Camels, Pyramids and Bombs

Today had a little bit of everything, as we experienced first-hand both the beauty of ancient Egypt and the chaotic reality of present-day Cairo.

We spent most of the day out at the Great Pyramids of Giza, riding camels and horses around the pyramids for 4 hours. It was beautiful and we even avoided the scams that afflict most tourists. Look out for pictures tomorrow.

As great as the pyramids were, today will be looked back on and remembered for other reasons. An explosion rocked one of Cairo's main tourist areas today, when somebody threw a grenade into a crowd in the Khan El-Khalili shopping district around 7 p.m., right as we finished dinner. Luckily we were nowhere near the ar ea and are all safe. We had met up with my friend Theo after dinner, and rushed with him to the scene of the blast when he received the news. We looked on as Theo and other journalists from all over the world attempted to piece together details of the attack so that he could write a story. The area was packed with policemen, reporters and onlookers, and numerous ambulances zoomed by as we tried to figure out exactly what occurred. Reports varied as to what really happened. Those on the scene claimed that the bomb was placed under a chair in a cafe, while others said the bomb was in a parked car, and still others insisted that it was actually thrown from a window above the square.

The latter report actually seems the most reliable now, based on reports we are seeing online. A French tourist has been confirmed dea d, while numerous other foreign tourists were injured. Most of the injuries actually occurred during the chaos that ensued after the blast, as the crowd dispersed and some people were trampled. As of this posting, nobody has taken credit for the attack. Either way, our adrenaline was pumping and we were definitely luc ky that we didn't decide to go to the market today. We'll go tomorrow for sure though. In fact, it's probably the safest place in the city right now.