I've mentioned before that our tour company kept screwing around with the itinerary. It's because they left things until the last minute and couldn't confirm the flights. They couldn't get us a flight from Cairo to Aswan, so they had to book us a private jet.

(When we got back to M'sia, they tried to charge us an additional RM4000 for the flight. It's so unprofessional to get people to pay up front, then screw everything up and ask for more money. Well, the trip's over now. Good luck getting your money, suckers.)

I am an anxious flyer, especially after September 11. But ESPECIALLY after watching Lost. Private jets have a tendency to rock :( And on the back of the seat in front of me was a sign saying:

FASTEN SEAT BELT WHILE SEATED
STOW TRAY DURING TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
USE SEAT CUSHION FOR FLOATATION

There were no life jackets. Luckily we were flying above the desert and there was little chance of drowning if we crashed.



There wasn't really that much in Aswan. At night we went on a carriage ride, during which the driver kept asking for tips (even though tips were already included in the fee). He kept asking for "present for the horse", which frankly was a bag of bones. He kept whipping it to make it go faster, and raced with the other carriages. He nearly hit some people, but he thought it was funny.

We went for a nice felucca ride on the Nile. It was sunny and bright, and there was a slight breeze. Some kids paddled up in boats and sang songs. So we gave them money and they went away (very quickly too). The Nile doesn't have crocodiles anymore, and I was disappointed. I was looking forward to some Offler goodness.

Alexandria

Day 3: Went to Alexandria by road. It took about 3 hours to get there. I think our driver may have been speeding, and it was slightly scary.

Alexandria has a lot of potential. Mum says it looks a bit like the south of France. The water looks nice, despite all the garbage floating in it. The buildings are cramped and dirty. Disturbingly, a lot of them are half-constructed or abandoned. I think if they cleaned the place up, it'd be very spiffy indeed.

There was a man making pictures out of sand. Behold his coolness below. Click to enlarge! I sort of wish I'd bought something from him.

We had good lunch at a place called Athineos, though I'd minus points because the waiters were slow, didn't set enough places, ignored us when we tried to get their attention, and the tablecloth was really dirty. (I think this happened because they knew we'd never ever be coming back. The service for "real" customers looked good). Had great baklava from the Athineos bakery behind the restaurant.

Took another three hours to drive back to Cairo. At night the guide took us to the papyrus factory, where we were all severely ripped off. I bought only one piece of papyrus, so I was less ripped off than everyone else was.

(One of the aunties [not to name any names], always buys what other people buy. She gets out of control, and sometimes for everything you buy, she gets TWO of the same thing. She got ripped off the most, but I don't think she really cares, because it's her husband's money anyway. And she's nutty. End gossip.)

Very tired

I think I might have jet lag. Wherever I go I feel like the room is moving. Egypt-blog will be in multiple posts, because I can't handle doing the whole thing right now. All dollars mentioned are USD, all pounds are Egyptian pounds.

Day 1: Travelling
Went from KLIA to Doha, then from Doha to Cairo. Arrived at night. Very tired. Went to sleep.

Day 2: (New Year's Day)
Went to see the pyramids of Giza. We went into one of the queens' pyramids, and the stairs were low and steep. Inside was very anticlimactic, since all the treasures are in the museum.



**Traveller's tip #1: Beware the camel men near the pyramids. What they do is, they say "Hey China China. I give you one dollar ride camel." And you think "Hey, $1 is pretty cheap." So then you get on the camel and they don't let you off unless you pay them like, 100 L.E (about $20). Also, they might touch you in funny places when they're helping you up.**

Also visited the Sphinx, briefly. Much like the Mona Lisa, it's smaller in real life.



**Traveller's tip #2: Near the Sphinx there's a hole, which your guide may tell you is a wishing well. There is no historical evidence for this. What happens is, at the end of the day the guards collect the money that sucker tourists throw in.**

Then we visited the perfume essence factory. I bought 3 bottles for $75.
(1 drop essence + 9 drops alcohol = perfume
1 drop essence + 15 drops alcohol = eau de toilette.
Don't ever buy EDT -- it's a rip-off)

Then we went to the Cairo museum for a few hours and had dinner at the worst Chinese restaurant in the entire world, no hyperbole. There were no Chinese vegetables -- everything was made of tomato and carrot. They had yee sang for CNY, but the fish was off :/ One of my cousins only eats pale food (rice, bread, pasta, fish, tofu etc), so we ordered him two fried eggs and they cost USD10. I think it may be the only Chinese restaurant in Cairo, and that's where they take all the tour groups from Taiwan. Boooo.