After our first decent rest (lying down flat for 8 hours consecutively) in 2 days, we woke up and ate breakfast. There was a slight change of plans. Instead of spending more time in Cairo, we would first explore Islamic Cairo before catching the overnight train to Luxor. Heading south again by train along the Nile River, our next stops will be Aswan and Abu Simbel before taking a domestic flight back to Cairo for the Egyptian Museum and Giza Pyramids.

Although it is technically in Africa, given its close proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt is interestingly yet obviously more Arabian/Asian than African. In a way, it was more like India's Old Delhi than Swaziland's Manzini (or any other typical African city). While we were making the short 2-km walk towards the Islamic Cairo, we seem to have been transported back in time by several centuries. Gone were the high rise hotels and the fast food chains found at Midan Tahrir; instead the markets (with its choking traffic of cars and people) reminded me what I would had originally expected Cairo to be. Shoppers (with men in their galabiyyas or full-length robes) were either crowding around shops buying cheap China-made electronic goods or admiring the more-than-colourful fabrics that cause one's eyes to swirl. Just simply being in there made me felt alive again.

Unlike what the name would had suggested, Islamic Cairo is not necessary more Islamic than other parts of the city though it does possess monuments that were built and inspired by the glory of Islam. We visited various sights including the Al Azhar Mosque (founded in AD 970, it was one of Cairo's earliest mosques), the Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein (the reputed burial place of the head of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet?) and the Al Azhar University (the world's second oldest surviving degree granting university). While we almost got lost in the seemingly touristy market of Khan al-Khalili (I could bet any kind of souvenirs found in this country could be bought here though the stalls at the gold, sliver and coppersmiths markets were still patronised by locals), it was a nice stroll along Bein al-Qasreen and Al Muizz li-Din Allah leading up to the Mosque of Al-Hakim (a relatively large but rarely used mosque).

Although we now know the directions back to our hotel, the walk still took a good 45mins. When we got back there, the crowds at Talaat Harb showed no signs of reduction. We lifted our heavy backpacks (which we had deposited in King Tut Hostel prior to going out this morning) and headed towards the Ramses Station for our train to Luxor. More excitement awaits!