Egypt days 1 & 2

I'm in Egypt for two weeks, so time to revive the old blog. Here's what I've been up to for the first two days:

Day 1 - Wednesday
I arrived at the new Terminal 3 of Cairo International Airport. As I waited for the transit bus to the main bus station, I started chatting to a man who worked for Egypt Air. It was two o'clock and shifts were changing. He was very helpful, gave me tons of good advice and pointed out which bus to take to downtown.

I waited for the bus for about an hour. The guy sitting next to me, Tamer, was also very helpful. The bus ride was about an hour long and we chatted the entire time. The guy is 27 and works two jobs - one at the airport and one in downtown. He takes the daily hour-long trip from the airport to downtown to start his second job. He was very cheerful despite working so hard. Once we got off in downtown, he bought me some Tamarind juice and asked me where I would be staying. He actually went looking for it with me (we didn't find it). After that, he gave me his number and asked me to give him a call if there was anything I wanted during my stay. Wow. As it would turn out later, Tamer was a fair representation of Egyptian hospitality.

Hustler watch 1: I was wearing my old backpack that I took to Malaysia so I attracted some people rather 'eager' to help me. The first one was a guy who said that the hostel I was looking for was full and that he conveniently knew a place that wasn't. I knew that the first part was a lie but I was quite amused at his suggestion so I went along. He took me to a grubby crash pad with no hot water and an over-eager receptionist. I walked out without committing. He continued following me and suggested that he take me to a 'Duty Free shopping mall that only foreigners are allowed to shop in' that was nearby. I said goodbye to him.

Hustler watch 2: Someone else offered to act as my guide by showing me Islamic Cairo. No thanks.

I finally checked into a hostel called Wake UP! Cairo Hostel, a short walk from the Egyptian Museum. Friendly staff. After that, I went wandering around downtown, sampled the street food and crashed. I hadn't had much sleep.


Day 2 - Thursday
The morning was spent trying to acquire an International Student Identity Card (ISIC card). The major tourist attractions provide serious discounts to people who have one. I attempted to negotiate the wonderful Egyptian bureaucracy for a few hours. Went to a few hostels and even found myself asking some immigration officials to no avail.

It was time to meet up with a friend from university, Tim, for lunch. Tim is a wedding photographer and works crazy hours photographing elite wedding in Egypt. He showed me some of his work and allowed me to sit in through a meeting with his assistant. Wow, photography is hard work. I hope to meet him again on Friday.

Tim's assistant gave me a lift. I didn't know where I wanted to go so she offered me a few suggestions. I decided to walk down the Nile. It was amazing. The weekend had started. I first went to the West Bank of the Nile and walked along a serene enclave. There were lots of couple sitting along benches.

Next, I crossed a bridge and went to the more lively East Bank. There were music blasting everywhere and street vendors selling everything imaginable. Amazing. After soaking in the atmosphere, I decided to go back and crash. I asked a kid for directions and he walked along with me for about ten minutes until our paths diverged.

Went back and crashed. Plan for Friday: get ISIC card (I finally found out where to get it) and meet Tim.