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Lost in Cairo, Part I

Posted September 14, 2006

Tonight, I got lost alone in downtown Cairo.

Earlier in the day, I had read The Alchemist, and was looking for someone to pass the book onto when Colin called me and invited me to dinner at the Greek Club. This rooftop restaurant offers the best cheap kofta in Cairo, to our knowledge. For L.E. 13, you get a plate of kofta and French fries; another seven pounds buys you a Stella, the standard Egyptian beer. Because it’s an actual club, non-members like us pay a five pound cover. Still, a dinner for less than L.E. 30 is great for a Thursday night.

Colin set off on foot from the cinema to the Greek Club, and I hailed a cab on Zamalek. The driver didn’t know the Greek Club, but he knew the famous Groppi bakery adjacent to the Club, so I was confident that I would get there directly. After some traffic, the driver dropped me off in front of a completely different Groppi bakery. The street was crowded and cars raced by, and the tall buildings prevented me from sighting any landmarks. I decided to walk until I found something with which I could gauge my position.

This specific district of Cairo, Tal-Atharb, is a bit like Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. Clothing shops and overpriced cafes skirt the thoroughfares, attracting those with disposable incomes. The sidewalks are reserved for window shoppers and street merchants. I chose to walk in the street, where I could move much faster. After several blocks, I made a right, for no particular reason, and then another a few blocks later, sticking to the populated roads and dodging cars.

About fifteen minutes of walking brought me to the correct Groppi bakery, and there was the Greek Club. I paid my cover and ordered kofta for Colin and me. He arrived minutes after I did, and we enjoyed the speediest sit-down meal we’ve had in Cairo. From there, we walked to another rooftop restaurant and bar, the Odeon hotel, where we met several of our friends from AUC. The Odeon is popular with the international student crowd, who order Stella after Stella to accompany their sheesha. I’m a big fan of the Om Ali, a cocoanut milk dessert with fruit and meringue.

The Odeon was out of Om Ali, so I had a flan that was not called a flan. Not bad, though. I called it a night earlier than most, and came back to Zamalek to practice some guitar. I brought my classical down to the courtyard and sat with some friends. I was introduced to two full-time students who also had their guitars here. One girl, Dhalia, brought her steelstring down and we jammed a bit.

I’m not sure if it took being in another country to make me connect to American folk music, but I’ve been learning some songs off Springsteen’s The Seeger Sessions, which Dad bought this summer. Dhalia and I played “Pay Me My Money Down,” which was a lot of fun. When I get back to the States, I’d like to get some more music in that vein.

That was a pretty typical Thursday night. Since our weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, the students stay out late, dining and bar-hopping and going to dance clubs and doing things college students do.
Oh, the glow of a city...