Cairo 1

One thing I was told before I left for Cairo was that five cars will fit into three lanes. It wasn't a joke. There are lane lines drawn but cars do not drive in them. There are traffic lights but cars seem to not care. Police stand on major street corners and have to stop cars so people going the other direction can drive. Somehow though, cars seem to be organized in their own way and people get where they need to be. For Egyptians, crossing the street is like, you know, taking a stroll. For us, Americans, it is like trying to get through a war zone alive. At one point, a soldier had to cross the street to where we were standing and walk us to the other side. Or there was the man who walked across the street through moving traffic with no problem and turned around while we were still standing on the other side of the street and laughed at us. Or the time I literally had to have my hand held to get across the street. Every so often you will see a crosswalk at the intersections where the police are stopping the cars.

Looking across the Nile, dust and smog leave an unclear view of the high rises. When the wind blows, so does the dirt. You can not only see it blowing around but you can feel it in your eyes and mouth. Breathing seems to be quite difficult and when walking around streets crowded with cars, the air you breathe is even worse. Between the dirt under my finger nails and the way my hair feels, I pretty much constantly feel filthy. Something online said that being in Cairo is like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. This is not a joke.

To avoid harassment, the best advice I've been given (aside from dressing conservatively) is to avoid making eye contact. The only way I've found I can do this is by looking down when I'm walking. The problem I have with looking down is that I miss everything around me. From tomorrow on, I am going to try to wear my big Lindsay Lohan sunglasses for two purposes: to avoid getting excessive dust in my eyes and to be able to look around and avoid making eye contact at the same time. Harassment does happen although I have found that it is not as excessive as I would have thought. Thus far, the phrase of the trip has been (with a very Egyptian accent), "Ya, Arabic. You look Egyptian." More than anything though, it's just the looks and smiles you get from men. Other than that, if a man starts talking to you, keep walking. It's pretty much common sense.

I am staying in an apartment right now in an area of Cairo right now called Garden City. Garden City (also called "Garden City" in Arabic) was built by the British. Supposedly, the roads were built in a very winding manner as to confuse the "locals." Unfortunately for me and my horrible sense of direction, I can pretty much guarantee you that it confuses me more than the locals. The area is filled with all sorts of embassies...the most memorable being the American and British blocked off by cement walls, road blocks, etc. for safety purposes, especially since 9/11.

I suppose I have discovered one of the best restaraunts in Cairo having been taken there both last night and tonight for dinner by two different people. It is in fact, quite good Middle Eastern food but more upscale and more Westernized. I am thus far very scared of both the food and water because although it is pretty much unavoidable, I have no desire to get sick. Sadly, that means eating in local places, etc., is out of the question for now. Other than eating in the same restaurant twice, I have pretty much only apartment-shopped, gotten my cell phone situation completely worked out and walked around trying to discover a bit of the city. I think that eventually, if I can orient myself based on the location of the Nile, I will be able to find my way around the city (so long as it is not Garden City). Eventually, I also hope to be able to cross the street and speak great Arabic.