Once again, Dr. Elghobashy’s son got kicked out of his bed, and was relegated to the couch. After sleeping till about 1:30 I got up and had breakfast. I didn’t have any plans so until about 5pm I just sat around and watched TV. At 5pm I just wanted to get out so I took a short walk over to the mango juice stand. For 50 cents I can get a tall glass of fresh squeezed mango juice, delicious. I can never only have just one glass.
My next expedition was a walk up the main street near the Elghobashy house. I walked about two miles up the street until it turned into a housing area, no shops or people working. While it is fun to go out and see the town there is one thing that drives me crazy, the noise. It is outrageously loud in the city, the cars and music become very frustrating.
When people in Egypt get married, instead of dragging cans or painting “just married,” they just lay on the car horn. It is also tradition for all the wedding guests to follow behind and do the same thing, sometimes with illegal sirens. While this is annoying by itself there are other factors that make it even worse.
Cairo is a very old city, the population has increased so dramatically while the size is limited by the surrounding environment. Because of these influences Cairo has built up, not outwards. The vast majority of the buildings in Cairo are multiple stories; the Elghobashy family lives on the fifth of six floors.
So when I walk on the streets of Cairo (no sidewalks) I am surrounded by tall stone buildings on all sides. These tall building amplify the noise, and the blaring car horns seem to make my brain rattle. People are constantly honking, there is usually only a second or two break between a blast of the horn. When walking along with a wedding procession the blaring horns are nonstop, literally. The deafening noise really gets annoying quickly; I was sorely tempted to profanely tell them to stop with the honking. I have to disagree with Simon and Garfunkel, the sound of silence isn’t so bad.
At night, around 9:30, I left with Dr. Elghobashy’s son to go see a movie. Two mico bus rides later we got to the mall. Once again I was very impressed by the largest mall in Egypt. I was disappointed that Batman and Wanted were not at the theaters, but I settled for What Happens in Vegas.
I miss 4th of July, one of my favorite American holidays.
3 comments:
Hi Pat, We have enjoyed all your blogs. What an education you are getting over there. I loved my trip to Egypt but it was in January and the weather was perfect everyday just like Tucson in January. I remember the Baksheesh I took cartons of cigaretts and handed those out. Glad you got to the pyramids, did you get inside? I was able toand climbing up a narrow stairway was fun. I also liked Luxor and Aswan neat cities. But I was so glad I was born in the USA. Our 2 car garage is finished and looks great.Hope to talk with you soon.Oma
Hi Pat,
Remind me about the noise next time music is blaring in your room. Glad to hear that you are catching up on reading as well. With plane ride home you may finish everything you took over on the trip.
See you in a few more days.
Love Mom and Dad
Hi Pat, Opa says stop in Honeoye on your way home he has lots of jobs for you and he'll give you lots of Baksheesh. Chris left his bike here so you'll have cheap transportation. Tim, Michelle and kids were here but are back in Az. now. Take care. We miss you. Love Oma
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