Curious in the Middle East - Summer 2008

Friends in Istanbul

19:24

The 9 days in Istanbul gave me new friends. They all worked in various stores near the hotel on the same street. I especially got along with one of them who helped me a lot with many things during my stay there. He showed me many beautiful places. He even came to the airport to say good-bye.

On the Plane

19:24

I made new friends on the plane. The man sitting next to me was a security guard for EgyptAir. We spoke in Arabic. When I said I was visiting my Egyptian family in Shobra (a very unusual place for foreign tourists to visit), he called his co-workers from Shobra and we all sat together. Then a flight attendent came and joined the conversation standing there.

It was funny to see these three workers asking me about my experiences in Shobra. They all spoke very good English, so if I got stuck speaking Arabic, we could all switch to English. One of them works at the airport today, so he said he'd find me there before I leave.

Cairo airport is a little different from other airports that I know. It's a bit like the airport in Guatemala City. You can't get to the gates until 30 minutes before the departure time. So I always go upstairs and sit in the waiting area, but Hany can't come there because it's located after the inspection point. I end up sitting there all alone and I'm always bored, so it'll be nice to have someone to talk to if this worker can join me.

Back in Egypt

19:24

I'm back in Egypt now. Although I miss my new friends and many things in Turkey, I'm very happy to be back in Egypt to see my Egyptian family again!!!

I will return to the airport in a few hours. Yesterday afternoon, Hany came to pick me up at the airport with his friend. It was wonderful to see a friendly face in the crowd!

Flying to Tokyo

19:24

I'll be flying to Tokyo after 5 hours or so. I need to pack now. It's a long flight and I'm not necessarily looking forward to it. Phew! I'll write again from Japan.