I made it! Cairo.

Well I made it. After over one full day of traveling my plane touched down in Cairo at 8:30 pm and I immediately knew I had crossed the threshold into a new world. My first indication that I was entering a third world country was the fact that I left the plane via a portable stairway that they pulled up to the plane on the runway. They had a shuttle waiting for us on the other side of the runway which took us to customs to be...processed.

Apparently the swine flu has caused most of the world to take extra precautions wherever Americans are involved. All of the customs officials at the gate were wearing dirty surgical masks and rubber gloves. Each passenger was required to fill out at least one (three if you were American) information slips as to their place of origin, purpose for the visit, and where they planned to stay. This proved a little problematic because I had not booked a hotel in advance nor did I know exactly where I would be staying. I had some ideas but nothing was certain. So I did the only thing anybody could do in that situation; I lied. I wrote down the name of some hostel that I was considering staying at and estimated an address. As I turned in this slip I was directed to a line where they were to take my temperature to make sure I did not have the swine flu. They were using one of the ear thermometers but without the plastic sanitation sleeves. So I stood in line, watched the custom official put the thermometer in someone else's dirty ear then immediately put it in mine. Good news, no swine flu. Bad news, I may wake up with an ear infection.

I think I was already scammed. I was trying to get a cab at the airport and I paid a guy who I thought was going to drive me, but as it turned out I had only paid him to walk me across the street and hail a cab for me. He then left and I was stuck having to pay the cab driver as well. I guess I am learning the art of backpacking one step at a time. The driver himself tried to rip me off but I stuck to my guns and only paid half of what he originally asked. The drive through the city brought back memories of the time I spent in the Dominican Republic. First and foremost the smell of thick pollution reminded me of walking by the Maximo Gomez in Santo Domingo with Elder Mercedes. The two cities smell exactly the same. Cheap shops selling cheaper goods also resembled the D.R. with strange assortments of religious items right next to the latest lingerie.

I got out of the cab in the general vicinity of three different hostels that I had looked up. I began hunting for them. Walking among the hoards of pedestrians and dodging cars, buses, and motorcycles also made me feel like I was back in Santo Domingo. I guess the adjustment may not be that difficult for me. Well, in some ways the adjustment is difficult. Some signs are in English, most are not. So I try to ask intelligent looking people for directions. When they don't understand, my first impulse is to repeat myself in Spanish, but that is not effective either. But I managed to get around and found the place I want to stay at, the Pension Roma hotel.

Don't let the word "hotel" fool you. The place is definitely not the Ritz. In fact, to get to it you have to walk up a dusty unmarked ally way and then turn into a side stairwell. The hotel is on the fourth floor and the stairs going up are covered with years of dust and grease from the city streets. The place is in worse shape than some of my mission homes, which says alot. But the place has locking doors and I can leave my gear there when I go adventuring out during the day. The bathroom's stink and the toilets sometimes work but at least I am not showering out of a bucket like old times. That is, if the water works; I have not tried it yet. I didn't want an "Egypt made for American's or BYU students" trip. I wanted a real cultural experience, I guess I got it.

I better end this e-mail so I can get to bed and get up early tomorrow morning to go see the sights. Tomorrow will present a whole new group of challenges. First of which is figuring out how to get around the dang city. I plan to visit Giza tomorrow and also buy my train tickets for Luxor. Wish me luck.