From tonysounds@yahoo.com Wed Dec 24 06:18:38 2003
Subject:Roadnotes: EGYPT pt 1!

Flew from Turkey to Cairo successfully and finally landed in some sun. Our "guy" was waiting there for us and expedited our "extraction" from the airport relatively quickly. Then we met Dan, a Canadian who was part of the multinational forces stationed at Sinai's North Camp. After moving us into our hotel (a very nice casino/hotel a few minutes away, stocked with young budding female tennis pros and Egyptian Hottie Stewardess School Trainees...or maybe that was EgyptAir Hottie Stewardess School Trainees....they were always out of uniform!), we tipped the porters a 5 Eyptian pounds to store our equipment "somewhere safe" for a few days, then went to our rooms and unpacked. Nice and clean for sure, but back to little beds just a little TOO close to each other. No matter, as it would turn out we wouldn't much time sleeping in Cairo anyway. That night we met for dinner at the hotel and had...yep, you guessed it: ITALIAN FOOD! (Sure, come all the way to Cairo, home of 2 or 3 of the
7 Wonders of the World to have pasta...makes sense!) Dinner by the pool was very nice, and it was there that we found out that the pound is very light against the US Dollar...about 6 to 1. That's when I figured out that I had just tipped our equipment guys about 50cents and decided to make amends on that soon as possible. After dinner, Dan the Man took us to the Hussein Bazaar (no relation to Saddam....and we were still reeling from Saddam's capture while we were sightseeing in Tarsus, Turkey; Big Al as a memento had actually purchased an Iraqi dollar: apparently all the Iraqi money has Saddam's face on it...at least for now) via 2 Cairo taxis. How to describe an Eqyptian cabride? Hmmm...have you ever seen that old 70s David Carradine movie "DeathRace 2000?" Have you ever played Frogger? Now, you're getting an idea what it's like to try to cross the street in Cairo. There are lane markers painted on the streets, but dont worry: Those are just suggestions. There are suggested
speedlimits in Cairo as well, but there are no stoplights. I would be what is known as a very conservative driver in Cairo....I could probably teach driving school!!!
While the main road was about 4 lanes wide, the drivers decided that with their "bumped and dented" fuel economizers, that they could easily fit 6 or 7, and proceed to do so at will. Forget the DanRyan Expressway at rush hour...lane changes made willy nilly with no turning indicators, speeds in excess of 60mph, and all of at nite without the benefit of headlights. For some reason, NO ONE drives with their headlights on. They only flip them off as greetings of aggravation if they feel they have been ignored. Horns beep constantly. It was nice and warm out this particular evening, but after five minutes on the road, I pulled my elbow back into the car for fear of having it pulverized by some passing or passed vehicle. We were all pretty amazed at this reckless and yet invigorating method of driving. And no cops anywhere? The cars all seemed to be surrounded by this invisible forcefield that kept them from actually making contact with one another, miraculously, but how long
could that forcefield hold up? I would soon find out...
We took our cab as close to the Hussein Mosque as possible (behind which begins the bazaar) and then had about a 1/2 mile walk with 2 street crossings. TERRIFYING! Picture how crazy it felt to sit in the front seat while these maniacs were driving, and then remove the "safety" net of metal from you. It made me wish I had paid more attention in my geometry and physics classes...I then could figure out what my terminal velocity would be after being struck and my projected trajectories as well. We somehow safely arrive at the bazaar with no injuries and almost immediately the horde sets in. You are constantly barraged with "come see my shop!"; "Hello my friend, come inside"; "I dont know what you want, but I have what you need!"; every sales pitch you could possibly imagine and then some. The walkways are narrow, enough for 3 or four people, and the little shops line the streets on both sides, as well as the alleys, and in some cases, winding up staircases. The architecture is
ancient and beautiful, eroded and decayed, but points to a time when this must have been truly a wondrous place. Interspersed are points of new construction and repair, with what appears to be a truly haphazard and improved construction technique. Shaky "scaffolding", non-mounted or attached corrugated sheeting works as both flooring and covering...is this "code?" Walking through the bazaar, everything from gems to gold, jewelry to garbage, silk to tourist junk, spices, seeds, nuts, fruits, herbs, parfumes and perfumes, hats, sunglasses, clothing, pharoanic figurines, Muslim religious icons, pennywhistles, keychains, handmade "gold" amulets...all being hawked simultaneously and vigorously. "Why you not coming into my shop? I wait for you! Promise!" Yet, oddly, while slightly overwhelming, this aggressive marketing is still joyous, if a little annoying. As you walk through the bazaar, you are constantly hit on by beggars of all types. I couldn't rebuff a boy about my
youngest son's age pointing to his mouth and belly at the same time, wordlessly asking for help. I put a finger to my lips in the "Sshhhh" sign, and reach into my pocket and dig out some quarters. He quickly grabs them and runs, and then within seconds he and 9 or 10 other kids reappear instantly all begging for money, not so wordlessly this time, with him at the front. I look him in the eye and repeat my "Shh" gesture and sadly nod "no". The 2 nites I return to the bazaar he is there each time with the same tactic, not even realizing it's me he's approached already a few times. Women carrying their babies asking for money turn down the quarters and ask for "American dollars." There seems to be no dignified way to respond to all of this so you have to callously just try to ignore it. Ducking into a shop is the only way out, so to speak, and that of course presents its own dangers! I stumble upon a beautiful antiques shop full with tables, chests, desks, chandeliers,
everything you can imagine, all over a hundred years old and covered in thick slabs of marble, hand painted sceneries, beautifully sculpted woodwork...it was like a palace of hidden treasures. Sometimes you would make a wrong turn through the bazaar and find yourself in a dark twisted alley, and yet, even in this strange world, you never found yourself fearful. After a night of walking through the bazaar, we made the dangerous trek back to our taxi, and the hazardous drive back to our hotel....

Tomorrow: THE PYRAMIDS!

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