Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Welcome to Egypt

The Egypt experience started off on the right foot with the Gulf Air flights. They feed you, give you theater movies(I watched the Vow), and they give you an amazing music selection.  I could not stop listening to the music all the top albums of all genres(like a Pandora on the plane-oh how I miss Pandora). Stopping at Bahrain Airport, it was funny seeing the four coffees in one place: Caribou, Costa, Starbucks, and Coffee bean-that is a whole lot of coffee.  The exchange rate in Bahrain is .3 to $1. I managed to find a place where the dollar is of little value-no stop for me there.

Off to Cairo in a plane with ALL men literally, there were three or four women on the flight. My usual response when interacting with a new culture, I just sit and observe and look around like a child staring at their birthday cake. New faces, new people, new environment-stimulating for the mind and body-does a body good.  

First impressions of Egyptians, they dress very nice and smell very good.  The fragrance of their cologne smells of good quality, the belts, shoes, suits, pants, briefcases- all good quality and stylish.  They really know how to dress and take care of themselves well and smiling and helpful-my first impressions.

Arriving in Cairo at 4am, it took two minutes to get my visa-basically you pay $15, fill out the arrival card, and boom you are done.  I had not heard from my friend so I figured I had to take a taxi, which would be a hassle at 4am.  Walking out the gate, there is a long white path with a bunch of Egyptian taxi drivers. I let out a long sigh and think, "I am going to go sit in the corner and avoid this mess for a while.  From the back of the crowd,  I hear someone call my name and it is my friend Mohammed with his other friend Mohammed(there are 20 million Muslims named Mohammed haha). 

I was so happy to see him and it was so unexpected as I knew it was late and it would be an inconvenience.  His friend kindly says,"Welcome to Egypt."
Egypt starts off positive and hopeful for a good trip with friends and warm people. 

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