Second Alexandria Day Trip

Yesterday I went back to Alexandria with a few friends (post of first trip is here). We left from Ramses Station around 9:30 AM via minibus, and arrived about three hours later. This minibus was pretty small and uncomfortable, but it was also cheap and effective.


On the road to Alexandria.


We arrived near Misr Station, right near the bus station. Our Egyptian friends eventually figured out which bus to take to the Roman Theatre, after much searching. In Cairo and Alexandria, there are thousands of buses, and most of them are not labeled with destinations or prices, so finding the right bus is just a matter of asking drivers.

Donkey cart alongside traffic.


The Roman Theatre is one of the best preserved Roman ruins in the region. Though little remains, it was a fairly fascinating place. If you stand on the disc in the middle of the theatre and speak softly, your voice will echo loudly, which must have helped the Roman actors performing for large audiences.


Pictures from the Roman Theatre.





Brian testing the echo effect.



We then went to a restaurant along the Corniche, called the Alexandrina. It was quite expensive, though the fact that the menu was entirely in English explains that.

Stray cats a huge problem in Egypt, and to a lesser extent, stray dogs. You can find one anywhere. I saw this one on the sidewalk, which looks slightly deformed.


Unfortunately we realized it was too late in the day to head to the Catacombs, so we went to one of the beaches instead. There was a small admission fee for the beach, but the beach was very clean, so it was worth it. The water was warmer than ocean water I've been to in Maine, but Bill who lives in Florida said it was much colder than Florida.

We were the only non-Egyptians at the beach. Alexandria is noticeably more liberal in clothing, but even here most of the people at the beach were modestly dressed, wearing thick sweaters. There were a few Egyptian boys swimming and the fisherman were dressed in clothes suitable for the sea.

At on the beach.



We were able to rent a paddleboat for a small price and take it around the bay.

Views of the Mediterranean Sea from the paddleboat.




After the beach, we returned to the same restaurant we had gone to during the previous trip. We ordered the same food, and it was, again, the best seafood I've had.

We spent the rest of the night walking around the city and visting various cafes and bars. Alexandria is very spread out along the coast. Walking across the city is impractical since it is so long, so taxis are the only way to go. The Alexandrian drivers don't care how many people they take, so we managed to stuff six passengers into a tiny Fiat for several rides.

Around midnight, we took a minibus from the minibus station near Misr Station. This one was much more comfortable than the previous one. The bus owner was quite aggressive in recruiting passengers for the bus, as the buses will not leave until they are completely filled; in our case, full capacity was about sixteen passengers. This recruiting process involves shouting "ala qahera, ala masr" (To Cairo, to Cairo) at the top of your lungs at every passing taxi or passers-by all the while making sure the adjacent minibus doesn't entice a passenger to the same destination. However, even aggressive shouting isn't entirely effective at such a late hour, so it took close to thirty minutes to fill the bus. Then once the bus was filled, it took another forty minutes for a driver to arrive, because apparently the passenger recruiter didn't feel like going to Cairo.

After we got on the road, a young guy in the back of the bus was making trouble of some sort. I couldn't exactly understand what the problem was, but everyone sitting around him was furious and complaining to the bus driver. There was lots of yelling. The bus driver stopped the bus a few times to get out and yell at this guy himself. Then, about fifty kilometers out from Cairo, the bus driver decides it's time for tea. We stop at some deserted restaurant in the middle of nowhere and have tea at 2AM. This guy who was causing trouble comes over and strikes up conversation with us. When we're back on the road, the same guy causes some more trouble. The driver pulls into a security checkpoint and the police ask everyone in the the back two rows leave the bus, including me. Yet what we like to refer to as the "white phenomenon" occurred; the police officer just sends me back in the bus, no questions asked. Everyone else was questioned, padded down, and bags were searched. I still don't know exactly what the problem was, but there wasn't any further trouble for the remainder of the ride.

It was a pretty frustrating ride, but I like to keep it in perspective - it cost less than four US dollars for a three hour ride.

It was another enjoyable trip to Alexandria. I'll probably be back at some point.