Heading Home!

Well I am finally heading home!! I am at the airport in Cairo right now, and have never been so happy to leave a place!  The Arab men are just completely disgusting towards women, people are constantly trying to steal things from you or screw you over. A guy actually tried to grab my wallet out of my hands in broad daylight! This place is filthy - trash everywhere...its pretty sad actually. I've been here two days (and two nights) and that is about a day and a half too long! (My boss actually told me to just fly in, see the pyramids, and get out.  HE WAS RIGHT!)  The pyramids were pretty cool, but that's about it here in Cairo! 

Just to freak everyone out - haha - here is the worst thing that has happened to me yet:  Remember as you are reading this, I am already safe and checked in at the Cairo airport...  It is very early here and still dark, my flight is at 5am, so I had to leave my hotel around 2:30am.  Middle of the night in Cairo during Ramadan = not a good idea for a young American girl to go out alone! ;)  The guy who took me to the pyramids and sights (local weaving place, some schools, other historical sights) yesterday said he would come pick me up this morning and personally take me to the airport, which I was very happy about.  After spending most of the day with him, I was comfortable with him.  So when my hotel called my room and 2:15am and said my ride was here, I lugged my bags down the stairs and walked out in to the crazy, dark streets of Cairo.  (Remember it is Ramadan, so everyone parties all night, literally).  But to my surprise, I didn't know the two men standing there by the car.  I kind of panicked, but of course didn't want to show it.  I asked one of them where my guide was and he said, "Oh, his son very sick.  He not make it.  He send us instead."  Hmmm...I don't think so.  I told them I really wanted to talk to the guy I knew, I just didn't feel right about getting it the car with these two randos int he middle of the night in freaking CAIRO, EGYPT.  So they start talking to each other in Egyptian - of course - one gets out a cell phone, calls someone, says something IN EGYPTIAN and then hands me the phone.  I say hello, and some guy on the other end says, "Oh hello, my son very sick.  These my friends, they take you right to airport, same price."  And FOR SOME REASON, that made me feel a little better at the time.  Looking back, that voice on the other end of the phone was absolutely NOT the same guy who took me around the day before.  So, still pretty hesitant, I look at the two guys, and realize they have already taken my bags and put them in the trunk.  So what do I do now?  I mean they already have my stuff, I'm certainly not getting it back, so I reluctantly GOT IN THE CAR. Uggghhh....  I was still pretty groggy from it being so late (or early) but one of my strengths is that I always know my directions.  I have this weird sense, that whenever I get off a plane in a foreign country, I generally know my directions.  And once I've been there for any length of time, I know what is where - or the direction it is in at least.  So these two guys, laughing and talking loudly and smoking who knows what in the car, start driving around in Cairo, with me in the back, and NOT going to the airport.  I KNEW which direction the airport was, and they were NOT going that way!  There were even signs on the hiways, and even though I couldn't read them, I can still see a freaking picture of an airplane and an arrow and them NOT following it.  I legitimately was almost sick to my stomach after about 30 minutes of driving around - them just talking, and scheming to kill me, I just knew it!  And I realized I had NOTHING.  I had no knife or pepper spray or anything even remotely sharp.  I had very little money, and NO phone number to call.  I didn't speak the languauge, didn't know where to go or run if I got out of the car, and they still had all my stuff.  NO ONE knew where I was or where I was going.  I was alone in a car with two men in the middle of the night in Egypt.  HOW did this happen!?  I was almost in tears, about ready to throw up, when they started going towards the airport.  I'm not even making this up.  A few minutse later, they stopped outside the international terminal and let me out.  THANK YOU JESUS!!  I grabbed my bags, shoved all the money I had left at them and profusely thanked them for not killing me (okay not really that part) and taking me to the airport...and then RAN as fast as I could through those doors.  I've never been so happy to be waiting for two hours at an airport before in my life... 

So see, it all turned out fine.  But that honestly is the scaredest I've been on this trip...


Anyways - all around, I've had a great time! Kenya was the most amazing place I have ever seen and would love to go back there someday. Dubai was just unbelievable too.  I am heading to Paris for a day now, then off to LA tomorrow and will be back in Reno Sunday evening! Can't wait to get home and send out some pictures!!


-TK


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T