Well, we took off on time - but not everything else was so positive.
Prashant and I decided to take a bus out to the airport. It was about 25 minutes late and there we were dressed for Egypt - very light jackets and such. The weather was really breezy and cool, so it was a long 25 minutes! The bus drops us, then we had some issues finding the airline ticket counter. We then had some issues with the guy issuing the tickets, and then of course we find out that its raining.
The flight attendants did a great job as being as inattentive as possible. This of course was forshadowing to our flight, or lack there of, home...but you never know something is forshadowing until you look back on it.
Anyway, the audio on the flight was terrible, you could not hear the movie nor any announcements. The seat next to us, across the aisle was all screwed up because the light would go on and off without the guy in the seat actually pushing the button. And on top of that his seat was also making that "ping" noise to get the flight attendant's attention during the WHOLE flight. The flight to Milan is 8 hours, and there was no comfort. When I wrote in my journal about it, there were 2.5 hours left and the next line has to do with hoping the next leg of the journey is better than this one.
The flight from Milan to Cairo was much better than the one to Milan. There was one screaming child but Prashant and I were so tired from the restless flight before that we weren't bothered.
Arriving in Egypt!
Yeah finally we have gotten ourselves into the country of destination! We get out of the plane and it is chaos.
I wrote "being in Egypt is quite overwhelming." The meet and greet person was not there, but at the same time there were so many meet and greeters it would be easy to miss him. I started to flip out. I mean we don't speak the language, we have a phone number but who knows if that's the one we should call. And on top of that I forgot to take the hotel information. Again forshadowing - the hotels we were quoted at we did not stay at, so it wouldn't have been much help!
Once off the plane you go down a corridor and there you are - immigration. I had read that you could purchase a visa at the airport and that's what I was hoping to do. So I got on line and Prashant went in front just in case he had problems with his visa and then the guy starts talking to me and points. I was completely helpless. I walk over to the currency counters and was like I need to buy a visa. They say ok give me US dollars. I didn't have US dollars, I only had Egyptian Pounds. They say go to this one currency counter, there was no one there. I went to another currency counter and the guy was so pissed that I had only HIS currency. I really couldn't understand. Basically the visa is two stamps. So I walk back on line, give the guy my stamps and my passport. Oh I am supposed to lick the stamps and place them on the passport. Who knew!
So finally I am out of immigration. Prashant had said that there were more meet and greet people beyond immigration and that must be where our guy was. Well not a chance. There wasn't anyone there from the company we had used so I was convinced we were taken for a ride. By the time all of this transpired our luggage had made it off the turnstile. Again assuming the worst, I thought we had our luggage stolen. Luggage made it, everything looked good but no tour guy.
A man approached us and was like do you need help. Prashant brushed him off but I was like yeah our guide isn't here. So we were brought outside of that whole area and the guy has us talk to another guy. Prashant uses this second guys phone and we get in touch with the tour company, they had our information but through all of the back and forth of emailing and Prashant's father and him communicating with the company - they thought Prashant had cancelled the the trip not the father, so they had a couple of hours before the father's flight should have come in. They were not expecting us. Great. Again just adds fuel to my fire about how there was too much communication and all this stuff. Anyway, an hour later two men come into the airport and I was like where have you been!?
Prashant was pissed because they still had his father's name on the placard - even after they spoke on the phone saying Joseph is not coming Prashant is the one here!
In the car ride to the hotel we discover just how crazy Cairo and Egypt is. The roads if they have lines painted does not mean anything, you are as many across as possible, and there are people walking on the highways. Congestion in every way - congestion in your throat, on the roads, in any form the word may take.
So to recap, we had a terrible flight to Milan, the flight from Milan was eventless, we land in Cairo only to be met with every confusion, the guide is late, and doesn't really know who we are, we get an overview of our trip and then we are in a hotel.
The hotel leaves something to be desired. The bathroom is the only good thing about this place, and I am sure that's what's made it a 3 star.
I had done some research and I said that we should go to a restaurant by the pyramids. The taxi driver we got was probably the worst one we had during the whole trip. He didn't know where we wanted to go, we couldn't communicate, he actually stopped to get gas and then asked someone to talk to us to find out where we wanted to go. We get there and the guy wants 40 pounds! He was pissed too! I completely acted wrong and gave him the money and Prashant got made at me. We get out at the restaurant and the place is a take out, with no where to sit. Great, we pay an arm and a leg to get to the place and its TAKE OUT! Little did we know, that when we had gone back - there actually is a sit down area but we couldn't see it because we were so crazed by all the other doings of the day. We get the food, and find a cab. This guy tells us half the price and we were like fine! Little did we know, the first guy because he didn't know how to get there he took a very roundabout way to the restaurant and the ride back to the hotel was a fraction!
It was alarming more chilly than we had expected, and the hotel did not have heating. There were two twin beds with only one heavy blanket, so the first night we slept in the same twin bed to keep warm!
Prashant and I were really looking forward to a good sleep and a great day at the pyramids!
So I don’t give money to beggars.
