After an eye opening day visiting the pyramids, for day two, we opted for a more intimate and local experience - spending the day at a local farm in Dashur, about 1 hour drive from our hotel and the pyramids of Giza.
Breakfast Buffet
Day 2 is still semi-exciting, but typically hotel buffets second go around are already losing their shinny new toy feel. We filled our bellies with some mediocre coffee and piled our plates with a bunch of food - much of which was not eaten, but it did the trick.
Magic Carpet Ride
We met our guide Sherif and driver Ayman at 10:30am, a welcome later start after a full day at the pyramids and late night at the cheesy Nile dinner cruise. The drive was 1hr from Giza, where we marveled at the sites from our window. What we saw:
Bee-hive-like chaotic yet somehow organized traffic that can’t be properly described without seeing it
The hum of daily life - bakeries, coffee shops
Seemingly random bus stops along the road, with people standing in almost highway-like roads
Car driving on the 'wrong side of the road', or perhaps there was no actual wrong side
Trash, in lots of places
Donkeys and horses pulling carts full of people & wares
Pedestrians and children wandering through traffic
The Farm
We arrived at the "Dashur Today Farm" in the Dahshur area of greater Cairo, on of the most fertile areas in Egypt. We were greeted by Khaled, our host. His family has owned and operated a small farm for generations. They continue to operate, but two years ago Khaled opened up an area to start a farm visit tourism business. It has a walled off area of about an acre.
Gallibaya Robes
Soon after arriving, Sherif created a diversion and pulled Jeff and I aside from Sarah, Barbara and the girls. Out of a bag, he pulled out two traditional Egyptian Gallibaya robes for us to wear and surprise the rest of our crew. We eagerly obliged and got a great reaction.
Well, a good reaction from almost everyone. Sadie did not like that I had it on and kept asking me to take it off. She said that "she did not like me wearing it." In some small way, there was a bit of culture shock that made her nervous in some way. But in the end it was a great lesson for her that it's important to experience and step out of any comfort zone you may have. It's little nuggets like this we hope they carry forward.
Arrival Tea
After Kahled walked us through the space and shared various fruit and citrus plants, we were served traditional welcome tea.
Not Your Typical Lunch
They had a traditional lunch under a mound of dirt when we arrived. We were excited by the reveal...
It was chicken from their farm with spices like onion, chili, garlic with a tomato or saffron rice. The chef (who didn't speak a word of English), was able to communicate that the rice catches the chicken drippings for added flavor.
We sat down to a lunch we won't soon forget. We continue to be impressed by the girls' ability to be open to trying out all different kinds of food throughout the trip. Granted, this was just chicken and rice, but they never skip a beat.
A Near Foot Catastrophe
After lunch, they invited the girls to ride on a horse. They were pumped and feeling confident about riding after their time riding horses in Austria back in August - read about Paige's experience in her blog post on the experience.
I grabbed Sadie to help lift her up onto the horse, which was being held by a couple of workers at the farm. When I did, the horse got spooked and moved to the side and back. The result was a rear hoof landing square on my left foot. After knowing Sadie was safe and my foot being free, I exhaled fearing what damage may have occurred. I could only think what a broken foot could do to derail our trip. It was sore, bruised and I had a sense that I may have avoided breaking anything. As the day went on it go more and more sore and there was a part of me worried that it could be broken (note: I'm writing this post from Tel Aviv two days later and it still hurts a bit at times, but I think I dodged a bullet. When I give a go running again, I'll know).
Zach the Donkey
After the horse problem, the girls weren't going to get anywhere near it. They opted for a much easier ride, on Zach the donkey.
Tuk Tuk Ride
Next we piled into Tuk Tuks for a ride through the surrounding area, the end destination the larger family farm. Along the ride we saw glimpses of life in this farming community. Farmers and their sons along the route working the fields, children playing, women carrying heavy loads on their heads, children herding goats...
The palm tree farms (majority for harvesting dates) were majestic and like nothing we'd ever seen. This video gives a sense of what it felt like...
The Farm & The Palm Trees!
Our destination in the Tuk Tuks was the larger farm. Khaled walked us through the farm, showing all the various crops and fruits on the farm. They primarily feed the family and the extra is sold at a market. He said they "aren't a big enough farm to sell to a large buyer."
Nothing Wasted
It was obvious how important the palm tree was the farmers throughout the region. These palms produce dates, but they shared how there is not a single part of the tree that goes unused by the farmers. We got a tutorial specifically on how they use the tree to make rope for use throughout the farm. They shared that no a single part of the tree is wasted, other uses include palm oil, brooms, furniture & loofas'.
It was a great experience to be away from the tourist attractions and get a sense of what life is like on a daily basis for so many Egyptians.
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