The Bruner Family Journey

When Eden and I traveled the world for a year pre-children (ah, those were the days!), my brother and his wife Eden (yes, there are two Edens) joined us for a fantastic two-week adventure in Vietnam. So, when we told them we were doing it again en famille, they immediately declared they were coming from New York City to meet us with their three children - it was just a question of when and where. With a baby in tow, we were thinking they would prefer somewhere in Italy - after all, kids of all ages like pasta and gelato, and what parent doesn't crave a nice glass of Chianti after spending all day with their children...

On the streets of Cairo

But in the end we opted for a double-family extravaganza in Egypt. There were so many things that made me apprehensive about traveling in the developing world with nine people, five of them under the age of nine and one of them under the age of one: Would the kids eat the food and, if so, would the kids get sick from eating the food? Would someone fall into the Nile and, if so, what is the cure for bilharzia? How does one cross the street safely in Cairo with five children without the use of bullhorns and leashes? What's the punishment for the parents if their children are caught fighting in a mosque? All of these concerns proved groundless (except for the crossing the street part). We had an AMAZING time - it was an unforgettable experience, with loads of fun every single day of the trip. Our guide Nader was fantastic - knowledgeable on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture; witty, charming, and great with the children; and full of memorable expressions such as "It is the Egyptian way!" to describe the lighting of street lamps only during daylight hours, or cryptic governmental ministries with names like the "The Information and Decision Support Center." And for those of you wondering which person in our crew (adult or child) won the trip award for Best Behavior, it was unquestionably our smallest and youngest member (hooray for baby Amanda!).

Typical Cairo traffic

Our first Egypt post is about our experience in Cairo (excluding the Pyramids of Giza, which will be the subject of our next post). Cairo is a fascinating and exhilarating place, but we met several groups of tourists (as well as a French hotel manager) who said they had a love-hate relationship with the city. It's the largest metropolitan area in Africa and one of the most densely populated places on Earth. The traffic is insane - most cars drive without lights at night, the concept of staying in a "lane" is a loose one, red lights (for intersections that have them) don't seem to have any meaning, and the volume of traffic is relentless, seemingly at all times of the day (except Friday morning). Public transport vehicles are ridiculously overcrowded and many seem in desperate need of repair. Even pedestrian areas can be extremely difficult to navigate, either because of the sheer crush of humanity; the holes and bumps in the street surface; the donkey carts going this way and that; the people pulling and pushing wheel-carts overloaded with merchandise; the merchants who apparently don't own a wheel-cart and are consequently carrying huge bags on their shoulders; the fact that sometimes the "road" is wide enough for only a few bodies at a time - or all of the above in a span of a few minutes.

At the Al-Azhar Mosque

The continuous onslaught of contrasting images and sensations can be overwhelming. Here a moment of grace, elegance and beauty, there a scene of profound squalor. Here a stunningly gorgeous historic monument, there a pile of rotting garbage being torn apart by a group of stray dogs. Here a calm moment enjoying a cup of Arabic coffee in a friendly cafe on a quiet side alley, there a joltingly loud sermon broadcast at full volume, with maximum distortion, over a set of loudspeakers pointing in every direction. Here a strong sense of tradition, there all the trappings of modernity. And when you finally lay your head down to rest at night, there's no need to set an alarm: The nearest call to prayer is sure to wake you up well before sunrise.

Cairo is anything but boring. You can go shopping for shoes or buy pastries at 2:00 in the morning. After visiting some of the most venerable mosques and Muslim monuments in the world in the neighborhood known as Islamic Cairo, you can have a nightcap on a luxurious boat floating on the Nile while listening to loud, trendy Euro-Arab-beat music. You can visit historic Coptic Christian churches, part of a unique faith that is distinct from both Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy. You can visit the "City of the Dead," a vast ancient cemetery where people have squatted for centuries and where thousands continue to live, work and shop amongst a bustling grid of historic tombs and mausoleums.

Visiting Cairo is no doubt a challenge, but it's an experience that should not be missed. The people are warm and they are proud of their country's long and illustrious history, but they are also keenly aware of its foibles. They have a strong sense of resilience and a wicked sense of humor. The sightseeing is fabulous, and the people watching is even better, with endless opportunities for photographing all sorts of captivating characters. Just be careful - very careful - whenever you cross the street.

Cairo at night

Cairo church at night

Ottoman stained glass window

Coptic church stained glass window

Coptic church with rambunctious school group

Coptic Christmas decorations

Islamic design, incorporated into a Coptic church building

View of Islamic Cairo

Minarets in the morning haze

Historic facade in Islamic Cairo

More historic architecture in Islamic Cairo

Still in Islamic Cairo

Islamic Cairo, Take 42

Jeremy in Islamic Cairo

At the Al-Azhar Mosqe

In Islamic Cairo (again)

About to enter Khan el-Khalili (Islamic Cairo's vast marketplace)

At the Egyptian Museum

Cairo street scene (and many more below)

Stuck in traffic again!

Want some car parts?

Is there room for me please?

Meow!

Architecture in modern Cairo (more shots below)

City of the Dead (more shots below)

Morning rush hour in the City of the Dead

Jeremy and Talia in a sea of red rock in the Siq

Eden recently reminded me of an interesting little part of our trip to Jordan that I didn't recount in our prior post of December 16, Petra: Jordan's Gem And One Of The World's Wonders. So, here goes - which also gives us an excuse to post some more pictures of Petra. And it's some easy "filler" material (ok, I admit it) while I try to organize our 1,500 pictures of Egypt and get my jumbled thoughts together about the chaos, grandeur and sensory overload from 12 days of full-on, non-stop touring from Cairo down to Abu Simbel (about 30 miles from the Sudanese border) - by boat, bus, van, taxi and plane (including three flights in one day with five children in our entourage), staying in five different hotels. I guess many people don't think of Istanbul - the next stop on our itinerary - as a relaxing destination, but we are looking forward to being in one place for a whole week without much of a sightseeing agenda. There's even a kitchen, free wi-fi, and a washing machine!

But I digress. The story Eden reminded me of concerns our journey crossing the border from Eilat, Israel to Aqaba, Jordan. The Israeli side of the border is meticulously well-organized. The lines to wait on are clearly labeled in multiple languages. There are posts, ropes, stanchions and signs to tell and show you exactly where you should be and where you shouldn't be. The border officials are neatly dressed, well-spoken and clean-shaven - the paragon of the modern bureaucrat. They are focused on the task at hand, and while they are by no means unfriendly, there is a business-like formality and a kind of routinized efficiency to the process. Step 1, followed by Step 2, followed by Step 3. There isn't much, if any, small talk. The bathrooms are immaculate, with loudspeakers perched above the urinals blaring Western pop music.

Then you walk over to the Jordanian side. It's not exactly clear where to go, but you know you need money so you walk over to the foreign exchange office, which is a run-down building with the words "Change Money" spray-painted on the door. There's a guy inside smoking a cigarette (it smells like he's been chain-smoking all day), with a three-day beard, a shirt that could use a good ironing and a tie that needs tightening and straightening. He smiles warmly and starts to fawn over the kids, asking their names and their ages, and giving each a gentle pinch on the cheek. (Talia likes the attention, but Jeremy flinches, as if he's thinking, "Who is this strange guy and why is he suddenly reaching for my face?") The man asks inquisitively where we are going, what we are doing, how long we are staying in Jordan. "Ah, Petra is so beautiful. You will have a great trip," he says with a big smile as he puts out his cigarette to take a gulp of Arabic coffee before pulling out a large calculator. After some more small talk, and some more gulps of coffee, he gives us our money, assuring us with a hearty laugh that the Jordanian Dinar is a "strong and good currency." He asks if we need anything else - some more Dinars, perhaps, some Euros, any other currency? When we decline he shakes my hand and says "Welcome to Jordan!"

We then find our way to the immigration/visa office, where a uniformed man in a dimly lit room is lazily watching an old TV (the poor reception suggests that it isn't cable). He is smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of Arabic coffee. He smiles and motions Talia to come over to make sure she's got a good view of the Arabic television program that's on while the formalities are being completed. There's another guy in the room who is also smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee - it's not clear what his role or function is. There's one more stop at another office (I forget what the purpose was), but there's no one there. After a couple of loud "hellos!", someone finally arrives to complete our processing. He looks as if he's just been awakened from a long, deep coma.

We pass through the final passport check and are now officially in Jordan...

And here are some more pictures of Petra, for those of you who didn't get enough the first time around.