Cairo - Day 2

Ok,,, the 0600 wake-up call came entirely too early. I was exhausted but here I am and I’ll deal with being tired once I return to Djibouti. Another huge breakfast at the Marriott with most anything a person could want. Back to the bus and off we went again.
The first stop of the day was the Citadel which was a city fortress. It also contains Mohammad Ali’s mosque. I got tricked into a photo opportunity by the Tourism Police who invited me behind some ropes and then of course the smile and extended hand to accept a tip came out….. I had to laugh again and gave up a couple of bucks. Evidently the incomes of Egyptians are not all that great so it appears they make the best of every opportunity to make a dollar or pound or other currency.
Back on the road we went and headed from Cairo to Giza, a short commute. Seeing the pyramids was a great experience and going into one was something to remember as well. There really wasn’t much to it but I can check that box that I’ve done it now. So three pyramids, a camel ride and seeing the Sphinx was another good portion of the day.
From the pyramids we went to a typical open-air Egyptian restaurant that was much like a tapas restaurant with several small plates and flat bread and then half of a char grilled rotisserie chicken. The food was good and I have been trying local flavors and enjoying them… I even ate beets at lunch and some meat and rice thing in a grape leaf. I’m not certain I’d order them again but they were interesting.
We were supposed to go to a coffee/tea house for an afternoon tea but I looked at my watch and told the tour guide we needed to get to the Museum of Antiquities instead of stopping for coffee. Our person from Camp told the tour guide and I’m not so sure the tour guide was happy since it appears there is a pretty good kick-back plan going on here. Anyway, we skipped the coffee/tea and got to the Museum and had about two hours there. Most of King Tut’s artifacts were on display as well as a lot of other artifacts. It was like an Indiana Jones/Mummy day but in real life instead of the Hollywood big screen version.
After getting back I found myself back at the pool/fitness center complex then met up with Taylor for some quick shopping then a bite to eat for dinner. Now I was all ready to sit down at the hotel and get something of a local flavor but T had it in his mind to go out and get something American…. So where do we end up???? One of my least favorite restaurants, which can be attributed to Pearl Harbor incidents, Chili’s. I have to say that place is garbage even in Egypt. I won’t be eating that garbage again while on vacation when there are different things to try… I need a little more adventure than a chain restaurant.
So that takes us up to midnight. I’ve finished packing since tomorrow is another early wakeup. Heading to the airport for an early flight around 0900 to Sharm el Sheik in the Southern Sinai area on the Red Sea. I know everyone has been concerned about me over in this deployment but don’t be worried, I’m managing to get by. There’s a great breeze out on my 16th floor balcony overlooking the Nile and a constant stream of traffic 24 hours a day and a constant honking of horns,,,, like it helps that traffic to blow the horn. I’ll enjoy this beautiful weather because I know this time next week I’ll be sweating buckets in my DCU’s again.