I just can not manage to get out of Egypt. The sun in this country just keeps me here. So though I am in Dahab on the Red Sea now; I did venture back to Cairo...yes that hectic city I love to hate...I went back and darted across the streets like George in that Frogger Seinfeld episode. Many times I just shielded myself between an elderly woman and a small child. Small children regularly roam the streets alone. Strange but True! This time I chose a quiet hostel in Garden City near the chaos but not in it like before. I had to renew my visa and experience the absolute madness of the Mogamma building. There are no lines or q's to arrange yourself into. Bribes are taken openly at the booths by those powerful few that hand you a visa. I proudly got mine in under 4 hours and for 11 pounds (about 4 dollars US) and praise be, I can stay here till either May 4th or April 6th....can't figure out which date arrangement they used :) But alas, I will only be here till mid January. Why creep into freezing climates and stiff bones when I can swim most days with box fish and chat with lil Nemo. Anyway back to Cairo. I attended a semi interesting belly dancing on a cruise ship dinner event, there was also a Sufi dancer....interesting is one word for the night, I need time to come up with the other words. I was a bit confused when the taxi driver began to dine with me, now I am no snob but I was just caught a bit off guard and wondered if I had been set up on some kinda date. Well either way he was a gent. :)
Pyramids!!!!! had a lovely camel ride to the pyramids with guides Alex and lil Mohommed. Amazing all the effort and death that went into those things, all for the afterlife. And yes the workers that built them were all thrown a big party then killed....what a way to say "Thanks".
Cairo Museum!!!! looks like some old man's garage full of priceless artifacts and dusty stone coffins. The gold room full of the king Tut things was really stunning. The place is really interesting especially cause there is just soooo much stuff cramped into a little space...hummm reminds me of my gypsy nest of a room I once had (and will have again). So after spending time in Cairo and Giza at the pyramids, I took a cheap flight (cause anything over a 3 hour bus ride is too much to cope with sometimes...especially in Egypt...and flights are not much more than a bus ticket and saves me money in wine purchases later on)So anyway I took a flight to Luxor and stayed at the classically chill and comforting Bob Marley House. And that will be another story.
