Egypt Being Egypt

1. Luke and I are in a microbus on our way back from Alexandria. At one point, I look over to see something moving in the trunk of a car in front of us. On closer inspection, I realize that there are three kids in the trunk and the lid was bobbing up and down. Last time I checked, the trunk of a car was not a safe place to stow your kids will travelling.

2. On the same journey, only ten minutes later, we were treated to a light show compliments of the hood of an old truck that had fallen off and was grinding against the cement barrier on the side of the road. The truck itself was on the back of a flatbed. After passing the truck, Luke remarked, "Those guys aren't going to be stopping anytime soon."

3. Yet another crazy thing on the aforementioned microbus journey happened while stopped at a restaurant. Luke and I are standing in the parking area enjoying the fact that we weren't sitting in the microbus and wondering if we'd ever make it back to Cairo in time for the party. All of a sudden, two guys on motorbikes pull up to us. One of them decided he was cool and subsequently ran over my foot. I just looked at him with that bewildered "What the?" look, while Luke was inches from threatening physical violence.

4. Luke, Chris, and I are at the Egyptian tourist market, Khan El Khalili, and about to order some sugarcane juice. After I paid for the three juices and collected the little plastic chips required for getting the juice, I turned to see an Arab-looking woman asking me "Itnayn manga lausamaht - Two mango juices, please." After about two seconds of outright puzzlement, I just cracked up. The girl, noticing what she had done, followed suit. Of all the people in a juice stand to order from, the only white guy is probably not your best bet. Turned out the woman was Iraqi, but from the US.

5. The story of the bowwab on my street being in the Lonely Planet, seen below.