On the virtues of travel

Many poets have written about the merits of seeing the world. There is nothing like getting out there and meeting people and eating their food. Bringing those experiences home make for a more fulfilling life. I think it was Lord Byron who once said....

HOLY CRUD I'M IN EGYPT!!!

The trip was not nice but it also wasn't not nice. I am tired and sweaty and disgusting ...

But I'm in freaking Cairo.

I would post some pictures, but I arrived late at night when it was dark out. Let's see, maybe this one is good to share. Hopefully you will see the winning bidder to be my cabbie.

The trip was tiring. A train early Monday morning from Dearborn to Chicago. Wandering all of Chicago all day, with a stop at the Chicago Diner. Finally made it onto my flight where I flew with every Italian nun known to man. I sat next to one who was 2 feet tall and was about 120 years old. She spoke no English or German which makes it difficult to communicate on a German airline. But I broke out my Italian (or what I learned from the Godfather movies thank you very much Francis Ford Coppola) and helped feed her and satiate her.

The good thing about Lufthansa is that they got me to Frankfurt early, and there was no chance of me of me missing my connecting flight. The bad thing was the crap food. Fresh veggies and fruit were good, but everything else...they landed in Frankfurt an hour early.

That airport was clean, sterile and confusing, but I got to my gate. Along the way security made me chug my entire bottle of water. Sat behind a crying baby for four hours. Nary any sleep on both flights.

And then I finally made it to Cairo. All was going well, until I couldn't find my bag. Fortunately, it was my second bag, with nothing personal inside. Unfortunately, it was for work. Fortunately it was only full of paper. Unfortunately that paper was worth $600.

After waiting and waiting, dealing with the baggage people, and losing about an hour or so, I gave up and decided to cut my losses.

As I turned to go, I saw something in the distance. My big blue bag had been moved across the airport, but it was at least there.

I was whole again.

Made my way out to find a throng of would be cab drivers. The first guy was persistent but I never caved. Others tried but their pleas fell on deaf ears. La shukran. I had a driver from the hotel waiting for me, so why bother with cabbies?

Except ...he never showed. Or I was stuck so long inside with my bag situation he just left.

While waiting I asked one cabbie how much to my hotel? 120 pounds. Bleh, I said. I turned to a cabbie right there and asked him, he said 100. Still not good enough. Besides, I'm sure I will find my driver.

But still no one.

Hey, my driver was going to charge me 60, why should I pay more?

"Is your driver here?"

Valid argument. Let's talk.

"100. I am good."

I don't know you. This guy says 60. Counter offer?

"80!"

Hhmmmmm...

"And my car here."

Also a good point. Where is your car?

"Is over there."

I don't like that. That third guy, he says 80, too. Can you beat him?

Let's start walking. OK, I'm tired. Let's just go.

Hey, wait a second. Why are you guys pushing each other? Woah, scuffle! They're fighting over me!

I stepped back, and the second guy comes back and tries to steal me while the fight continues.

Wait, your car isn't even here! Let me see how this fight turns out! At the very least bring your car to me, not the other way around!

Oh, here comes the first guy again. Mr. Persistent. OK, $80, to my hotel, not your friends. Yes, my hotel may be a crap 1 star dive. Its what I chose. My hotel. $80. Let's go.

In the cab, another driver takes over. Mr. Persistent was the boss. Oh, here comes the other guy from the skirmish right to me. Is he going to stab me? No? Good. Let's go already.

Inside the cab, I tell the driver to go fast and he would get a good tip. Chatty and friendly. Not bad. Nice guy.

And we drove over the Nile. Yeah, that one.

After two long days of traveling, sitting in cramped planes, nearly losing my luggage, starting a fight, not showering or brushing my teeth, I am finally in Cairo. And I got a call at the hotel from a new friend to boot to have dinner tomorrow.

Tomorrow's plan is to visit Giza. And dinner.

Thursday I go to the Egyptian Museum.

Friday I go for the weekend to Alexandria.

If the rest of the days are as much fun as the first one, I'm not sure I'll be able to survive  it.