First few days in Egypt

After almost a full day of traveling, we're finally in Cairo! Our first flight was from Boston to Frankfurt and lasted about seven hours. Once we landed, we had a four hour layover, and then we left on another four hour flight to Cairo. The trip over was fine - except for a severe and sporadic case of the hiccoughs, I felt fine. A day after starting to eat Egyptian food, my stomach feels just fine, which is great news since that was something I was really concerned with.

I slept in until about ten today trying to get over the severe jetlag, and my body has finally adjusted to Cairo time (there's a seven hour time difference). The culture shock is slowing setting in. There are prayer chants throughout the city in the morning and the evening, which are extremely loud but beautiful to listen to. The city is very much alive even early in the morning; at 4am or so, you can hear people shouting to each other and the birds chirping (there are so many birds!).

Traffic is insane. There are dotted lines dividing lanes, but no one seems to follow them. People are constantly crossing even the busiest streets, and the streets are filled with cars, busses, people on bikes, three people on a bike, people on bikes carrying huge baskets of bread on their head, and sometimes entire families riding on one bike. When on a main road, like 26 July Street, all you can hear are car horns - all different timbres, volumes, lengths and pitches, they sound like their own unique symphony.

Earlier today, we took cabs to go to a local market. I don't think anything could have prepared me for what I saw there. In what seemed like a giant labyrinth, there were hundreds and hundreds of small shops, all selling more or less the same thing. Perfumes, jewelry, scarves, shirts and dresses, spices, and various other souvenirs, all at "good price just for you". Everywhere you turned, there was someone trying to sell you something, all at a cheap price. They were forceful, but friendly all the same. The men would call to us, and say things like "Hello, my future wife" and "How can I take your money?" The best way to get them to stop was simply ignoring them. We were never harassed or touched, and while they were pushy, most understood no meant no. The people here are extremely friendly and peaceful, and even though they hassle you for money, they mean no harm by it.

Posted below are some pictures from the market.