• Cairo on the run

September 8, 2004

PAT posing in front of the Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)	Driving past the Pyramids at Giza	L to R: Pyramid of Chephren, the Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid of Cheops sets the scene for the Sound and Light Show

Can you see everything Cairo has to offer in one day? Well, the team is certainly trying. Released from Aswan a day behind schedule the team had to miss out on one of Egypt’s main attractions – the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple. We had to get back on schedule so we drove into the night and camped in the desert just outside Qena. The next day we made a dash for Hurghada; we got there in time for lunch and some well-earned R&R.

A resort town, Hurghada is full of German, Spanish and Italian holidaymakers. Some of the team members got their chance to swim in the clear waters of the Red Sea. Dr Zaini Sharaani (Zulu) even brought along his snorkeling gear and managed to see some marine life just off the beach.

More delays in the morning, but the team by now is quite used to the excuses and explanations. Expedition Leader Halim Rahman gave the team a quick briefing and warned the team of their approach to Cairo. “This is a city of 20 million, so there are many cars and we have to maintain the convoy so that no one gets lost,” he says. “We also want to arrive in Cairo before dinner so that we can watch the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids.”

Keeping each member entertained via radio on the way, the team soon found themselves in heavier traffic compared to the past week. As we approached Cairo at about 4pm, the rush hour traffic was in full swing. But thanks to the Tourist Police escorts and the expert driving of the team, we made it to the hotel without incident. After an early dinner, the team headed for the show and after that some had the energy to browse at the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. This bazaar or souk is normally full of shoppers in the day but in the cool night it is overflowing with tourists and locals alike.

So, can one see Cairo in a day? Well, the team is staying at the Oberoi right in the shadow of the Pyramids, making it the obvious first stop. After many group photos and a privileged drive around all three Pyramids, some team members hired vans to bring them around Cairo.

The second stop was the world-renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The team could only afford a brief glimpse of the more than 120,000 items on display. In under two hours we covered what would normally take days!

Next, the team headed for the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, taking a quick peek at the Al Azhar University across the road and while the Muslim members paid their respects at the Mosque of Saiyidina Hussein, the rest roamed the souk and had lunch.

An hour later the team headed for another attraction – the Fortress of Salah ed-Din. A spectacular view of Cairo awaited them at the top and after another frenzy of picture taking we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the official dinner on the Nile. The PETRONAS staff in Cairo and representatives from the Malaysian Embassy also attended the dinner.

While Cairo has much, much more to offer, the team has to leave and head for their next destination – Alexandria and Idku, where they will take part in another community relations programme at a vocational school in Idku.

While the team is enjoying themselves, Logistic Director Faruk Rahman is already anticipating another headache – the border crossing at the Egyptian-Libyan border. As the team will be attempting the crossing on a Friday, he has received word that the border might be closed. Will the team get across or will we get stuck in red tape again?