Centuries old itself, El Fishawy is hidden amongst the countless shops in the Khan al-Khalili market. The oldest and most famous coffee shop in Cairo, it's popular amongst tourists and locals alike. Ashley and I found it the perfect place to sit and smoke some shisha while watching time go by.
First opened in the 14th century, this market continues to be the largest and most famous place to buy good in Cairo today. Braving the heat and throngs of people, Ashley and I spent the day here people watching any buying over-priced junk.
we couldn't simply walk around them and enjoy our time visiting the ancient ruins, we had to endure constantly being hassled by people selling us crap, asking to have their picture taken for money, and trying to force us to ride their camels. We did end up on camel and horse back, but that was one of the biggest wastes of money we've had yet. 
Even worse was the litter that was left all over the ruins. In every pit, window sill, doorway was trash. Lying about all over the bit of desert around the pyramids were empty bottles and plastic bags blowing in the breeze.
Bottle caps lay on the ground every where. There was no escaping the trash. 
And at the exit was this lone empty trash can. (And the only trash in it was the trash I put in it.)
The city of Cairo is a rugged place. I wish I could call the city beautiful, but despite it's rich history and numerous historical buildings, churches, pyramids, etc, this place isn't all that easy on the eye. The good news: Our cousin Angela is letting Ashley (my sister met me in Cairo) and I stay at her place in a quieter, nicer, less congested part of the town. For the first couple days I was here, this is what I was doing. 
I shouldn't have been surprised by the traffic. I've been to several countries whose roads are basically lawless but even then the traffic here and it's incessant honking is perhaps the most intense I've ever seen. Again, the good news is that Angela set us up with her driver/friend Mohamed Ali who took us around town and alleviated us from having to worry about the traffic or the annoying taxi drivers looking to take us for a ride.
The city has one color: brown. Brown, brown and more brown. 
One big surprise: the pyramids of Giza are practically right in the middle of the town. Or at least there is semi-modern town built all around them. Somehow I thought they were isolated out in the desert somewhere. Guess I was wrong. 
