Notes from Egypt

A little over a week of my Egypt adventure is over and I am back in Cairo readying myself for an antiquit-a-thon. For a week I've been jotting down mental notes in preparation for the definitive Red Sea blog. Unfoturnately, now that I sit at the computer desk, with the cyber-toll ticking away, I find that composing some sort of coherent prose is practically impossible. So, I will keep my stories for the day that I can carefully connect them to the photos that illustrate my travels and instead assure anyone who may be concerned, that I am happy and alive; and have carefully suppressed any thoughts about suffocating my lovely travelling companion while she sleeps - although I can't help but think that a carefully placed used kleenex might be so much more effective in upsetting her. Enough on that - my travels with Princess will be kept for a later entry, and in all seriousness our travelling thus far has been fabulous.

The only story that I will tell for now is about my favorite travelling topic - the one thing that no matter where I go fills me with a fear so great that I consider turning around and waiting in the airport lounge until my departure date - the taxis. Unfortunately, despite numerous wishes and deep prayer, the taxis of Egypt have proven to be as frightening as any other country I have visited.

The real annoyance of the first cab ride from the airport, is that the nightmare begins long before you leave the airport parking lot. From the moment you manage to secure your Visa (the first potential disaster), the knowledge that you will soon have to barter for a cab ride to a hotel that could be anywhere in Cairo with a man who knows (based on your smell alone) that you have been awake for 24 hours navigating airports and crammed into airplanes. Clearly - you are at a serious disadvantage.

Weakened from the flight, I had no ability to argue and quickly agreed to pay the fare as long as it got me to my bed quickly. This was probably not the best move. Princess and I were quickly shuttled into a bus that took us to the far side of the airport parking lot. I don't know a lot about the Cairo airport, but I think it is probably a very bad sign when your taxi is kept out of view from any potential customers and even further away from the watchful eyes of the Tourist Police (whose exact role I have not yet determined). It was almost midnight and in the very faint moonlight, the taxi looked charming. It was black and white; and looked like it could have come out of an old Bond movie (probably a Roger Moore chapter). What I learned quickly is that charming is not a quality that should be used to find a taxi. Reliable, clean, mechanically-sound and...what would be the opposite of gas smelling???...might be better traits to look for in a cab. Our cab lacked any real amenities on the dash - in fact I think that the clock had even been jacked and probably sold to some nicer cab which was right now driving a more patient and diligent passenger from the airport to their hotel.

The adventure began as we hit the curb leaving the parking lot (the very empty parking lot that had no cars that should have caused curb hitting). The vehicular rules of Egypt are very much like those of Indonesia or Thailand - the primary mode of communication is the horn. A quick beep can mean - I'm going to hit you if you don't get out of my way or you are going to hit me and probably should alter your path. Longer beeps tend to mean hurry up, or slow down, or I'm stopping, or hey look I have two young white chicks in the back of my cab. The one real difference between Egypt and the other countries I've visited is that Egypt has large paved roadways with painted lines. Unfortunately, no-one explained to the drives that the lines are there to separate lanes and that you are supposed to drive inside the lines. Instead, a 3 lane road can accommodate as many as 5 cars horizontally and nobody is ever found within a lane. As odd as I find this, the actual method of driving is even more foreign to me (as it probably should be considering it is found halfway across the globe). Cars seem to drive in between lanes, but as soon as another vehicle comes down the road, the two cars seem, as if there was some enormous magnetic attraction, to be pulled together so closely that you could probably pass a can of soda between the windows. This can be quite frightening for innocent Canadian tourists that watch as the cars weave in towards each other - almost touching before swerving back outwards. In an attempt to calm the Princess (and secretly assuage my own worries), I explained my theory that cars in foreign countries never get in accidents and all our concerns are because of the insurance-controlled driving paranoia in Canada. This theory seemed perfectly reasonable and absolutely believable as we raced down the Cairo streets. Unfortunately, future forays have shown that there isn't a car in Cairo that doesn't have a large dent, or full body scratch marks; and it is best to avert your eyes when you see a taxi car entangled in some horrible accident.

Aside from surviving numerous taxi rides, I have spent my time reading (a great activity when you are in transit and trying NOT to watch). The best books so far are Little, Big by John Crowley and Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - excellent reads for a chilly Whitehorse house, or a Red Sea beach lounger. Please excuse the typos and errors - there is no time to proofread - adios until the next internet cafe, or my return to Canada.

Sierra posted this on Jan 20, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link

Walk like an Egyptian

In a little less than 8 hours, I catch a flight to Cairo for 3 weeks of exploring the Red Sea and deserts of Northern Africa. I will try to update this site with the incredible adventures...and maybe book review from the 15 novels I'm packing around in my bag. Adios Amigos!

Sierra posted this on Jan 11, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link