Update from Joe:
Just a quick update on my end. Jessie and the boys are still visiting Jessie’s dad in Oregon, so I have been in Cairo for 2 weeks on my own. I am definitely missing the family, but have had a lot of time to do chores, read books and see some sights.
Last weekend I did some mountain biking in the Wadi (a canyon in the desert). It was pretty cool and I went back again this weekend. Saw some lizards, some trash and some scraggly bushes. But the cliffs and rocks are very cool to look at.
I went to the Cairo Museum in downtown and that is amazing! It is overwhelming actually. No air conditioning, about 95F inside, and it a fellow Xpat described it as “a garage sale of mummies.” He was right. Most things have no labels on them and there are scores and scores of mummies stacked up like cord wood. Priceless objects are just sitting in display cases you might get at Target or Ikea. But with the intense heat there are few tourists and I went straight for the King Tut stuff and just stared at it. Especially his funeral mask. Absolutely amazing.
A couple days ago I took the subway downtown again (it is very clean, quiet and runs every 5 mins). I went to Coptic Cairo where all the Christians live. This is the place the Josef, Mary and the baby Jesus hid out for a few years when the Romans were hunting them down. I also saw the oldest Jewish Synagogue in Egypt. Nearby is where they found the baby Moses floating in the basket. Man – I tell you, there is so much history hear it makes your head spin.
I then spent two hours in the oldest mosque in Cairo with my guide who invited me in so he could pray. He explained everything to me, how to wash, how to pray, what they say and all about Islam. Very interesting. Also he did mention that a lot of women were going to Hell – so just keep that in mind. Especially for wearing revealing clothes. Just saying, watch out for that.
Anyhow, I am off to Iftar tonight (a special Ramadan meal that they eat after sunset. They fast all day- no food or water from 3:30am to 6:30pm, then eat at night). I hope it is a giardia-free meal. Wish me luck.
Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Egypt Update: Small Bills
Hi All,
Most folks are interested in big adventure, and so am I when it comes to those special moments punctuated in our lives. However, day-to-day life is interesting as well albeit more subtle. This is what I really enjoy observing and writing about. Here are is a random description that provides a lot of insight into Cairo life without the big adventure tales.
Joe
It is interesting to note that, while in the U.S., I considered small bills and loose change in my pocket an annoyance. With too many $1 or $5 bills in my wallet, it tends to get fat and puffy and is difficult to close and gives me a sore back. A handful of quarters in my jeans weigh a good bit and my already baggy pants start sliding further down my buttocks. I usually remedy this problem by constantly spending small bills and change to get “rid” of it and make my life easier.
Not so in Egypt. Actually, everything is opposite here. When I go to the ATMs they typically dispense 200LE notes (equivalent to $40US dollars) and are almost impossible to spend. This week I tried to pass a 200LE note off at a small shop and the owner will looked at me with horror. “I can’t change that!” he said aggressively, as if I was trying to screw him over. With great reluctance I pulled out my secret stash of 10s and 20s and handed him the smaller bills. He looked at me knowingly and I knew that he knew I really did try to screw him over.
Maybe I can pass the gigantic bill off at CarrFoure (the big Walmart-type store here in Cairo). No way in hell. I purchased a few expensive items but once again, they wanted exact change. Even more amazing, they knew I had it and gave me the stink-eye until I produced my wad of mini-bills from my other pocket. It was like some sort of Jedi mind game or psychological combat between the two of us. But clearly, he was the superior in this mental duel because he had deduced quickly that I kept my big bills in my left hand pocket and my small bills in my right pocket (never mix big and small, because as soon as you pull out your mixed wad, they can spy your small bills).
Yesterday I went to an ATM and withdrew 500LE and lo and behold! For some reason it came out all in 20s! Needless to say, I planted my feet firmly and stayed at this machine until it wouldn’t let me withdraw any more than my daily allowance (six transactions to get 3000LE worth of 20s). The huge fat wad barely fit in my front pocket as people line up behind me thinking, “What the hell is that guy doing? Maybe I should rob him later.” I got home without incident and put the precious hoard of 20s in my safe at home which is bolted to the floor.
I now feel a strange sense of satisfaction and can rest easily in the knowledge that I have at my disposal, when I need them, a copious quantity of small bills.
Most folks are interested in big adventure, and so am I when it comes to those special moments punctuated in our lives. However, day-to-day life is interesting as well albeit more subtle. This is what I really enjoy observing and writing about. Here are is a random description that provides a lot of insight into Cairo life without the big adventure tales.
Joe
It is interesting to note that, while in the U.S., I considered small bills and loose change in my pocket an annoyance. With too many $1 or $5 bills in my wallet, it tends to get fat and puffy and is difficult to close and gives me a sore back. A handful of quarters in my jeans weigh a good bit and my already baggy pants start sliding further down my buttocks. I usually remedy this problem by constantly spending small bills and change to get “rid” of it and make my life easier.
Not so in Egypt. Actually, everything is opposite here. When I go to the ATMs they typically dispense 200LE notes (equivalent to $40US dollars) and are almost impossible to spend. This week I tried to pass a 200LE note off at a small shop and the owner will looked at me with horror. “I can’t change that!” he said aggressively, as if I was trying to screw him over. With great reluctance I pulled out my secret stash of 10s and 20s and handed him the smaller bills. He looked at me knowingly and I knew that he knew I really did try to screw him over.
Maybe I can pass the gigantic bill off at CarrFoure (the big Walmart-type store here in Cairo). No way in hell. I purchased a few expensive items but once again, they wanted exact change. Even more amazing, they knew I had it and gave me the stink-eye until I produced my wad of mini-bills from my other pocket. It was like some sort of Jedi mind game or psychological combat between the two of us. But clearly, he was the superior in this mental duel because he had deduced quickly that I kept my big bills in my left hand pocket and my small bills in my right pocket (never mix big and small, because as soon as you pull out your mixed wad, they can spy your small bills).
Yesterday I went to an ATM and withdrew 500LE and lo and behold! For some reason it came out all in 20s! Needless to say, I planted my feet firmly and stayed at this machine until it wouldn’t let me withdraw any more than my daily allowance (six transactions to get 3000LE worth of 20s). The huge fat wad barely fit in my front pocket as people line up behind me thinking, “What the hell is that guy doing? Maybe I should rob him later.” I got home without incident and put the precious hoard of 20s in my safe at home which is bolted to the floor.
I now feel a strange sense of satisfaction and can rest easily in the knowledge that I have at my disposal, when I need them, a copious quantity of small bills.
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