Ugh, I hate the first day in a new country

New country, new language, new alphabet.  Next holiday I'm gonna limit the number of languages I need to grapple with.  The flight out of Istanbul was delayed as we hung out on the tarmac for an hour waiting for the traffic jam to clear.  I was just thankful that I was on the plane because when I checked in they told me that I didn't have a booking.  It was only when I produced the paperwork that they found me a seat - a nice aisle seat in the exit row so I guess I can't complain.

As I was making my way towards the baggage claim, a man asked me if I needed a taxi and said he was authorised by the government to help me.  That sounded like a load of bollocks to me, but I did need a taxi and the price he quoted sounded about right.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a real taxi - just some guy with a car who took me to the wrong hotel and then spent the next half hour asking someone every 100 metres where my hotel was.  But who knows if a 'real' taxi would have been any better.

Between the late flight and the trouble getting to the hotel, I missed the welcome meeting and they've all gone out without me.  Probably just as well as I'm grumpy and sitting here sipping my wine and looking at the night view of Cairo from the top of the hotel is exactly what I feel like doing.  I'll be up for cheerfully meeting new people and making small talk tomorrow.  My roommate for this trip is someone called Anita.  She went out and took the key to the room out with her so is not doing well in the the best roommate stakes so far. 

I've seen very little of Cairo so far.  The somewhat convoluted trip from the airport and the view from the hotel.  Living in NZ, you forget that much of the world lives in apartment blocks - and not the kind with a killer view.  I found myself thinking of the wise man who built his house upon the rock in the taxi.  It's funny how you don't question the ridiculous ideas you form in childhood until fully confronted with evidence to the the contrary.  I'd always figured that any fool would know not to build his house on the beach where all the sand is and that the wise man wasn't really all that wise.  But we're a long way from the beach in Cairo and there's still a shitload of sand about.  Not many rocks thought so I'm guessing the wiseman was also quite rich.

There's been a bit of unrest here recently - something about a film - so I'm quite pleased that I arrived on a Saturday.  Apparently, Friday is the day when most protest and riots happen as this is the muslim equivalent of Sunday.  I'm getting used to seeing men with big guns just standing around.  Anyway, I think the taxis are a bigger risk.  Last time I was in a beeping country, the taxi driver had an accident.  This is worse.  In South America they beeped before running a stop sign or going round a corner.  Here, it's pretty much constant.  I take from this that no-one uses rear vision or checks their blindspot before moving.  It's a bit disconcerting, but for the most part, the traffic is going to slow for any major damage.

Dinner eaten - check (vegetable lasagne, but I couldn't see anything egyptian on the menu)
Wine drunk - check
View admired - check.
Eavesdropped on neighbouring table talking about Peter Jackson's accent -check.

Must be bedtime.  Now I just have to find someone to open my room.  Sigh.

(PS - on the plus side, I just had very nice meal and a very average glass of wine for the equivalent of NZD10 - including tip.)