Savoring Cairo

Well, I am leaving Cairo tonight and will arrive at the Israeli border in the morning. It has been good to catch up with old friends; life has been kind to some and very harsh to others over the past couple years. Cairo is one crazy city. A friend once compared it to a scruffy 3-legged cat: quirky, seemingly maimed, but still full of life. I wish I had more time here, but I keep telling myself and others that 6 days is better than nothing at all.

I met up with a family today who is in a lot of turmoil and pain, so it's difficult to write at the moment...perhaps I will be able to write more once I arrive in Jerusalem. In the meantime, here are some photos from my time in Cairo:




My dear friend Mervad's baby girl. Her name is Amy and she is the most even-tempered baby I've ever seen.




Ben and Amber opened their home to me over the last six days. I shared a flat with Amber when I was living in Cairo from 2003-04 and Ben was a student at the Middle East Studies Program during that time. It has been wonderful to spend time with both of them again.




Smoking shisha at the infamous El Fishawi coffee shop.




Friends in a part of the city called Ein Shams. They invited me over for koshary, a very Egyptian meal, and I ate enough to feed half their neighbors:)




A faluca ride on the Nile.