Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 15-18 August 2008
- Summarizing
Since I have 3 days left before departure, I decided to spend them according to my plan. Due to the heat people can’t function at all till the evening. Sometimes I watched Olympics, sometimes I read a book and sometimes I was writing this report. Around 19 I was usually going to dinner. I met there every evening people from our group and after the dinner we were going for a walk.
I wrote much of this text in the room during these 3 days because in those days of tough activities and visits I was for nothing but sleeping in the evening. I only wrote short reminders, in order to be able to group them into this text.
Egyptians live only by the banks of Nile, in Cairo and Luxor, those coastal communities by the Red Sea, and in those places where the temples are placed. People are very poor here, and the average salary is approx €40. For instance, one day in hospital here costs 1,000 USD. Mortality is big and average life-time is around 60 years. That poorness is the reason why all those traders by the temples are so aggressive pushing in your hands loads of crap.
However, these shop keepers in Hurghada are not much better. If you stop by any chance in front the shop window, you won’t get out from the shop unless you spend at least 50 USD inside. They’re real masters for that. They’re waiting in front of the hotels’ gates and on the street immediately attempting to pull you into their shop.
I talked with one guy, Coptic Christian, and he told me that he wouldn’t dare to marry a girl of Muslim religion because his “sisters” would beat her. It was strange to me because in my world people don’t care too much for that. Unlike Muslims, they may kiss the girl of their religion only in cheek, “like a sister”, he said, and that’s all. Being Christians, they can’t rule the country and be presidents, generals, ministers, elected representatives, etc, but they can be rich as much as they
want can. Coastal place El Gouna, which is positioned about 10 kilometres from Hurghada, and consists of many small islands connected with small bridges, is totally a property of one Egyptian Coptic Christian.
There are also two groups of Muslims. The first group contains conservative people whose wives and daughters wear veils on their faces, and the second group contains liberal people who live modern life and whose wives are emancipated and work. I also noticed that the girls in Egypt don’t sit on the motorcycles like our girls, riding, but they’re sitting somehow aside. I have no idea how they manage.
The bridges in Cairo in the evening are full of people sitting around tables, families, pairs
, etc, drinking tea or juice. Wherever you’re in Cairo, you can hardly cross the street. I’ve seen very interesting sights. Namely, you can see the tables by the streets where people sit, their cars parked right by them and the sheep beside the car. These sights are totally normal thing in Cairo. I noticed many old car models. There are old Ladas, Fiats, and even old Serbian Zastava 101. :lol:
As to the people, except annoying traders, others are very friendly and kind. Those that already met you always smile kindly and ask you how are you and do you need something. It is very important for them that you feel fine, and they will do anything that you feel like that.
I also noticed something in Cairo – their cats are so skinny, their heads are small and their ears are big (like gremlins), regardless of the colour of their hair. They sleep on the stairs of their masters’ shops and don’t give a damn for the river of people that flows around them. :lol:
The last day in Egypt has come. I left my room at 12 and brought my bag to my friends in room 257, who prolonged their stay till 20:00 because our departure was scheduled for 22:00. I went later to take some pics or videos in case that I forgot something.
Around 14:00 I came back to the hotel lobby where I spent almost 5 hours removing from one armchair to another, drinking coffee and water and listening to my player. Around 19:00 I went out to join our group on the hotel terrace where we were waiting for our bus. Bus collected us around 22:00, and drove us to the airport. After all those necessary procedures we were driven with bus to the plane, which was positioned right behind the bus. :lol: These are the rules. :shrug:
We left 10 minutes before the scheduled time because we were all in the plane. I hear the pilot telling us that we’ll fly about 3.5 hours, and the flight will be pleasant but with some turbulences above Mediterranean (which is usually the case in that area).
We landed in Belgrade around 01:30.
We’re getting out from the plane, collecting our bags and leaving airport building. Here we are, White Town (Belgrade). Taxi driver
thief said €20 for 10 km. :shrug: ‘Ajde!
Home, sweet home.