The heart of things

You wont find a new country, you wont find another shore
This city will always pursue you
You'll walk the same streets, grow old
in the same neighbourhoods, turn grey in the same houses
You'll always end up in this city. Dont hope for things elsewhere;
Theres no ship for you, theres no road
Now that you've wasted your life here, in this small corner
You've destroyed it everywhere in the world.
The City - Cavafis



The Heart of Things:
Cairo was like that moment in your sleep when you try and open heavy eyelids but then the sheer magic of the unknown just sucks you right in. A city perfect in its imperfections and imbalances. The skyline was a yellow blue with specs of brown dust rising from the horizons. White Blue minarets and a sprinkling of orthodox crosses and half moons dotted the canvas on both sides of the Nile. And in the midst of it all, the modern day billboards, posters and skyscrapers tangoed with the landsacpe that a rennaisance artist would have begged to paint.

I had a panic attack on the flight into Cairo. What was I thinking ? Coming here by myself and planting my own two usually sane feet in the middle of arabian nights 2008. How can i answer my own inane questions for 2 weeks and survive. But then again, sulking has never been my special gift. I closed my eyes and thought of Columbus - He didnt sit at home with the sails flapping waiting for a travel companion. And if he had - we most certainly would have never found America, Starbucks and Jimmy Choos. So me and my alter ego - on a trip to Egypt was a good thing. Maybe I'd discover a new pyramid. Ha !
My plans of putting myself on a Cleopatra diet of goats cheese and milk and other health Egyptian veggies was laid to rest by a Cinnabon Store at the airport. I guess it was obvious - with a caramel pecan mini bon, sneakers and bagpack - I could only be a tourist and not a rugged archeological type world explorer as I had hoped. Ohh what the heck !
Next day - I met my tour group and armed with my Rough Guide to Egypt and a bottle of water - my vacation officially began.

• The pharaohs believed that the house of the afterlife should be grander and more beautiful than the house of the first life. They spent their time on earth in mud and clay modest houses and channeled all their resources towards building for the second life. The world was once ocean and then the pyramids rose from the depths of the sea to form the first land. Hence the pyramids.


• The egyptians of yore were sun worshippers - so the temples are on the east coast of the Nile and the tombs on the west coast as thats were the sun god goes to make his entry to the afterworld. The openings to the pyramids are on the north side as the north start is always present as a guidng light.


• In egyptian mythology - Ra - the sun god created himself and then in 5 days created the rest of the world. He created Osiris the god of vegetation, Seth the god of the desert. Osiris was married to Isis - the goddes of magic. Seth was jealous of Osiris as the people preffered to live in the greens and abandoned the desert. So in a fit of rage, the killed Osiris. Isis was grief stuck and cried a flood of tears which became the flood of the nile.


• On our tour we also went to Ben Ezra Church Syagogue and churches in the old cairo area. Its said that Moses and Jesus both once walked these very pathways. In Egyptian SA = Gift , and Mu = Water; MuSA = Gift from water - as Moses was found floating in a papyrus basket as a baby.
• Wandered an evening in the famous Khan-e-Khalili market where I am certain you can get anything you want! My fav stop was the Al Fishawi cafe - they say that this cafe laden with mirrors and antiques has not been shut for a single day in the past 300 years. It was one of the highlights of my trip.
• Mint Tea was the drink of the day everwhere and it was just right. Bittersweet like life at times and then spicy once in a while.
• Went to the citadel of saladin and enjoyed a beautiful view of the cityscape

Its easy to imagine that this city- where the air is so laden with dust and longing is one that was the center of the world. From the feet of the pyramids of Giza- centuries look back at you. The old kingdom, middle and new kingdoms, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, Napolean, the world wars and you. The pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycernius and the Sphinx will take your breath away. These are the stones that have stood the test of the ages.
Like my rough guide remarked " All things dread time..but time dreads the pyramids"

This journey started a long time ago. No two weeks ago or two years ago. But much before that. And whatever broken road led me here, to this place, in this corner of the world at the altar of time, I felt blessed and utterly awestruck.