What day is this?

I think it’s Sunday Jan 14th, but I’m not entirely sure. So far, this trip has been a complete whirlwind, but it is all very exciting. We arrived at the hotel at something like 3:00 in the morning. That was long after I had put Richard and Cindy on alert that I was getting grumpy. The grumpiness had nothing to do with them, but more to do with an inept security person and an ill-prepared traveler that were holding back about 40 people in our queue at Heathrow. We eventually got here thanks to the hospitable folks on Air Egypt.
My first sensation was the COLD! Yes, it’s Egypt and we’ve had some very chilly times. Yesterday, I was convinced that all my London clothes would need to used in Cairo. I’m having a good time, but being on a tour is taking some getting used to. We’ve visited a carpet shop, a perfumerie and a papyrus shop….trust me, I would not be doing this if I was on my own. The trade-off is we have an amazing bus driving who deserves a huge tip or bravery medal, and we have a wonderful guide, (Egyptologist) Rhonda, who is providing us with some very useful commentary and information. She’s really very helpful at translating phrases, and warning us of the scams….and there are a few of those!
Some observations --- I can’t help but compare this to my experience in Istanbul in 1992. Firstly, there is a similar smell, or shall I say, stench in the air. It has something to do with 17 million people living here, smoking and driving cars. At night the lights barely illuminate the streets and everything looks ‘bombed out’ from the road. There are many unfinished buildings with re-bar poking into the sky --- we have just found out that this is an elaborate tax scam. If the building is “unfinished” the government does not charge taxes on it….of course this involves some corrupt officials looking the other way to grant occupancy. The people fascinate me. I’ve seen some incredible sights in two days (and I’m not referring to the pyramids or the sphinx). Some observations: a woman carrying a huge load of the biggest cabbage I’ve ever seen – on her head. A little boy peeking into a cage of baby ducks by the side of the road, tormenting them. A horse-cart and driver galloping along the 5 lane freeway at rush hour. The ‘tourism and antiquities police’ that look bored out of their minds sitting on camels at the pyramids. But my most intriguing feature of this city is the endless stream of guys just hanging out – they’re everywhere. What could they be doing? Are they waiting for something, are they discussing something important…..or are they just chill-axing? We don’t have that in Vancouver. We’ve had a couple of really full days, so with the time change I am exhausted. Tomorrow, my friends and I will have a day away from the big group. We’ve arranged for a driver to take us back downtown so we can go to the Khan al-Khalili market (which is a crazy place) and do some other shopping/browsing. The following day we are off to Aswan. That’s it for now….I’m having fun and enjoying the hospitality of Egypt!