Cairo Museum March 16

On Monday we had a leisurely morning. We had breakfast with Samai and David, very tasty. Then we passed some time waiting for Ezzat to take Nardeen to the bus station. She had to be home for a lesson. Bonnie and Samai had a good time even though they didn't speak the same language. David and I played foosball and did some Internet stuff while we were waiting. We had a wonderful time this morning and will miss these folks.

When Ezzat returned we were off to the Cairo Museum. We took the Metro across town and it certainly was a lot faster than driving. When you ride the Metro, if you are a male, you need to be careful not to get on woman's car. There are cars on the train where men are not allowed. If you you get in the wrong car it will cost you 10 EGP and a bunch of hassel even if you are a tourist. Not many foreigners ride the Metro as the signs for everything are almost all in Arabic. So unless you have an escort and would like an adventure don't use the Metro. I couldn't find an "official" Metro website but there is one with a map and some other information that looks useful here.

The museum is quite wonderful, amazing, spectacular. There are just no words to describe what we saw in the short time we were there. The two guide books we purchased at home said to allow two days for the museum but I could have probably spent more than that and we were only in there for three hours. Pictures are not allowed inside the museum. You must check your camera at the gate after you pay your admission (60 EGP for tourists). There is free will payment for this service but something is expected. You will be scanned for security purposes at least twice. There used to be a secondary charge to see the Tutankhamun exhibit but that is no long the case or wasn't when we were there. All of it is worth more than triple the admission price even for a few hours. Next time we return to Egypt I personally will spend much more time in this place. The young lady that accompanied us was an exchange student in Anchorage three years ago, Aya Abdelaziz. She is a wonderful young lady and we are so happy we could meet here family and spend time with them.