First impressions of Cairo

My hostel has free internet so I figured I should make the most of it while it's available, I also am getting the night bus tonight so I've got another hour or so to kill before I attempt to make my way across town to the bus station. Typing on this keyboard is going to be a bit of a challenge though as all the letters are in Arabic so I'm having to relay on my touch typing skills. 

So, I've been here about 24 hours and this is what I've noticed so far

 - there are no toilets in the Arrivals hall at Cairo airport, when I asked I was just stared at blankly and asked why I didn't go on the plane. 

 - You buy your Egyptian visa from a bank, not from the immigration window at the airport (that is for Egyptian Nationals only)

 - No-one actually seems to go in shops here, shopkeepers put everything they have in the window and people just crowd around on the streets.

 - Cairo is huge, there are over 19 million people living here

 - People aren't content with selling you only one thing, ah you want a bottle of water? yes please, also you want a taxi? no, coke? beer? trip to the pyramids? room for the night? ticket to the cinema? entrance to the Egyptian museum? The word for no is laa and I seem to be using it all the time. 

 - It is also very hot, when we landed the announcement on the plane was "welcome to Cairo, it's just coming up to 6pm and it 39 degrees"

 - It seems only foreigners wear sunglasses, I have been stopped at least 5 times already by people asking if they can try them on. 

  - It often costs more to go to the toilet than buy your dinner.

 - VIP means tourist, which generally means about 3 times the price. I got a VIP coke today!

 - The traffic here is crazy (like worse than Vietnam!), if there are 3 lanes marked on the road then there are at least 5 lanes of cars, to cross the road you just have to walk with confidence, or, as the girl in my hostel put it 'close your eyes and pray to Allah'

- I have been stopped 3 completely different times by the police and asked to write my name in a book (I really have no idea why this is!)

Overall I am loving Cairo, I slept late this morning (after travelling for over 26 hours straight) so I haven't had much chance to do much other than eat and walk around. I'll be back here in a few days though with the other people on my trip. My hostel is nice and I enjoyed my bed last night as I think it will be my last proper one until we get to Nairobi in 10 weeks time. The owner of my hostel apologised though and said he didn't have any of the 'special water' which would keep my hair blonde (!) and keeps singing we will rock you, he has been very helpful sorting out my bus and stuff for me though. 

Night bus to Dahab tonight (which looks incredibly uncomfortable but apparently has air con) and then meet my group in the morning...can't wait!

I will write about Dubai and try and upload some photos later. 

Alicexx