Only in Egypt...
Will you see cars and donkeys side by side on the highway.
Taxi drivers will stop theirs cars in the middle of the street and shout directions to each other because one of them is lost.
Taxi drivers will pass things (e.g a mobile phone to each other from their moving cars as they drive on the highway.
Can you see relics and statues, over 2000 years old, in flimsy glass cases at metro stations.
Is it normal for your taxi driver to drive with one hand as he frantically text messages with the other.
Are car head lights at night an unnecessary luxury.
- Is it abnormal NOT to honk.
Can you see a wedding party happening on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere
Can you die from mosquito bites. (well this is an exageration, but trust me it feels like you're being eaten alive!)
Will blondes have to pay more than double the entrance price for any museum, famous sight, etc.
- Will you see a family of five on one moped (father driving with one hand, holding a baby with the other, a kid, the mother and then another kid on the end.)
Will you NOT see any traffic lights or functioning traffic control.
Does a can of coke cost 2 times the cost of 250 gm of ma3sal (tobacco.)
Would a man ask me to marry him at the aiport, and try and persuade me last minute, not to go back to germany but to live with him and HIS FIRST WIFE in Egypt. (He was adamant his first wife wouldnt mind, 'No no really we've been together for so long she doesnt like me that much anymore, we're like two old friends.. she'd be happy for me to marry you.')
Will the man at the airport information desk speak NO english.
Will the man at the airport information desk try and scam you into giving him money (I didnt.)
Will a man in the souq come up to a family, and try and convince the father of the benefits of hashish and that it would be a great thing to buy a hashish pipe, not only for himself, but also for his two sons. His sons are 11 and 8.
Will Egyptian people haggle, bargain and try and overprice everything - not just with western tourists but with pretty much all non-egyptians.
Will my 3am flight be delayed 3 hours, until 6 in the morning - and then I will be surrounded by families and children (3 behind me, 2 in front, 2 next to me, 1 diagonal) including 3 babies... all of which (at 6 am the next day) have NOT SLEPT ONE WINK. Naturally as soon as the plane starts to take off and i think I may be able to sleep a couple hours after more than 24 hours without sleep, the kid sitting directly behind me (conveniantly the strongest and biggest) begins to kick the back of my seat. Several small babies and toddlers begin a symphony of hysterical crying, and the other kids start pointing out the window and screaming 'shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuufffffffff maaaaamaaaaa shuuuuffffffffffffffffffffffffiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.... TAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAA' (LOOK MAMA LOOK, A PLANE!)
P.S Check out the cute mispellings at the local cafe.. every menu sign had some mistake, can you spot them? ;P
3 comments:
Hehehehe....great list. I also saw the animals/cars/buses on the same street in Syria and was rather amazed. And the constant honk, honk, honk of the vehicles - wow! I've never heard that much honking in years and years of living until I went to Damascus!
Why do men assume we want to be second wives? It doesn't matter that his first wife doesn't care and would be happy for him, why assume a woman is eager to be your new wife? Duh!
Did you visit friends in Egypt? How long were you there? Did you go alone? It seems you've had a number of great adventures and are brave!
The ego of some men is staggering for sure!
I was in Egypt for a week and a half during eatser holidays (it's only around 3 hours flight from Germany!), and I went with friends from Germany, one of whom was Egyptian and he hosted us :) They travelled on different dates to me so I flew alone but met them in Egypt.
The funny thing is, even before I went to the Middle East it never occurred to me to be scared.. so many (non-arab) friends and family were concerned about safety - but I always felt completely secure, and moreover, utterly at home. The only time I ever felt unsafe in my travels was in Rome- the crime there is really bad and there were some really dodgy types. But there I felt, lost in the hustle and bustle - just one of many tourists. In the middle east, as a woman, I was very aware of the culture of protection of women. If anyone tried anythign inappropriate, locals would be the first to spring to your defence.
That's great. I, too, felt perfectly safe in Syria. Never was scared. In fact, I loved it sooooo much!
Thanks for sharing interesting tidbits with me. I really enjoy it a lot!
Did you say you wanted to live in the Middle East eventually? Did I read that you are a journalist? Is this what you hope to do there? Hope you don't mind that I want to learn more about you. :)
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