Day one of Cairo was the worst day I've had this entire trip. Day two was the best.
Cairo - Day 1The EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo was delayed three hours due to mechanical problems. Rather than having us wait in the terminal, they clanked away at the undercarriage as we sat in the plane for three hours. The flight wasn't very good either. I was sitting over the wing so my view was terrible. Plus the inflight movie was August Rush (which I didn't care for)... in French. It stinks to be a foreigner.
When I landed in Cairo some man told me that he could get me a hostel for 10 euros a night. I was exhausted and wanted to sleep in the airport but he told me it wouldn't be a good idea. I, a tired and unknowing tourist, didn't know he was probably lying. He then took me to a travel agent to book the hotel and he ended up talking me into a trip down the Nile river on a
Felucca. I left not happy because I didn't want to spend as much money as I did on this trip. (Don't worry - it works out in the end.) I then took a crazy taxi to the hostel and slept at the hostel which was actually nice. (I was later told I was conned for the price).
Cairo - Day 2I woke up early because of the traffic. Then I blogged. After blogging I walked around the city with my luggage - which was a mistake. I have a multi-tool with a knife in it in my backback, and the x-ray machines catch it every time. When I walked to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities they saw it and I confirmed it was a knife and they said I could take it in but not to use it. Tightest security ever. I ended up checking my bag but had to tip the guy. People in Cairo don't expect tips - they demand them. Be wary. They will ask for 20 Egyptian pounds but will settle for 2. Don't tip if they haven't done anything to merit it. (No need to tip taxi drivers either). At the museum I saw king Tut's headdress and the Rosetta Stone, along with some other old artifacts. I must say that for being as well known as it is, it was unorganized beyond belief. Not everything was labeled, some things were stacked on top of each other, and some rooms were boarded off with random items.
I then walked to the Cairo tower which was closed. Darn. From then until 8 I walked about the city and continued to worry about my tour arrangements for the next day. At 8 I went to the trainstation and talked to an Egyptian who had OK English, and was excited to see that he was putting it into practical use. When we boarded the train we were told it was going to be a 12 hour ride. That would turn out to be a lie.
Aboard the train I sat next to a man from India who had immigrated to Great Britain several years ago. He told me he had called out sick from work to visit Egypt with his mother sister and brother (he also left his wife and kid behind). We talked about traveling and Egypt and most importantly American stereotypes. I think he was surprised that I was not a gigantic fatty, because he says most British people think that Americans are "large" and that everyone drives. He has the second one correct.
No one seems to know where Missouri is, and many people not even Kansas. Chicago is the best reference point I have. Also, many Egpytians say "Howdy" when I tell them I'm American. I'm also one of the only people wearing shorts because Egpytians ALWAYS wear pants - even if it is 100+ degree weather.
After my British friend and I talked for a while I fell asleep and slept terrible on the train.
Egypt - Day 3It got wicked cold at night on the train. I was shivering and sad that I wasn't wearing long pants. (Later when the AC died in our cab I wasn't complaining about being cold). At about 9am people started bustling about the train, reading, listening to music, playing cards. These weren't Egyptians though - all tourists doing exactly what I was going to do. I was the only American in the car though. There were some British people way up in front, a Jamacian, and some Australians right in front of me. I talked with them for a while about what to do when I get to Sydney.
When I got off the train 16 hours later in
Aswan, my travel buddy told me that he was not going to tell me his name because he wants it to be a mystery for the rest of my life. I normally start a conversation by asking where someone is from, rather than their name. To me it's more important. (and interesting)
I met my guide at the station who took me to my hotel. It turns out 90% of the train was staying at that hotel.
I took a quick shower and then jumped in a van headed to some dams by the city and to the temple. In the van we picked up my Indian-British friend and his family. Coincidence? Also in the van was a student from China, a "youth" from New Zealand, and people from Montreal. It was quite a UN inside that bus. I talked with the New Zealander and Chinese guys during our ride to the damn. At the damn nobody but 3 people wanted to see the damn so the rest of us sat outside and saved our money. (8 Egyptian pounds = $2USD). After a drive to a port, we all took a very rickety boat to the Philae temple. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae) It was cool, but notvery authentic because it had been transported piece by piece before they built the damn.
Arriving back at the hotel, the Canadians, Indians, Chinese, New Zealanders, and Americans decided to eat at a restaurant nearby. It was very cheap, but the most exciting thing was the menu choices: Spleen, liver, brains. I, of coarse, ordered the brains. When else am I going to eat brains? How can I say no to an opportunity like this? They were fried, and they tasted alright but the consistency was strange. It was only hard to eat when you thought about what it really was. Other than that it was fine.
I'm in an internet cafe next door to the hotel, sitting next to the Chinese and New Zealander travelers, still not knowing their names.
My first full day in Egypt was so overwhelming I didn't enjoy the day at all. The second day was exactly what I wanted to do - meet interesting people and do interesting things. And it has been great. Even if I did eat brains.
