This ain't no Nairobi...

Cairo, Egypt.
After more than a month in East Africa, you kind of automatically think that all light skin folks are tourists. So, not a few hours after I got to Cairo, while I was walking in the streets... For a brief moments in my head, I was thinking, "Man..., there is a lot of tourist here?!" But, of course... they are all Egyptians.

It took a little adjustment to get used to Cairo; I mean, you can actually walked the street without looking over your shoulders all the time. The place is like heaven, if you compared it to my four days in Nairobi. Is a relief to be able to let your guard down. You got to be an idiot to commit a crime in this country, because they have like a police at just about every street corners here, each with his own AK-47.

Minya, Egypt.
We got into the city, and find ourselves having problem finding a hotel that will take us. It is either "full" or the price is outrageously expensive, that they might as well tell us to go away. We were starting to wonder why, but we finally find this little place, and we thought nothing of it. The place is so nice and quite, the people were quite friendly, there is not a tourist, nor a souvenir shop in sight, and they have some dame good ice-cream.

So..., on our second day here, we venture out to some of the sights outside of town. That's when the police took notice of us, and decided to escort us to the sights. Being the low season, and we are the only one that showed up that day (prob. for that whole week as well), we got all their undivided attention. We even got a free ride back from one of the sites, sitting in the back of the pickup with five to six guys, all with their own machine guns. We weren't sure just what we got ourselves into, and are a bit nervous, and the guys picked up on that and joked amount themselves in Arabic, which made us a bit more nervous... Do they want some baksheesh (tips/bribe), we don't know., and we just acted dumb, and pretended not understanding anything we heard that resemble English.

Finally, they put us in a bus and send us back to Minya. We thought that was it, and that's when the pickup pulled in front of us, and decided to escort us back to town (slowly), to the annoyance of the driver, and the rest of the passengers. That's when we got very nervous, and started to take the big bills out of our wallet, and hide it. When we got back to town, they followed us back to the hotel and left after talking to the hotel owner.

When we finally left the following day, the hotel owner wouldn't let us walk to the train station until the police gets there. We left anyway, fearing more troubles/escorts from the police. Feel kind of bad for getting the hotel guy in trouble, but we really don't need a couple guys with guns walking us through town (it is only 100 meters to the train station). Now we know, why the other hotels didn't like to take us.... .

Farafa Oasis, Egypt.
Got to this small town all by myself, and got the interested of the local police right off the bus. Don't know much about Arabic, but I am sure that I was the topic on the police radio there. I think I maybe the only foreigner there for that day. When I decided not to stay in the town's only hotel there, the police just couldn't figure out what to do with me. So... they decided to send 2 guys to follow/guard me all day.

It was really annoying..... I tried shaking them loose while roaming through the town's Date-Palm gardens/plantations, and I did managed to loose them. However, My freedom was short lived. The town was so small that I managed to run into them again, not five minutes later. The two guys were very nice, and I don't think they like the idea of walking in the desert heat in the middle of the day (like some certain tourist). My repeated attempt to sent them away failed (I think they just pretended not understanding what I was saying).

So .... finally, after an hour of being escorted by the two guys, I had enough. I walked into the police station, and found the guy with the most gold-plated buttons/metals on his uniform sitting in the biggest office (police chief?), and told him that I don't really need all this protection, and if I am just going to be followed, I might just as well find a place in the station to read a book. Good thing, this guy knows English. They left me alone for the rest of my day there.

The Egyptian Horns,
You know people like playing with their car horns here. In China, the drivers just like to press them all the time. In East Africa, they like them LOUD. Some Matatu (a type of suicidal mini-bus) drivers in Nairobi fits like fog-horns on to their vehicles. Which sounded like a boat coming to port. Which confused me for a few brief moments, while I first got there. "I didn't know there is a sea port in Nairobi? Wait a minute, it's nowhere near the ocean..., Maybe a river? Noo...."

Well.... The Egyptian drivers. They know their horns. They treat it like a musical instrument. These guys can play a musical number with the horns if they wanted to. "BEEP,...Bep...Beppee.....". It is a riot, if you see them parading along the town centers in weddings.... along with all the drums. One down side, if you want to sleep.

The Rest of Egypt
I really should tell you a little bit more about the rest of Egypt, the part about the Pyramids and the Tombs. Yeah.... They are pretty nice, looked just like the pictures. A little disappointing at some places, because quite a few of the relics had been taken away to Europe long ago. The Temple of Ramses II @ Abu Simbal is probably the best of them all. Save that for last, or you'll get real bored with the rest... .

More On Egypt

Yes...I am still in Egypt. My flight out of here is delayed till the 20th!! I thought my flight out of here was today, but the airline lady in Nairobi had apparently put me on the waiting list. All this time I thought it was Okayed, that's until I called to confirm my flight. Arhhh....Get me out of here. The place is like 40 deg C out there, my only refuge is this Internet cafe (with air conditioning!!).

Cairo, is a very nice city, but after seven or eight days, I had seen all the sights, stroll around the city more than anyone I know... I am just tired. Tired of the heat, tired of the flies (I called it the "Egyptian Alarm Clock", since they usually wakes you up before anything else). Went to see the Camel Market outside the city yesterday. Interesting place. "Not one for the animal lovers" said in the guide book. I have to admit, they are right. Tying up one of their legs, so they walk slower is one thing, beating them with a stick is another, jabbing a stick to their genitals to wake them up from exhaustion is one that will make a lot of people cringed. And then there are the rejects (diseased, injured...) outside the markets, with a reject sign painted on them, and flies hovering their wounds....

You always hear about this incredible bond between the horseman/nomads and their horse/camels, but after seeing horsemen (in China) throwing rocks at their horse's genitals just for fun and then the camel market in Cairo, I think I got a feeling some Victorian writers (or National Geographic, for that matter) just made those up for good reading.

A good place for a bit of reality, after weeks of tourist attractions. I think I am ready to watch a bull fight in Spain now... If I have time...I'll still be going home on the 25th, as planned. Days in Spain just got cut shorter and shorter still.

Birqash, Egypt

Birquash Camel Market (souq al-gamaal) is some 30 kilometers northwest of Cairo, sitting on the edge of rural Egypt. I read about it on the LP Bible, and it just caught my attention as the place to go, the place to see a bit of rural Cairo.

The guide book gave out three options on how to get there: a easy $10 taxi ride, a cheaper option of a well organized hotel bus, or the one that relies totally on public transport. Having developed a taste for sampling the local transports in the last few months, I choose the latter.

"Come on, I been in Egypt for month now..., this will be piece of cake."

Friday Morning
It was not to be. Not an hour after I left the hotel that morning, I was lost. I ended up standing on the side of the freeway near Mohandiseen, screaming "Souq al-gamaal!!" to all the passing cars, hoping I will get lucky. After fifteen minute of waiting, screaming, and waving my arms... I gave up.

Take the bus to Mohandiseen, find a certain sign and this cafe, and wait there for a microbus to pick you up...The book said. Well... I didn't find no sign. and I certainly didn't find no cafe. I tried asking around, but it seems like every one is pointing me to a different direction then the last guy. It was going nowhere.

It was getting close to noon, and it's getting hot. I can feel that dust grinding into my skin, every time I tried to wipe the sweat off my face. With the tail between my legs, I hoop back on to that bus that bought me here, and went back to the hotel for that shower. I was tired and defeated, and all I want is to lie in my bed for the rest of the afternoon and hope that when I wake up, it'll be nice and cool, and this day is over and forgotten.

That night, I went about doing my homework. Finding what I can from the internet, and asking for all the information from the hotel staff as I can, and practiced saying "souq al-gamaal" and "Biraquash" over and over again, in all the tonal ranges. I had a suspicion, that my so-call Arabic deteriorates rather quickly as my voice raise to the levels of screaming. The hotel staff find some great amusement in this, but I was determined to tried again.

Monday Morning
It was Monday morning, the camel market is supposed to be at it's most active day, and I will be leaving Egypt in 24 hours. This was to be my last chance to go see the camels.

I sat on that same bus that took me to Mohandiseen, and arrived at the bus stop arm with my new found confidence, and a "authentic" Arabic accent, and a piece of paper with the word "souq al-gamaal" and "Birquash" written in Arabic (courtesy of the hotel staff, sympathy for the fool). Soon, the bus station manager delivered me to this microbus driver across the street.

"Souq al-gamaal. Go, go with him."

I thanked him and hopped on, and the microbus took off. "Piece of cake." Very please with myself, "It's all in the preparations..., Lawrence"

"Souq al-gamaal?!...", one of the passenger questioned, before I can remember how to say "yes" in Arabic, a conversation between him and the bus driver followed... It was all in Arabic, but I can sensed that I just may be in the wrong bus. Sure enough, the minibus stopped., and the driver took enough time to delivered me to this new minibus park on the side of the street, after a few words with this other driver, he pointed at this bus, and motioned me to get in.

"Oh no, Not again..." A repeat of what happened two days ago, seem almost inevitable. But having no idea where I am anymore. I figured I'll just go and let see where I just might end up. I hoop on, and ask, "Souq al-gamaal?"

"Yes, yes, yes...", The driver replied.

The minibus took off after some minutes of waiting, and headed back to the direction that we came...Couple minutes later, we came to a stop at this dirt field next to a train track. and pointed to this other microbus parked not too far ahead, and said:

"Souq al-gamaal. That one."

"Here we go again...What is this? My fourth?...", Wondering how many buses I'll have to get on, before I can go see my camels. I got off and ran to this new bus, and hopped in and hope for the best.

The first ting that caught my eyes , as I hopped onto the bus, was that almost everyone of these guys in the van were all carrying some kind of sticks with them. "The sticks were for beating off the the camels, because they can get quite aggressive..." It is just as I remembered from this travelogue that I read on the internet, over the weekend.

"Yes!! This... GOT to be the one!!" Boy, was I happy.

The problem is, the bus is already full. I looked around, and find these railings near the door. I sat on one of them, and proceeded to wrap my legs and arms around the railings and getting myself ready for my dose of rural Egypt. After all this trouble, I don't care about no dame seats, you can strap me to the roof, but I am NOT getting off this bus.

Leaning on this only "seat" that were available in front of the van, and with me facing the back of the bus. I looked up, and found a dozen pairs of eyes all looking this way, checking out this strange new arrival. I put on a smile, and nodded in return.

It didn't stop them from looking.

I did get to see my camels. There is just so much activity there, I spend some four hours there all together. Watching them loading camels onto trucks, negotiating the prices, and dads teaching their kids on the camel trade. It was amazing. Good thing I took the bus, there is no way that a taxi driver would of waited for me for that long.