Goodbye Cairo and the Husseins
So time in Egypt was…unexpected. It all started the moment I left Kenya when I sat next to Mr. Hatem Hassein. From page 1 to the last, from the introduction to the conclusion of Egypt, the Hussein family was there with me. Hell, in my book, they dominate the front cover. They made sure my time in Egypt went smoothly and that I was safe and comfortable. They fed me 16 meals. They put a roof over my head. They gave everything I needed and more. The daily chai. The laundry. The shower. The “Egytptian Hospitality” (as they call it). I arrived empty handed, and departed with warm but heartrending farewells.
Even after marking the period point to my Egyptian experience, they didn’t forget to decorate the back cover with their Egyptian Hospitality colors. Ahmed and Hussein, the older two of the four brothers, offered to take me to the airport. Actually it was more like an order, because if it was an offer they would accept a “no” for an answer (which they didn’t). Feeling bad once again but at the same time giving up refusing an offer to this family, I accepted the “offer” and we headed for the airport. They refused letting me go to the airport alone. They didn’t allow me to contribute for the gas. They didn’t take the Egyptian pound that I had left over which I no longer had use for. They refused dropping me off on the sidewalk. They refused my attempt to pay for parking. So I did the least I can do. Bought 3 Cokes at the gas station. Embarrassed to know that that's the most I can do for them desperately made me want to hide in the trunk of the car.
Arriving at Cairo International Airport and saying our farewells, it felt like walking away from brothers that I never had. I may be exaggerating, but we did eat, sleep, and spend every moment together for over a week. Amazing how two people can make this connection in such short time despite language barriers. Perhaps barriers can be overcome by mutual respect.
Sit down Italians
The ride to Rome was about 4 hours long. Felt like nothing compared to other plane and bus rides in the past. Looking back, the 11 hour ride to Japan isn’t even that bad.
The ride was quite interesting for two reasons. For one, I spent almost half the time talking to the man next to me, Tag. He’s from Cairo and was flying to Rome to make a connection to go to Brazil for a business trip. A really nice guy and now I have one more person I know for the next time I go to Egypt (if I do). His job is also interesting. He works as an executive for Save the Children which is a globally active and recognized organization that uses their network to establish projects in needing countries. Which explains why he was flying to Salvador.
Another thing about the ride were the people. Flying to Rome, passengers were mostly Italians. I only knew few Italians in my life, or at least I’ve never seen more than several of them together. So I was clueless about behaviors and other social aspects of Italians…until now. I’ve never seen a plane ride like this. It was more like a speed dating event. People were constantly talking, usually to people they don’t even know, half of them were standing up and walking around, and most of them were drinking wine. They don’t care is the CA is serving food, they don’t care if people are trying to get to the restroom, they don’t care is people are trying to sleep, they just….don’t care.
The food was also Italian?
Close eyes, close eyes
From the airport, I took a shuttle to the main train station in Rome. I meant to purchase a train to get there, but the guy at the counter insisted I purchase a shuttle ticket because it’s the same price and there’s just one seat open. So before I even agreed on it, he took my money and I was directed to where the shuttle was waiting. Shuttle was definitely the better choice (even though I don’t know how the train is). Felt like an audience of a film introducing the night in Rome. The half an hour ride turned out to be a short tour of Rome (I even saw the Colloseum, which lights up at night time). It was even better because I was in the passenger seat of a Mercedes Benz (rest of the passengers were sitting in the back, which was separated by a wall). So yes, a private tour in Rome in a Mercedes is (probably) better than the train ride.
At the same time I didn’t want to see all of Rome on the first day, when I’m exhausted from the trip and I don’t know anything about what I’m seeing. So when passing by the Colloseum and other monuments, half of me wanted to look away and close my eyes..
So, Rome
Again, I’m afraid that everything is going too well. Backpacking HAS to involve failures and misfortunes. It’s a pre-rec. A must. The biggest hardship I’ve faced so far is…getting mad diarhhea in Egypt and having to stand by the restroom on the overnight train. Even that wasn’t too bad because the toilet was actually cleaner than my seat.
So anyway, Lin let me stay at her place while in Rome. Getting to her house without the help from internet and a phone is another experience that proves the undying luck. With instructions given via facebook messaging, and thanks to her specific instructions (such as looking for “bunch of trees”), I was able to reach her home from the airport, taking approximately 2.5 hours. So with much thanks to her, I was able to settle in, in the great historical city, Rome. (Mucho grazie, Lin!)
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