Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
So I am now in Cairo - the screeching of the cats outside my hostel window tells me this, as does the chaotic weaving of cars and taxis in the journey from the airport. The atmosphere of the city is further proof, hot and a little humid - yet with a faint and not unpleasant aroma in the air. But what do I find most alien, the biggest challenge to overcome? The language - or more specifically, the written language.
Everywhere else in the world I have travelled has used a language based on English - so even when I did not understand the word I could usually work out what something on a menu or street sign was. Not here - there is absolutely no chance of me reading a single Arabic word.... even when it is written down for me.
My first night I arrive hungry and go looking for a meal, armed with a recommendation from the local hostel staff. I arrive at the "restaurant", already slightly dubious about the quality of the food (given what I can see of the kitchen). There is no English menu and my attempts to speak English with the staff is a complete failure. After about ten minutes of trying to decipher the menu I decide not to risk the order, and head back to a McDonald's I passed on the way. I order a large fries and resolve that this will be the last time I order from a Western fast food outlet for the next 2 months.
- comments