Welcome back to Egypt!

We re Back!

It’s been exactly 11 months since the day Liz and I started our around the world trip right here in Cairo, Egypt. If you were reading this blog back then, I’m sure you’ll remember our first few experiences in Cairo. If not, please be sure to check out the following articles before reading below.

• The Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Hassles
• Exploring Islamic Cairo and the Citadel
• Cruising the Nile and Couchsurfing in Cairo
• Egyptian Hospitality at it’s Best

It’s been 5 months since I last saw my best friend Mohamed. For Liz, it’s been almost 1 year. It’s as if we never left. We see him in the distance and he’s with his good friend Ahmed. Our faces light up as our eyes connect for the first time in a while. “Hey man! Welcome to Egypt! I missed you guys so much. Our taxi is waiting for us in the parking lot, lets go…” says Mohamed. We stuff our bags in the trunk and we’re on our way to Mohamed’s home in Maa’di.

As soon as we enter his building and we start to make our way up the stairs to his flat, I feel that his mother hears our footsteps. Four flights of stairs later we arrive at our home away from home. Mohamed’s mothers eyes light up when she sees me. It’s only been 5 months but she says in Arabic “The bright light is back!”, as she tries to explain that when I’m in her home I make the room bright like a star. I mutter “Masa il-kheer” which means good evening in Arabic. She quickly welcomes Liz with open arms as she shows us to our room. Within minutes we’re being served what seems like trays and trays of food. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken, pasta with sauce and more. We had just flown 11 hours from Boston and we were hungry to say the least. We stuffed our faces until we we’re about to burst. Mohamed’s brother Sherif is at the table telling us “Eat, Eat more!” as usual. It seems as if the Egyptians go out of their way to make sure you gain weight before you leave their country…

After a short nap we head over to surprise another family that we are very close with here in Maadi. This family was the the first to host us during our first visit to Cairo and they had absolutely no idea that we were in town. We sneakily entered their building and tip toe up the stairs. Mohamed rings the doorbell as we sit back and wait to surprise them. The door swings open and we pop out from behind Mohamed. Mona and Mr. H. erupt in laughter almost as if they don’t believe what they see. We sit down to chat with them over a shai (Egyptian Tea) and talk about our latest visit to Egypt. They are ecstatic about our return to Egypt and it quite apparent as they invite us back to visit anytime during our visit to Cairo.

We make one last visit to another friend of ours named Mahmoud before the night is over. Mahmoud is a tour guide, the best in all of Egypt I might add. He has plans for us in the morning to show us around Coptic Cairo and we’re extremely excited to explore the area.

Needless to say our first evening in Egypt has been everything we imagined and more. It’s still as magical as it was the first time around. Even more magical, actually. The streets are filled with smiling Egyptians, whispers of Hello, and the infamous saying “Welcome to Egypt!”. We are so thrilled to be here and all we can do give a wave of hello back as we reply with “Shakran” (meaning Thank you in Arabic).