First Impressions of Cairo

Once on the ground I was energized by the thought of being in Egypt and seeing Rob for the first time in 9 months. Unfortunately I had a bit of a delay before I was able to see him. After some confusion on my part over my visa (which consisted of giving $15 to the proper person) I was detained for an HOUR while a customs official supposedly checked my passport for authenticity. Welcome back to the third world! I was told nothing more than to wait for five minutes, however as I was the last person in line and it was midnight all of the officials left after I sat down. Once fifteen minutes had gone by I asked a nearby officer what the problem was, and he told me that my passport was "being checked" and that I should be patient. After 45 minutes I had lost my patience and feared that Rob had already left so I demanded my passport back. I was told that my passport was at another office three kilometers away, but I was allowed to pass through the exit (with a customs officer) in order to let Rob know to wait for me. Luckily he was still there, although he was in the process of calling British Airways and was about to leave. Shortly after going back to my assigned seat, my passport was returned to me without explanation. (Note: A friend who had lived in Cairo later explained to me that the officials probably wanted money.)

In back to Rob's apartment in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis I got some much-needed sleep. In the morning Rob and I purchased bus tickets for Dahab, a small town on the Sinai Peninsula facing the Gulf of Aqaba. With a few hours to spare Rob showed me the Baron's Palace and a WWII cemetery (containing the only grass in Heliopolis according to Rob). I was stuck by how barren Egypt was; there were hardly any trees and certainly no grass. Dirt and dust were constantly being blown into my eyes. The weather was agreeable though, as were the people and the prices. Everything from food to taxi cabs to souvenirs was a fraction of US prices.

To Dahab...