It was an uneventful morning, or so we thought. We woke up to the hustle and bustle streets along the Tahrir Square. Even though our room was in the sixth floor, we could clearly heard the loud honks of any vehicles and the lively morning chatters of vendors in Downtown Cairo.

Cairo is a living, breathing modern city.

I was annoyed to say the least. I was binge-watching Peaky Blinder until dawn, while Sofe was soundly asleep under her thick blanket. The chilly winter air bit us right in the face- I actually preferred the winter season instead of the hot, dry summer.

Sofe had already showered by the time I pulled my blanket over my head, attempting to sleep again. With a fierce determination to wake me from the slumber, she caught the end of the blanket and threw it on the floor, shouting "Wake up!" repeatedly. 

Begrudgingly, I gave her a blazing glare before I marched my way to the bathroom. Outside, morning light filtered through a tapestry of clouds, capturing the subtleties of a quiet balcony in our room in the bustling capital. Sofe updated about our activity of the day to her husband and her family. 

"Nash talked about taking me to the Egyptian Museum. It was supposed to be awesome."

She laughed on the phone, unaware to my prying eyes. She was in Cairo for about a week now- I ran out of places to bring her apart from famous tourists spots. 

She marched ahead, a Samsung in hand as Google Maps' beeps led us through the urban sprawl of Downtown Cairo near to Tahrir Square. We've decided to go for a breakfast before spending our day with artefacts and carved out-of-stones pharaohs. I walked a bit faster, careful not to trip over the cobblestones and avoid incoming human-traffics along the way. 

After spending a good twenty minutes looking for a specific restaurant, we grew frustrated. The maps weren't updated and the streets were confusing. We argued before we settled for all-in American breakfast with two large coffees on the go.

Caffeinated, I guided my best friend, winding through the narrow streetways - we've observed children darting around in traditional garbs, completed with winter jacket to brave the cold wind, shouting at each other in rapid-fire Arabic- apparently a friend of theirs had left them and they were quite lost. I saw many vendors seated under their small plastic chairs reading newspaper while drinking hot chai, some of them were reading the books that they are selling.

We ended up bought a hard-cover book for 50le.

I breathed in the dry, chilly air- a welcome contrast to the warm, humid weather I had grown accustomed to in Asia. I revelled in the opportunity to be submerged in one of African countries, even it was seven years later. The smell of sizzling local cuisine began to invade our olfactory senses, like a battle cry among the wild streets. It informed locals that the bombardment of queues was about to begin and hinted to the toddling hordes of tourists that in this city of history and ancient civilizations, food reigned the top.

We finally found ourselves lined up for tickets in front of the massive green gate. A tour bus filled with Chinese tourists just pulled up and they disembarked in groups, making the line went further down the road. We waited for a good half hour before I paid for the tickets and camera passes. The museum isn't allowing any photography when I first came here but the rules has certainly changed.

We passed through securities- we've even exchanged pleasantries with the guards, throwing smiles as the locals greeted us. I walked briskly as Sofe closely in tow- her eyes were scanning to her surroundings. I could tell that she was excited to explore the place.

The Egyptian museum of Antiquities located in Tahrir Square, considered to be one of the oldest, most famous and the largest museum in the world. The bronze-coloured museum has put on many display of precious exhibits- they consists of two floors : the ground floor hosts the heavier displays like coffins, massive statues and stone carvings.

The second floor hosts the lighter displays that include tools, funerary objects, smaller statues, papyrus scrolls, jewelries, carriages. But the main attraction is the display of Tut Ankh Amun tomb- it was amazing and worth every cent of what we paid at the entrance.

Sofe had already walked away to observe some statues in the midst of the sea of people. As I rushed to catch up, a flash of red, yellow and blue colour darted beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a teenage girl no taller than my head. Dark curls fell upon her soft face and button nose. Her eyes, the shade of deep blue like a clear sky, hinted at someone who had been considered a great beauty among her age. Her colourful traditional abaya attracted many pair of eyes but she paid them no mind.

She called for her friend and ducked through a small opening in between corridors. Her friend had shouted for her to wait but she merely laughed and ran away. The girl was a carefree soul and I found that was quite endearing. In an instant, she was gone.

Sofe and I explored further. The colourful artefacts and the rich antiquity belied the lingering unwritten stories that seemed to have engraved in the stones, the cries of the previously enslaved still echoing in the air.

Several photos later, we entered the hall that hosted the main attraction, the display of Tut Ankh Amun tomb and his personal effects, where an eerie but exciting sensation gripped us almost immediately. We wandered away to take a good look from one exhibit to another as we plagued the resident expert with questions. Soon though, silent overtook me as the weight of the information of the place sunk me in.


"This is incredible," Sofe simply echoed after a moment. Nothing else needed to be said. 

We spent the rest of the day admiring the local art and the stunning sunset by the Nile, near to Cairo Tower. We had drinks on the bench as we awaited our Careem ride to Cairo Festival City Mall. And we went to sleep in our hostel, safe and sound later that night. The words that she said after the day we had might as well have been etched inside my head as I settled into my bed. 

"Incredible."