The National Museum Cairo

Today is my last full day in Cairo. I get up and I am discussing some things with another backpacker, who is a writer/journalist/photographer. He is here from Hungary. There appears to be a few misplaced people here.

I'm just one of many! It's good to have company.

I discuss going over to the museum and seeing if the army will let a lonely old tourist in to see the museum. I'm warned against it. The army is still surrounding the museum.

I just don't care. I go out get some breakfast and come back eat it and then set off to the museum. I am walking by and ....I see people in the court yard!

Yipee!

My heart starts to beat faster. I get to the end of the block and the military is posted there. They give me the sign to show them my passport. This is where they karate chop their forearm. I say sure. I pull out my passport. He asks why I am here. I tell him that I leave tomorrow so I want to see the museum before I go. He lets me in.

I'm so excited. Like a little kid. I am clapping my hands. I pay for my ticket and am stopped and told to check my camera. I'm upset, but I do it. Then while I'm in the museum as in other museums they say no pictures but everyone with a cell phone is taking pictures. I'm slightly upset by this. Oh, well. I am welcomed by many and asked my name. The arabs have trouble pronouncing my name. About as much trouble as I have pronouncing theirs.

I am checking things out and it's a mighty big museum. I am approached by a correspondent for Reuters. Now, some would say that Calgary still has a small town mentality. Well, here is a city of 20 million and somehow they make you feel like you are in Calgary.

She asks me where I'm from and why I came to Cairo. Now, I get to tell my story to another person. I tell her I'm so excited to be in the museum as I leave tomorrow. She says where are you going? I tell her Tunis. She stops and looks at me. So, of course, I have to tell her the whole story. She tells me that she was arrested and charged with high treason, during the revolution. I have a whole swath of stories to share when I get back. The people here have handled it with an amazing amount of aplomb. They have organized the militia and have civilians directing traffic on the street and it's hilarious but effective.

You see because the people turned on the police at the time of the revolution the police stations were all burned. Not to the ground, they are all made of cement. But there are no police here. Just traffic police, and they are sporatic at best or sleeping. Then there is the military and everyone seems to have someone in the military so the military wasn't going to shoot on their own families. On the day of celebration, they were outside having pictures taken with everyone. The people at the time time of the revolution came down to the front of their homes/businesses with machetes and clubs and stood outside and made sure there was no looting done. They stoically stood fast. They made sure there was not damage done, because they knew that they would have to replace it and since Mubarak left with all the money, where were they going to get the funds. You really have to hand it to the people here for the fortitude to see this through and the ability to organize themselves in a day to oversee the security of their city.

My friend Susan said that her father leaves something untouched - not looked at in every country so that he has an opportunity to revisit that country. Well, that is what I must do with Egypt. The people are lovely.

Cairo has an energy you just can't define. I do like it here. I don't think I could stay for a long time, but I certainly could stay longer. Since the revolution I'm told that the Egyptians are more proud, that they are taking care of cleaning the sidewalks and there is a pride of ownership here, that didn't exist before. I certainly hope that it can sustain them. They have some bumps in the road to weather, and if they weather it with the type of solidarity I've seen to date they should have no problem.

I do hope to return sometime to maybe dive the Red Sea from here and see the history in Thebes and Luxor.

Onward to Tunis....