The first of two full days in Cairo, we spent the morning in the crowded Egyptian Museum. Most likely because most pocket camera users don't know how to disable their flashes, cameras are now completely banned from the museum. Naturally we had to pay extra to get into the hall of the mummies, where Ramesses II's "old man" hair is clearly visible on his mummified head. Free but in a special (and crowded) section of its own was the Tutankhamun exhibit, including the beautiful and surprisingly small golden funeral mask.
In the afternoon we skipped the tour of mediæval Cairo on account of still feeling ill. In fact my dad was now running a fever and couldn't even manage to eat anything in the evening.
Time for another sound and light show, this time using the Sphinx as narrator. Either some of the lights weren't working or it just wasn't very good. I decided there and then not to bother with any more of these sound and light shows (there were two more on the tour; all were optional extras).
Before moving on, I have to mention the traffic in Egypt, and particularly in Cairo. I've not seen anything quite like it; it's utter and complete chaos, but also bizarrely well-natured (we did see one accident, but it was the kind of accident which is common on British roads), all the honking (during the day) and flashing (at night) being for information and not an expression of frustration and impatience as it would be in Italy or Paris. That said, I sat directly behind the bus driver for one trip and didn't do it again; it was just too scarey!
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