Three Weeks in Egypt

Gap Year, Part 3

We were a little hesitant to go to Egypt in August. It would be hot, but we decided to leave the next day. To my dismay I overslept, and the others had left already. I only knew our destination, the Golden Hotel in Cairo. I made it to the bus station and climbed on the bus. When I arrived at the Suez Canal, the ferry was not there, so I waited. Asking other people was useless; the answer would always be tomorrow or perhaps in three days. Luckily the ferry came the next day. Everyone just jumped in; it was total chaos. The passport station (not an office really) was busy. I was the only female traveling by herself, and the men were nice. One by one they motioned me to go ahead until I made it to the front of the line. On the bus I had met a couple of Germans. I saw them again at the sherut station. Sheruts are shared taxis; the passengers split the cost. We got into the taxi with two others. On the way to Cairo the driver needed gas. I got out with my bag because I was looking for something. Thirty miles later, I remembered my passport. Frantic, I checked my bag, but it wasn’t there. After I explained to the others, I told the driver to turn around. He did not understand that at all, and the passengers were not thrilled either. Well, we drove back to the gas station. I got out and looked around — nothing! Looking up, I saw something from the corner of my eye, my passport. It had been clinging to the rear windshield the whole time. Relief!

I arrived in Cairo late, around 1 a.m. As we drove through the city, I was surprised to see a police officer directing traffic around a shoe store where lots of people were queuing up. Who is buying shoes at 1 a.m.? When I got to the Golden Hotel, there was a note for me. They had gone to a different hotel. I finally met up with the others at 2:30 a.m. The next few days were filled with museum visits, crowded buses, and mosques.

We took a day trip to the step pyramid at SakKara.

We also saw the pyramids in Cairo, which we could reach by bus. Many people climbed up the pyramids even though it was forbidden. But they had horses there, so I cantered around the pyramids and the sphinx…

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