it's been a long exhausting day. i haven't slept since i last posted. i think i woke up back at home about 31 hours ago. i have three more hours to go before i can finally let myself sleep.
but as long and exhausting it was, i still am having a great time. the trip went really smoothly (considering my main impression of egypt air prior to yesterday was an unsolved airplane exploding in mid-air (the very same JFK-CAI flight i took, in fact), the airline pretty had to meet or exceed expectations). cairo is really great. it reminds me a lot of damascus, only bigger, louder, dirtier, more frantic.
the egyptians have been extremely friendly, and not only the ones who are trying to lure me into their perfume shop. when i arrived i decided that i wouldn't take the taxi to my hotel. it would be more of a challenge to figure out the local buses to a stop almost near my hotel and then trying to navigate to the hotel on my own. i want to force myself to read the signs, ask questions of people, etc. there's no way to do that unless i challenge myself. and it was quite satisfying when i arrived at the hotel. besides, all i have on the agenda for today was trying to keep myself up until 10 p.m. so i adjust to the time here.
anyway, in that sense it worked too well. i arrived here within an hour of landing, so i spent the afternoon wandering cairo, talking to strangers and generally trying to take in the city before i try to run to specific destinations.
the city was empty for much of the afternoon. a lot of stuff was closed because of the 'eid. but once night fell the city came alive. people are clogging the streets in their best clothes, setting off firecrackers, and making a nice spectacle for me to appreciate. and being startled when an 11 year old sets off an explosive as you walk by him on the sidewalk is a handy way to stay awake.
