Zamalek/Downtown Cairo

Yesterday, I went into Cairo near the other campus located in Zamalek. Since it was the weekend and there is pretty much nothing to do on campus, almost every study abroad student went into town.

We left around 2pm and arrived in Cairo around 3. We had a big group with us so be eventually split up into about three groups of five. My group walked around a bit to get our bearings and then we sat down to eat at restaurant called Cafe Noir. It had a ranch of items on the menu, and was pretty good! I had a hulumi panini, which consised of hulumi cheese, tomatoes, pickles, and pesto sauce. I also had a mango juice, that was so thick, it had chunks of real mango in it! AMAZING.

After lunch, we walked around a bit. This part of Cairo didn't have too many shops necessarily, but it had lots of cafes. After a bit of jay-walking (I'm going to be a pro when I get back), we met up with one of the other groups at a cafe overlooking the Nile. This seemed to be a more local and less touristy place. People inside were smoking sheesha, doing work on the computer, and playing batgammon. My group got drink and tea and a few people smoked some sheesha. I ordered a hibiscus juice which I've heard is supposed to be very popular. It was very sweet and tart, but very refreshing.

After sitting for a while, a student at AUC who is from Palestine and has been hanging out with us,, Khalil, organized a fulluca (sp?) ride on the nile us. We took a taxi to the place, and our taxi driver was hilarious. He spoke English really well and was making jokes and talking about how much he loved Obama. He gave us his card after the trip, so we may see him again.

The cruise was amazing. For an hour and a half, it cost less than 2 US dollars per person! We rode up and down the river, and our captain/boat driver was a kid about the age of 12. What was hilarious was when the kid put on music for us. We were all probably expecting some nice Arabic music as a backdrop, but instead, Britney Spears' popped on! haha

Following the boat ride we got dinner at a local eatery called Alex Top's. They served koushary, which is a popular and traditional dish consiting of lentils, chickpeas, pasta noodles, and marinara sauce. It was delicious and cost just under $1. After quickly eating we had to rush back to meet our 10 o'clock bus. The day was great, and I can't wait to explore more of Cairo.