Alexandria
So i got off the train and decided to go to Alexandria. The old city founded by the romans. Buying a ticket at Cairo station is a pain in the ass. There is like 4 rooms with ticket windows where you can buy tickets, but only one window that does 2nd class to alexandria. And its all in Arabic. Wheres the words in Australian!
When buying the ticket i asked about trains to the dessert. Nope no train. So 100 percent sure i got my ticket to alexandria, only first class left. Also being the end of ramadan, i didnt want to get stuck in the dessert. Sat by a cement wall in the station and waited until information would know which platform i had to go to. As i sat there waiting. I girl walks up to me and asks if she can sit with me. As they always do! This girl was Pauline, french, turned out was also going to alexandria at the same time, same carriage. She wanted to sit with me because she didnt like the way the Egyptian men acted towards her when she was alone not because i am beautiful.
When catching a train in Egypt its impossible to know what wagon your on. I was embarrased when coming from Luxor as i walked up and down and the guys on the platform were just laughing at me. There is no numbers on the carriages so you just have to ask and they point thataway. Then you go to the next one and they point the opposite direction. Its very frustrating. On the way to Alexandria we had to walk all the way through the carriages to find the right one. 1st class as it turns out is worse than 2nd class. Its like a dollar more and just has seats made of old fabric instead of old leather.
I ended up stay at the same hotel as Pauline, next to the one I was going to get anyway. Good to have someone to hang out with again. Alexandria was double the price of Cairo but the people are what you pay for I think. The only plan i had for Alexandria was to find shoes before getting to expensive Europe. I failed.
We spent our days walking around the town, getting food and ice cream. I hit Baskin Robbins a couple of times. The people in Alexandria were definatley much better than the people in Cairo. Far less hassling, people coming up and helping when ordering food. Alexandria was easy compared to Cairo. Especially since Pauline could speak Arabic, changes everything. I didnt do anything, just sat back and let her do all the barganing.
2nd day there we went to a "Private Beach". Had to pay a few bucks to get into a tropical park then a few more bucks to get into the beach. Park was beautiful, it even had a oasis macdonalds hidden in the center. Perfect when Ramadans on. The beach however was dodgy. The water had a green ooze, im sure i have hepatitis now. A new disease to keep me on my toes.
The 3rd day was a day unlike what i will ever experience again. The end of Ramadan, the feast. We walked around down, everyone has food in their hands. There is kids everywhere, roaming the streets. Every single little kid walks past and goes "Hello!!!!, Whats your name!!!" They ride past on motorbikes which they are too young to be on and say the same. At first your like "Brett" over and over again. Then it just gets annoying. 72 times!!! in one day! Its like they learn to say that in school. Also there were all these teenage boys who must have never seen a white girl in the flesh before. It was off how they leered. At train stops just staring through the window. It must really suck sometimes to be a girl in Egypt. The men are absolute ars%holes sometimes. Not all, but a lot, and especially at the end of Ramandan.
Ramadan seemed to bring out the craziness in everyone. Boys and girls, kids were running around screaming, fighting. Maybe it was too much energy from food. It was like everyone was on Cocaine. Some kids rode past on a motorbike and shot at me with a pellet gun and some kids threw some rocks at us. Crazy!
We went to a fort Qaitbey and Colossemo sphinx column thing. Did a million jump shots. sme with locals and some with Pauline and got none right!
Pauline Burgoin, Burjon we would say back home, Burgrrrooiioioion they say in france. Stupid pronouciation!! Silly french people with their eating of frogs legs and frog leg transportation industries that dont provide jobs for english speakers who want to load frogs legs on trucks.
After smoking a couple of Sheshahs and having some teas we headed back to Cairo, shoeless.
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