Alex and Cairo

After the heat of Luxor, its nice to get to the ocean again - and although we are in Africa, the Mediterranean Sea coast of Egypt reminds me of Greece and Turkey. The vibe in Alexandria is relaxed and easy going, and we spend a few days strolling along the sea and relaxing. It's coming to the end of our Middle East stint, and with only 5 days before we fly out, we pack up and head for the big smoke - Cairo.

The population of Cairo tips the scales at around 25 million - a super city in anyone's estimation. There's so much to see and do here, and rumour has it that Egyptian Immigration officials won't let you leave until you've visited the pyramids - so along with the famous Egyptian museum, the Giza Pyramids are on the top of our list.

The Pyramids are in the outer suburbs of Cairo - I'll never forget the first view of them across the urban sprawl. Of course, we climb inside the Great Pyramid and sit inside the burial chamber for around 20 minutes - its eerie to think that a Pharoah was buried in this room with his loot - wives, gold, jewels, food and animals - over 4,500 years ago. The scale of the entire site is overwhelming and due to the distances between pyramids (there are 9 in the area), we decide to hire a camel. After some fairly fierce bartering, we 'agree' and mount the trusty beast for a unique perspective of the Giza site. Honestly, riding a camel is really uncomfortable and a little overrated. Had to do it once though!

There's also some other less well known sites we want to visit, things that you can only see in Cairo. In particular, the Birqash Camel Market - where camels walked up from central Africa are bought and sold - turns your understanding of normality on its head (a.k.a. head-f**k). It's loud, hot and there's thousands of camels moaning and attempting to run about. Camel traders find it necessary to beat the camels relentlessly - everywhere a camel turns, a trader with a stick stands with evil in his eye. An assault on the senses does not even begin to approximate the experience, and after only 30 minutes, I've had enough. Even as I write this, I'm not sure I have recovered fully - I know it's reality, but the cruelty is extreme and senseless. I'd recommend it only if you have a strong stomach...

Camels waiting to be purchased

A trader takes a break from beating camels

An unhealthy camel voices complaint