Mosques and souks

After a painless but expensive visit to the British Embassy, the required letter for the Sudan visa was obtained. Unlike the experience of the Australian members of our group at their embassy, the British Embassy didn't seem to care that I wanted to visit Sudan as long as I handed over the money!

Armed with post it notes in Arabic to give to the taxi driver, I then headed to Old Cairo to visit Al-Azhar Mosque, one of the largest and oldest mosques in Cairo. I was expecting plenty of other tourists to be around this area but recent events have obviously had a big impact on tourism as it was a while before I saw any other tourists.

After the mosque, I then went to Khan-al-Khalili bazaar. This is similar to the souks of Marrakech but again not the hive of activity I was expecting. The locals were friendly and welcoming and not really going for the hard sell that one might imagine. Many of them were just happy to chat, pass the time of day or discuss Egypt post-Mubarak. Whilst everyone seems to be happy that he has gone, there is also massive uncertainty about the future and some seem to fear that economically, they will be worse off..

 I think the hardest sell of the day came from a girl of about 8 years old who was pestering me to buy a bracelet whilst I was sat drinking mint tea in a cafe. After some haggling, I was eventually persuaded to purchase. She looked rather crestfallen at the amount we agreed on and I felt rather guilty afterwards when I realised that I had been bartering over about 20 pence!

Even with the Arabic directions, my return taxi driver didn't seem to have a clue where my hotel was although we made it eventually. On the plus side, it cost me half the price of the taxi I took there so I was obviously ripped off first time round! Everyone is out for what they can get in Cairo, but in a way that is all part of the experience. I've also learnt today that when asked if I have a husband or boyfriend, it is best to say yes. I can see why so many female travellers purchase fake wedding rings - it saves a lot of hassle!