I can't remember a day when things went as smoothly as today. I was up at 6:30, breakfast at 7, taxi to the airport at 7:30, flight at 8:40, arrival in Cairo at 9:40. Picked up my luggage, took a taxi to my pension, and was in my room by 11. I was very pleasantly surprised by the traffic; no slowdowns at all.
My cab was interesting; it looked like it had been in a demolition derby, and lost. The windshield wipers were stuck in the middle, the speedometer didn't work, and the driver had been doing this for 42 years, as he told me. But the car ran well, and he was good, except for the fact that he liked to drive with the lane marker in the middle of his car.
My pension was recommended by a couple of Swiss men I met in Aswan, and it is very nice. It's like a lot of European pensions, it's part of a larger building. Pension Roma is on the 4th floor of a 6 story building. My heart sank when I saw that, but miracle of miracles there is an elevator, which precedes anything Otis built, by decades. But it works.It reminds me of one in Barcelona, which you could use only to go up. I never did understand that.
Today is Friday, which is the Muslim Sunday, so all stores are closed, and it's very quiet, during prayer times. Everything comes to life afterwards. I expected chaos, but today it's anything but. There are traffic lights, and no real problem getting around.
I did get sucked in though. As I walked around, just to orient myself, a man approached me and helped me across the road. We walked along, until we came across his shop, selling perfume. Before I knew it I was inside, having a cup of tea, and sampling perfumes. It took me 20 minutes to extricate myself, smelling nicer, but without a purchase.
I had a tasty meal at an Egyptian fast food place, 4 chicken pieces, sides of rice and French fries, bread and a salad, 2.30 CDN. It was very good, even though it took me a few minutes to figure out the system.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking. I found a couple of "grocery stores". They are about the size of my living room, and have a very limited selection. I still haven't found a place to get fruit. So I bought potato chips instead. Sort of vegetables.
I also came across a street that seemed to specialize in auto parts. There must be 20 or so shops, all on one street.
The weather is great, low 20's with a nice breeze.
Museum time tomorrow.
My cab was interesting; it looked like it had been in a demolition derby, and lost. The windshield wipers were stuck in the middle, the speedometer didn't work, and the driver had been doing this for 42 years, as he told me. But the car ran well, and he was good, except for the fact that he liked to drive with the lane marker in the middle of his car.
My pension was recommended by a couple of Swiss men I met in Aswan, and it is very nice. It's like a lot of European pensions, it's part of a larger building. Pension Roma is on the 4th floor of a 6 story building. My heart sank when I saw that, but miracle of miracles there is an elevator, which precedes anything Otis built, by decades. But it works.It reminds me of one in Barcelona, which you could use only to go up. I never did understand that.
Today is Friday, which is the Muslim Sunday, so all stores are closed, and it's very quiet, during prayer times. Everything comes to life afterwards. I expected chaos, but today it's anything but. There are traffic lights, and no real problem getting around.
I did get sucked in though. As I walked around, just to orient myself, a man approached me and helped me across the road. We walked along, until we came across his shop, selling perfume. Before I knew it I was inside, having a cup of tea, and sampling perfumes. It took me 20 minutes to extricate myself, smelling nicer, but without a purchase.
I had a tasty meal at an Egyptian fast food place, 4 chicken pieces, sides of rice and French fries, bread and a salad, 2.30 CDN. It was very good, even though it took me a few minutes to figure out the system.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking. I found a couple of "grocery stores". They are about the size of my living room, and have a very limited selection. I still haven't found a place to get fruit. So I bought potato chips instead. Sort of vegetables.
I also came across a street that seemed to specialize in auto parts. There must be 20 or so shops, all on one street.
The weather is great, low 20's with a nice breeze.
Museum time tomorrow.
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