this is a special entrance reserved for pious pilgrims heading to Mecca for the Hajj.  Obviously the security people are getting backhanders from the porters to let foreigners through.  Fortunately this little Infidel was able to find the door through to the main terminal without too much difficulty, leaving no more challenges to deal with other than finding a drinkable coffee while waiting for the plane.