Jen Blum drove us to the train station and that was the most relaxing part of our day. It was definitely a day to test our patience. Once we were in Milan we found our check-in stand along with an abundance of Egyptians who had about 4 bags per person, including stereos, air conditioners, and children bikes. Besides the luggage there were about 2 men to every four women and eight children. Allyson and I maneuvered through the people and what we thought was going to be the shortest line. It wasn't. About 20 minutes later and with everyone else and their bags gone we got a little closer but not much.
Once we checked in we went to McDonalds and the same thing happened again. We choose the wrong line and waited forever. We didn't know that this was going to be the case throughout the entire trip.
The plane ride was comical. No one ever sat in their seat. The children were running up and down the aisles throughout the entire flight and I believe that everyone on the flight was friends. There was constant conversation and wandering. The most shocking was the spontaneous clapping when we landed celebrating almost as if it was a victory. And then when we landed and the plane was still taxiing to the gate, many passengers jumped up and began to unload all their belongings. Then as the gate opened one man pushed his way from the back to us where he was stopped by three men who were in just as much of a hurry.
At the airport we successfully found our guy who got us through customs and got our visas. At the baggage claim he handed us off to another man who helped us push and paw our way to the belt. Again we had to wait. Alyson's bag didn't come for a long time. But it allowed us to stand and watch people push and then get hit by bags falling off the belt because they had been propped up against other bags.
When we got outside we were handed off once again to Ramez our guide for Cairo. He is a very nice guy who is very energetic and wants to share everything about Cairo's history. Allyson and I listened very carefully trying to grasp as much history as possible as our van sped through traffic constantly flashing brights at cars driving in the middle of the two lanes. Lane lines are merely a suggestion but not a rule.
Our hotel is the Cataract Resort. Ramex checked us in and got us taken to our room. The first thing we noticed was a can of Raid for flying insects on the vanity, but other then that the room wasn't all that bad. Our wake up call was for 6 am the next morning. We didn't do much else but sleep.
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