Friday noon-time prayers are the most important of all the week's in Islam. What better way to experience them than over the P.A. system in your bus from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheik? While at a military checkpoint?

The Sinai peninsula and Suez canal are considered strategic assets to Egypt. As a result, the seven hour bus ride traversing these included at least 5 such military checkpoints. It is Egypt's way of displaying sovereignty over the region, maintaining order during its official State of Emergency (now entering its 26 year), as well as combatting terrorism. Though the checks were smooth and soon started to feel routine, they acted as reminders that I'm definitely not in Canada anymore.

The roadsides down the Sinai are mostly barren but for sand, piles of trash, and sand. Though in one particular stretch you could see tanker ships slowly gliding over the dunes... away in the just distinguishable Suez.

The crafty one had the timing of the restaurant door down just right. She slipped in, and scanned the room to see if any of the patrons seemed overtly generous. Finding no obvious mark, she slinked around a bit before joining a large Egyptian family at their table. After stretching out in a downward dog across two chairs, she chose one and settled in.

The family payed no notice. In the meantime, my dinner arrived. Aside from the very fresh grilled fish and Calamari (Sharm being a seaside town, after all), the spicy salad dressing and hummus were particularly pleasant surprises.

By the time I had sampled each of my dishes, she had left once (after being cordially asked by the waiter) but snuck back in. This time she decided to join me under my table. Her presence barely noticeable but for the wobbling of one of the chairs every once in a while...

As far as vermin goes, Egypt made an interesting choice; with cats, that is. If you've ever seen sculptures or paintings of those ancient egyptian felines, the explanation for their slender physique must be the fact that they are all strays!

"Where you from?" asked the slightly irritated, though obviously intrigued metro ticket agent. Irritated because I was using a 10EP note to buy 2EP worth of metro tickets (anything smaller than 5EP is in notoriously short supply). On the other hand, as he collected change from other paying customers, he could pursue his intrigue... namely me, the guy who could not possibly be sticking out of this crowd more.

"Canada," I replied. This illicited a big smile. Apparently, he's heard of us.

"What of people? Egyptian?," his English apparently not as sharp as his knowledge of Canada.

I tried to process what exactly he was asking. "What of people? Egyptian?," he insisted.

I took a stab at what he meant. "We like them very much." He had a hearty laugh at this. I had obviously missed the point, but my change was ready, so I was free to go anyway.

Some initial observations from my first hour in Cairo:

And I thought lane markings were mere suggestions in Paris. If Parisians want to know how North Americans must feel when they drive in their "belle ville", they should try to drive in Cairo. North Americans should under no circumstances try to drive in Cairo.

A sampling of the ecclectic dashboard collection of the van driver who took me from the airport to my hotel: the kitschiest possible mini-pyramids and sphinx set (still enveloped in the original shrink-wrap, presumably to forestall the erosion that has eluded the originals for some 5000 years), a well-weathered and sun-beaten Qu'ran, and a bright red Kleenex box emblazoned with the slogan "Happy Valentine" and with a little cupid figure obviously not observing the rules of conservative dress outlined in the book to his left...