Obama
Woke up at 6 am and had breakfast on the boat. Took a cab to the Aswan airport, another very old Peugeot station wagon with a cab driver who liked to drive fast and pass on blind curves. When our porter yelled at him from the street he hastily ran to his cab, slipping into his robe on the way!
When we were boarding our flight the agent saw my passport and said, "United States ?" I said "yes" to which he excitedly replied, " Obama ! " This wasn't the first time we have heard people here excited about Obama. He popped back on the plane, eyed me from far away, and mouthed "Obama" again and smiled just before they closed the door.
Desert stretched as far as the eye can see as we flew back up to Cairo. Nice view of the pyramids on the way in.
Pyramids from the Air - Smoggy !
Landing in Aswan on the Way Back to CairoThere was a famous Egyptian singer on our flight. He was surrounded in baggage claim by people wanting to take his picture.
Back in Cairo. Traffic is lighter today. The Islamic holiday of Eid starts on Sunday. An Egyptian couple we met on our cruise had said that people have already started escaping the city for the holiday.
Our hotel here seems to be much more strict on security. All cars are stopped outside and sniffed for explosives by a dog. Metal detectors that work and x-ray machines that actually have people watching them.
Brian and I went for a run this afternoon and then out for a really great meal at a Lebanese restaurant.
We were near some embassies and no one was on the street but Brian and I and tons of police with big guns and check points. Got in a cab with a cab driver who had to show us bills to let us know the fare... he spoke no English. We ended up at the wrong hotel even though we had our hotel name written in Arabic on a piece of paper. Eventually made it back....
We hired a guide and a driver tomorrow to make the most of our one full day in central Cairo. Meeting Muhammad Ali (the guide, not the boxer) in the lobby at 9 am....
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