| Submitted by: Patrick Tarnay, United States |
| Submission Date: 04 February 2005 |
|
 |
|
Our ½ day tour ends at the Nile Hilton. We cross the dangerous Midan Tahrir intersection to get to KFC for lunch. The place is jam packed with young Egyptians, ages 15-25. Many teenage girls in Western style outfits with cellular phones and a lot make-up. Knowing that their mothers didn't enjoy this luxury, we wonder what the future holds for these girls. We are left to believe this Muslim government will have its hands full with this young generation.
A long day brings us back to our room even though it's only 2:00pm. We sleep until 6:00pm, then hit a recommended vegetarian joint named 'Al Tabei'. Great salads, soups and eggs fill our bellies for 24LE ($7 US after tip).
We then wander a local shopping district, shoes are a huge local industry. Then head to a recommended rooftop bar. The bar doesn't offer glasses of wine, so we leave. Glasses of wine are only available at 5* hotels for about the same price as the bottle itself.
Head home for a long night sleep. We feel as though we've done Cairo, so tomorrow (our final day) has no set plans.
|
We sleep until 11:00am (much needed). Shower, pack, etc… Then head down to pay our bill. I knew our bill should have been 210LE, but to no surprise the bill is 360LE. 'No, 90LE for the first night, 65LE for the last 3 nights,' I say. The manager tells me 'nobody here offered you 65LE per night.' A different manager that wasn't on-duty had given us the lower rate, so this manager was right in Egyptian terms. I threw him 360LE while making a major scene. Their bellman ran around the corner and a few residents in the lobby got nervous along with the manager. Even the armed guards outside became amused by the scene. We can't trust our luggage in the hotel's possession while we tour Cairo until our 9:00pm flight.
We keep our luggage with us and head to our new vegetarian joint 'Al Tabei'. They gladly allow us to store our 2 large bags and backpack. We wish we would've found this place earlier. Although I prefer meat at each of my meals, I'm able to fill my protein intake with their eggs & beans. Our bill was 23LE after tip.
We decide to head to the airport 5 hours early with our full bellies. The hotel incident has me frazzled. The outdoor arena where President Anwar Sadat was gunned down was the only site I wanted to see. Being out of the way, I'll have to pass on my morbid tour. We flag down a cabbie outside the restaurant that can't speak any English. A local cuts in, translates our destination, and helps us with our luggage (simple generosity, tip not accepted). 40LE after tip once arriving at the airport.
The airport is very small by international standards. As we wait out our 7 hours, we meet an older couple (late 50's-early 60's). They approach us with JFK departure inquiries. Our company and conversation would fill the remaining 4 hours.
Their names were Tom & Helen from San Antonio, Texas. Their daughter met a Saudi man in Texas 14 years ago. They have since married 12 years ago and have since moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, giving their parents 2 grandsons.
They vacationed in Riyadh for 10 days and planned on another week in Egypt with their daughter & son and law. Their Egypt reservations being in shambles and their disappointment in salesmen's policies caused a bitter feeling in their opinions of Egypt. However, they never left Cairo, not seeing much beyond the pyramids.
More importantly, here is their stories of the Middle East. Tom has traveled to the Middle East (UAE & Saudi Arabia), for the past 25 years in his computer related career. Knowing the 'Arab Way', Tom & Helen split their daughter & boyfriend for 6 months. 'It was true love', Tom&Helen proclaim.
Their daughter battled to get dual citizenship for herself and their two boys. This allows their children to travel to the U.S., while the mother can leave Saudi Arabia if she were to be divorced by her husband. Many foreign wives have troubles with their native embassy trying to leave the country.
KFC & McDonald's have reached S.A., but all television channels are under government control. Zero movie theaters exist in the entire country. On Fridays (holy day), hand severing and beheadings take place between prayers in the downtown Riyadh mosque parking lot.
Their daughter's maid is from Indonesia, she is in S.A. to hide from her father's dreams of her dowry. She is paid $160 US per month. She lives in a one room shed next to their chauffeur's shed in the backyard. Women aren't allowed to drive in S.A., so their Philippine chauffer is much used by the American wife. They later said their daughter would have regrets if she had to raise a girl in S.A. The grandparents expressed hints the family might allow the grandchildren into the US once they turn 18.
Three separate security check points before we are able to board the plane. We're both able to sleep after playing 'Gameboy Tetris' and watching a Desi & Lucy 30 minute comedy. Awake for 3 hours, sleep for 7 hours, awake for the remaining 2 ½ hours. We couldn't wait for every single meal that was served. Airplane food is just fine on long flights.
At JFK we meet our friends at the customs' baggage carousel. We transfer our luggage onto different conveyor belts, then say our 'good-byes'. We met Tom & Helen just 21 hours ago and had unforgettable conversations.
NY-LA was a long 5 ½ hours with LAX pouring rain. 1 ½ rain delay for our LAX-Las Vegas flight. 32 hours after leaving our Cairo hotel, we arrive back to our home and two dogs.
We'd love to see the pyramids again and the other two chambers, but it's doubtful we'll be back. Highly recommended. The sites outside the Great Pyramids should be much more famous and appreciated. We did Egypt!
Flights (8 total) = $2,500
12 days spending = $1,300 (all expenses)
Grand total of $3,800
|
|
| Copyright © - "Patrick Tarnay" |
|
 |
| Other travelogues by the same author: |
|
|
|
