First Step into Cairo...

(WARNING: Blogs may seem unorganized... they are... I pay for the time on the computer!!!)
(Jan. 3, 2009 11:04pm in Cairo)

Plane ride= long but not 18 hrs... only 10!!! It was safe!
Cramped but completely worth it.

Cairo is sooo different. The moment I got off the plane I saw sand and two palm trees. Random Right?!!! Cairo is almost chaotic but an amazing mix of people and society. There are no traffic lights, so in the city there is rush hour every minute! I saw at leat 2 ppl and 2 cars get run into on the way tomy hotel.

The hotel is five star... They don't even let you carry your bags to your room. O, and we found 2 channels in English (generally everything in the city is in both Arabic and English)but that was hard to find...

O and I cannot forget this... THEY HAVE STRAWBERRY JUICE... it's either like tropical with pieces of strawberry in it, or a smoothie and it is thee GREATEST! I WAS DELIGHTED TO FIND THAT IT IS STRAWBERRY SEASON IN EGYPT!!! Oh yeah!!!

The exchange rate is 5.5 to every dollar so it's pretty amazing to see the prices... I have to remember where I am. My team is absolutely eclectic... everyone is different but we mesh extremely well together.

One of the books were are (supposed) to be reading is called Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz and we actually went to the very place the book's setting was TODAY. It was so surreal, made me more motivated to actually finish reading the book!
We also went to this five star restaurant... though I was very very limited due to my allergy to onions. One of my team meates tried PIGEON!! I, on the other hand, had chicken and french fries "specially made"... it was good... but American.
The last stop we made was to see a Sufi dance... (look it up I can't explain it now I pay by the minute on the PC) but just know that it was an amazing set of Egyptian men in dress like clothing spinning doing tricks so fast it made me dizzy. I was fascinated to find that that is how they worship God... through DANCE!

Considering the traffic, everywhere we go takes like 5 times longer (I think) than it would without the traffic. But, the lack of traffic lights seems to work pretty well... I think there's some sort of language with the way you honk your horn.

I have only been here for one day and I already feel like I have been here for 4... this is going to be an amazing experience....but, I have Jet lag... so... that is all for now, I am going asleep!

Much love...and you can send me emails too!!!