[Egypt] From Kenya to Egypt

Leaving Kenya
Some serious catching up to do with this blog. So on the 26th, I officially left Kenya and left for Egypt. Brian offered to get a taxi for me..but I refused because I knew taxi charges foreigners 30 times more (seriouslly) than Kenyans. On the first day I paid 3000ksh, which is ridiculous now to think about it. I took the bus to the airport. 100ksh and COMPLETELY fine.

But overall, my experience in Kenya is something very close to perfection. The people especially. I also like the fact that unlike India, people are very much involved in politics. By that I don't mean that each person makes an influence on the government's agenda (which they should..), but everyday I see people on the streets and cafes reading the newspaper and talking about the coming up by-election. There's tension on the street when something big appears on that day's front page. I've never seen so many newspaper stands and "newspaper boys" selling daily papers and magazines. Papers that they sell, also, are mostly domestic or within AU scope. Rarely are international issues appear on the front page headline, which is the case in many other countries (in California, for instance). This simply shows how much national pride Kenyans have and eagerness to drive their country forward. Not like they don't pay attention to global disputes, but they make sure that the status quo economical/political position of their own country is robust. I think other countries (for instance Japan, where generations of all levels are becoming more indifferent towards politics) have alot to learn from this.

[Egypt] Airport and the plane ride
Every part of it I enjoy. The plane. The airport. The waiting lounge. The food. The magazine stand. The ride to the airport. The lining up for immigration. The moment you receive a visa. The airplane wine. The coffee. The list can go on forever...I should really consider working at an airport.

[Egypt] Tahem and the Nori-guy
This post is pretty important..well important enough that it changed my entire Egypt trip. So, my flight to Egypt had a connection at Sudan. 3 hours from Kenya to Sudan, and another 3 from Sudan to Egypt. On the first flight to Sudan, I was sitting next to a man named Hatem (there was an open seat between us so technically, he was 2 seats away). From Sudan to Cairo, a man sat between us. His name was Nori. So here's an episode I'll never forget...

Hatem
Mr. Hatem is probably in his early 50's. Tall, bald, Egyptian man, who was in Mombasa, Kenya for a business trip. We started chatting during the first meal on the plane after leaving Nairobi. Turns out to a really nice guy. He runs his own trading business, handling timber with China, and other commodities such as sugar with Kenya. Talking a bit about his business, I later found out that due to the earthquake crisis in Japan, there's a growing demand in his timber business, and he's considering expanding his exports to Japan. So with that connection (me being Japanese and him exporting timer..) we ended up chatting for about an hour about random topics, including about his family. So that's Hatem, but before getting further into that part, I'll introduce "the Nori".

"the Nori"
So while waiting in Sudan for 45 minutes, people flying Sudan-Cairo started to fill up the plane. Hatem is 8D, I'm 8F, and the new comer in 8E, was of course, "the Nori". Serious, his name is Nori. He's an Egyptian. A bit older than Hatem, probably close to 60. For the first while on the plane we didn't talk at all, but that all ended when "the Nori" finished his white wine and started moving on to the red. It was normal at first. "Where you from?" "What's your name". Then the alcohol started kicking in and plus the airplane movement that prbly increased the alcohol circulation..cus after that for over 2 hours, he talked all about himself and made me do sudoku for over an hour.

"I'm THE Nori from Nori.com" "This is so exciting for you, you met the Nori" is all he kept saying throughout the ride. First of all, who the f are you really, and second, I've never seen, looked up, or cared about the website nori.com. For him, though, it's what keeps the universe going because supposedly all the Japanese seaweed companies (I guess Yamamotoyama, for example) are just waiting for him to agree on a price to sell the website name. I mean I guess it is pretty cool that he made a website that seaweed companies are offering thousands of dollars for, but in the end, you're still just an old man. If I made a website called www.CheeseSocks.com and
50 years down the road someone invents socks made of cheese, then I'll be as "great" as him (probably even more with "cheesesocks"). So yeh, that's that one part of him. After that, he said he has an IQ higher than anyone he knows, and made me do a test. The test was sudoku. Basically he made me do sudoku for of an hour on the plane. And he made me do a "difficult" level one. I felt nervous doing it because it was almost my first time in my life and he was just...staring at the chart (which was on my lap so it feft like he was staring at my crotch). But yeh whatever..he was just a weird guy and he said he liked how I think (I guess how I solve sudoku) so he gave me a business card and told me to email him. Not happening. But with all that confidence, I'm guessing he's someone with really high income/authority.

Back to Hatem
So while all that was happening with the Nori, Hatem was pretty much worried about me and kept looking over once in a while to see if I needed major help (which I kinda did..). After all that and getting off the plane, I was going to go to the city and find a hostel. In India and Kenya I had someone's place to stay, but Egypt was my first for looking for a hostel. Anyway, I was in immigration waiting to get my visa when Hatem came from behind and..pretty much offered to stay at his house. SERIOUS? I almost said yes instantly, but I managed to think if I could trust the guy. Considering that he showed me every single family photo on his computer I figured that it's easier to trust a "family man". Considering his job explanation he is fairly success and wouldn't face a huge financial burden by hosting a guest (by prediction). So for these two reasons, I happily accepted the offer.

The Family
Good thing I listened to Hatem describe his family members, because I was now going to meet them. Ahmed, his oldest whose the same age as me, was already at the airport to pick him (now us) up. We then headed to their home and when we got there I realized that my guess was right. The Hussein family (Hatem's family name) was definitely not poor.

I met the family, who turns out to be the most welcoming people. Inside they probably don't know who the heck I was and why their father brought him home, but, they were still nice about it. Hatem's wife, Saliin, made us dinner so we enjoyed it..at 11:45pm.

I'm just going to say this upfront but this famaily..makes me eat so much that I gained at least 5 lbs in 4 days. Litterally. I forgot how it feels like to be hungry.