The Problem With RST

(Ramadan Savings Time)

Cairo, Egypt

As I mentioned yesterday, Egypt dropped their clocks back an hour for Ramadan.  So did all my CASA friends and I.  But we didn't think, when we were making our plans to meet before sunset in search of a Iftar tent where we could break fast with real Egyptian Muslims, about how sunset would now be a whole hour earlier.  We planned to meet at 7:00 for a 7:30 sunset ... only to realize at 6:15 that sunset was going to be at 6:30!

So by the time Emma, Cosette and I got on the Metro to meet up with everyone else in Dokki, the call to prayer had already been called.  The Metro was deserted.  The ticket counters were closed while the ticket sellers broke their fast. Just as we were contemplating whether to reach through the glass and exchange our guineas for tickets ourselves, a man emerged to sell us tickets.

From Ramadan Kareem fi Musr!

By the time we actually met up with the girls in Dokki and got ourselves out on the streets in search of an Iftar tent, everyone had finished their meals and closed up their shops for a little cat nap before their midnight snacks.

It was like we were the only people in the city.  You never see Cairo like that.  It was simply amazing, to walk through the streets and not be hassled by men, taxis or shopkeepers.  It was just quiet, in a city that sleeps even less than New York!

From Ramadan Kareem fi Musr!

So we went down to al-Gazira Park, which is usually packed with Egyptian couples and families enjoying the Nile-side breeze. Tonight, we had the whole place to ourselves and the quiet sounds of the Nile.

From Ramadan Kareem fi Musr!

In the end, we didn't eat for hours more, but it was a beautiful, extraordinary night!