140808 - Cairo

So I arrived into Cairo after a convuluted series of connections.
Lunch in Johannesburg Airport after checking my luggage through to Cairo, flew out at 2pm. Sat next to an American Missionary in the emergency isle (Etheopian Airways has EXCELLENT emergency isle legroom). Got into Addis Ababa (Etheopia) at 2040 and had to rush through to my connection.
I think I took a wrong turn, because I had to go through Security again. The line was really long and there were 3 other flights using the same enterance. Eventually a lady came out and said “Cairo and Beruit”. I assumed that was me and sure enough, my half-hour security wait was cut short :) This was the first checkpoint where they actually looked insinde of any of my gear. I got the rush treatment from there on in, keeping a hold of my passport from enthusiastic officials was a bit of a challenge :p
The Flight to Kartoum was absolutely packed, my neighbours didn't know how to keep their elbows to themselves. We did get fed on this connection though.
The connection to Cairo was only half full, so I jumped back into the emergency isle... luxury

Landed in Cairo at about 0250 local time. Spent about half an hour getting Egyptian pounds out, buying Visas and getting US dollars for my tour. Getting my passport stamped took forever, by which the tourism officials had spotted me. From here on it was the royal treatment. I was escorted past customs and out to the “tour car” parking lot. Shuffled into a VERY nice car with an english speaking driver and then the car ride from hell to the hotel. I figured I was getting ripped-off, but by this point it was worth the extra few dollars.

Driving here is what I'd been told it would be like in South Africa. Tail-gating is more a standard of measurement than a potential offence, speed limits on suburban streets were a mix between “inspired by the old Australian Open-Limit” and seeing how far the pedal could be pushed down. Merging was like watching 2-ton ballet.
Horns here seem to be more a method of expressing one-self than an alarm for warning others against impending doom. Beeping is sometimes when there is nothing else nearby, not beeping when you almost get rammed. The car horn appears to be used in day to day life as a form of street poetry, with a complex system of communicating happiness, greetings, displeasure, “I'm about to merge” and “here is an opening for you”. It is a voice of the people in their motorised palaces, and they clear their throat at every opportunity.
In the simplest of terms, the Egyptian car horn is a replacement for the Australian indicator light (which they do not use) and so much more. Waking in the morning is sometimes to the beautiful Muslim “Call to Prayer” from nearby towers. More often it is to the harsh blaring of the ocean of horns boiling in the streets, screaming out praise to their petrolium overlords and humanity at large. It is a sound ubiquitous to the city, like the heartbeat or drawing of breath.
Racing through the streets with a driver who appeared to possess Jedi-like reflexes, I saw glimpses of Egypt. This truly is a city that never sleeps. Vendors had street stalls open with people milling around, there were food vendors open everywhere. Guys had wares laid out on blankets on the pavement. At this time of night, it looked like Perth or Fremantle on a quiet weekend morning.
Having arrived at my hotel in what was probably record time (in the whole 20minutes at 80-120km/h, I don't think we'd been stationary more than once.. despite traffic lights), the driver demanded a tip. I know I was probably overcharged for the trip, but I figured the experience was worth it. 100EGP plus 5EGP tip (about $21USD in total, about $5 more than what the travel info had advised was fair) was cheap for a ride with what could only be described as a champion rally driver. Super-Car rides are $50 a lap in Perth, I got the “escape and evade” slalem through Cairo at half that price :D
Inside the Hotel Capsis, the clerk said that I was very early but could check in at 6AM if I liked. I was welcome to use their massive couches and bar until then if I liked.
Big bottle of water and making sure that all of my gear was locked up, I was snoozing on the couch until the lights came on.

I got a double room with a window view of the street and a cold shower. The room was nice enough and seemed to have the essentials. I sat up for a little while, soaking in the sounds through the open window..

At 2PM I got ready for the day. I went hunting for food and water and hopefully internet. The lady who was on the counter now was a lot less helpful, or nice, than the gentleman this morning. I got bad directions to find an internet cafe and eventually came back to the hotel after a vendor wouldn't sell me water.
A short lesson on the differences between egytpian bank notes (I'd been trying to use a 0.50EGP note, thinking it was a 50), I was back on the road to victory. I wandered around for a while and resorted going to a nearby service-station for water and local pizza (hey, they have the prices marked.. best to get a price-benchmark before trying to haggle!).

By the time I got back to the hotel, there was a new clerk who was worth his weight in gold. I got directions to the shopping districts, he drew on my map and informed me that the hotel had ADSL wireless at $2USD an hour. WOW!
Emails to Isabelle and Justine to sort out France, Emma and Josh to sort out Spain, Jenny to tell her how much I missed her and posted my South Africa blog.
By the time I'd finished chatting to the clerk, it was about 8PM and still light outside. The clerk assured me that it was very safe in this part of town, so I dumped my gear upstairs and ventured out for dinner.

The one thing that hit me about the next few hours is how much I wish I had someone to travel with and share these experiences with. It was probably the culture shock that I noticed over the next hour or so, the fear that I always feel when I get into a new city. I don't know anyone here, I don't speak the language, I'll probably get ripped off. I'd better stick to the main street, is anyone following me.. wait here and see if that kid keeps walking or has he marked me. Travelling with other people does sometimes cause you to focus on them rather than monitoring your surroundings, but it also offers another set of eyes and a person to feel brave around. Travelling as I am makes me feel more adventureous, but it'd be nice to have people to laugh some of this stuff off with :p

I walked along Ramses St (where the hotel is) until I found the road that is the shopping district. I don't think that I'd gone as far as the clerk had told me to, but I didn't want to push too far into unknown territory. Trying to dress and walk like a local and putting on the “Officer Face” that my mates use was hopefully making me less of a target, but I was still sticking out badly (and a good half-foot taller than anyone around me).
Regardless of if it was the shopping district or not, it was PACKED. I walked along both sides of the roads and some of the side roads for a good hour or two. After overcoming the initial shock, I started peering down the side-streets and into the court-yards. Where in most cities you have a open mall-like enterance leading to a series of shops, these are more like a small opening in the wall that opens out after about 20m of tight alley-way. I figured I wouldn't risk getting lost and stuck to the main street, if I'd been travelling with Emma and Josh or someone like Jenny, I would have liked to have explored these places.
I walked past some packed shops selling food, some of them I didn't like the look of and at one I was simply ignored. I finally overcame my fear and asked one man if he spoke english and could I please have one of “those”. A quick “yes, please take 6 inside” I'd paid the cashier (who padded an extra 0.50) and was on my way with a VERY tasty roll stuffed with seasoned kebab meat and some kind of sour-cream and herb dressing. Feeling braver now and partially fed, I stopped at another store that seemed quite popular, surrounded by people in the street eating a kind of layered and mixed fruit dessert from beer mugs.
Emmulating the locals I vaguely pointed at one of the mugs and passed the cashier a note. In return I got a small token and a heap of change back, the token I gave to the man making the dessert and tried to take a mug.
“No..” and frantic waving of hands, he directed me to take a large one. ~AWESOME~

Dinner successful and back at the hotel, I repacked my bag twice to try and make some more space. I went to bed promising that I would stitch up the things that need repairing in the morning...

Today I got up at about 9AM and pottered around the room for a bit, the gentle baying of car-horns offering a soundtrack to my time-wasting. I wandered up a floor to the restaurant and pondered my situation. I'd like to try and get a phone card to call home today and need to get ready for the tour that starts at 1PM.
The breakfast supplied by the hotel was 2 boiled eggs, 2 small rolls, 2 small pita, jam and coffee. Fullfilling its purpose, I'll have to investigate lunch before joining the tour. Hopefully the activity and the light meals will help me get in shape for the rest of the adventure to come..