pm1_7837pm1_7833pm1_7829

Food glorious food: among the above choices, fried chicken, babaganoug, foul, falafel, fries, omelettes, a Middle Eastern cheese with tomatoes (gibneh w tomate), and of course, bread (which in Egypt is called aish – the Arabic word for life).

It’s been a long time since my last post, but I have not stopped shooting. I arrived here in the middle of Ramadan, which if you’d like to shock your system, is perhaps one of the best ways to do it. 🙂 Cairo (Al Qahira in Arabic) is bursting with energy. I think the only time the city is truly quiet is on Friday between 6:00 and 11:00 AM 9 that’s it, trust me! Most Cairenes are night owls, from toddlers to octogenarians are up, out and about way into the night, shopping, eating, visiting, living life. Therefore, it makes sense that Ramadan, a time of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice would also be supercharged here. I went away for a weekend to the north coast (more on that later) and when I hit the city limits at midnight thinking, oh, we’re back earlier than scheduled, my senses were assaulted by the crowds and traffic. There were people EVERYWHERE! The high streets were  a buzz of activity. As much as I love being here, sometimes the bustle gives me pause.

pm1_7853pm1_7857

pm1_7873

These photos were taken on the last suhoor of Ramadan 2016. Several friends joined some gracious locals who have helped us navigate this great city for the last “feeding” before Eid-ul-Fitr for some super yummy food. There is traffic, impatience, merriment as diners eat or wait for tables and  waiters and managers serve and coordinate this gargantuan task. I never totally got over seeing 3-year-olds up and about like normal. It reminded me of the shopping rush before Christmas everywhere, and the frenetic, colorful drama of Trinidad carnival in the final week (but they do it all with no alcohol y’all, like how?!). After eating we went to one of the fresh juice bars common here for freshly squeezed orange, mango, kiwi and cane juice. If you ever try this out remember the usual travelling conventions about water, hot or cold foods and hand washing. Otherwise,

Enjoy!

L

PS: As much as I haven’t kept up here, you can see loads and loads of mobile images on Instagram. Be sure to follow over there if you want to keep up.

 

2 thoughts on “Al Qahira – Ramadan in The City that Never Sleeps”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.