I arrived in Cairo well before the political crisis, in April of 2010. Egypt did indeed seem like a beautiful and rich country, wracked by decades of abuse. Spectacular but crumbling architecture, ancient and modern. Verdant but unkempt parks and countryside. Jubilant but dirty markets. Wonderful food, much of it out of reach of many people.
A famous museum whose walls were in need of paint. You could see the decline in the ruins of once lavish apartment buildings, a decaying infrastructure that can’t keep up with garbage collection. For two weeks I avoided the obvious tourist sites, the museums and pyramids, preferring to spend my days wandering through the safe streets of Cairo, talking to friendly, welcoming people, sampling their food, taking in the ambience. I loved them and I loved being there. They deserve better. ¡Viva la Revolución! 
This is near where the protests are happening
relaxing in an ancient mosque
The old and the new
Youngs vendors of fuul (beans, a common steet food).
The hazardous crossing of streets
Enjoying sheesha in a street café
Breads cooling
Cooking ta'amiya (aka felafel)
Pigeons stuffed with rice and wheat, one of Egypt's most beloved dishes
Koshary, Egypt's favorite comfort food, is pasta and wheat and chick peas bathed in a spicy, fragrant sauce and garnished with browned onions
A typically beautifully decorated pushcart
Egyption desserts
Gay life in Egypt is underground. But ironically, pairs of men and women,not necessarily gay, can often be seen holding hands or walking arm in arm in public;
just not with each other!
A typical street in a poorer area of downtown Cairo
Horrific piles of garbage spill out of alleys and down stairs.Even the 'nice' neighborhoods are unkempt.
Many people live in dreary, unfinished looking housing blocks like these.
This strange place is called 'City of the Dead'. It is a cemetery where squatters cohabitate with their ancestors. Not for desire to commune with the past, but for lack of better housing.
A decaying Art Deco cinema
A forlorn manequin waits in vain to be gussied up in an almost empty but still funcioning and once-grand downtown department store.
Laughing in spite of it all.
Night falls over the old Muslim quarter
Oum Kolthoum (1898-1975) was the Egyptian singer/diva par excellance. Although she sang non-political love songs, she was a heroine of the people a symbol of 'Egyptian-ness', and would have been proud of what's happening now. Here I am in a café dedicated to her and featuring her images and non-stop music.
Oum even has her own museum. Her famous diamond studded glasses are on display.
Not even Streisand has such dedicated fans.
Here I am relaxing on the Corniche in Alexandria
And I did, finally, make it to the Pyramids of Giza
It's time for change!
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