Tortuous road to now but (now) nice being back on Bombay's familiar streets, in unchanged and unhip internet cafe tucked behind STD booths. Neither coffee nor techno nor dudes mixing.
More to follow about India but now a nap and beer more pressing. About 30 hours of traveling - left Athens Rio Hotel at 9:30 yesterday morning and arrived here middle of afternoon. Trip broken by a scary stop-over in Cairo - airport and country feels pricklier than I'd remembered from late 80's visit. Cairo Airport bristled with tall armed soldiers and road out dotted with same. I couldn't get them to lighten up, to crack a smile. In India (I'm now reminded) smile + head wiggle is a charm...
Egyptian Air - which dumped me at the airport 12 hours before my connecting flight to Bombay, offered the deceptively generous choice of a tour of the Pyramids! with English speaking guide? and free dinner including water and dessert!, or a stay at the local hotel. Though the latter frankly appealed far more, I took the touristic-high road (what would mom do?) and plunged into the sightseeing - so full of promise but so obviously flawed. So did 2 traveling Greek ladies and a mother and daughter en route from Greece to their home in Addis.
Egyptian Air had unwittingly gathered a punchy bunch ladies in that mini-van - not a fool amongst us. The trip's "charm" was snuffed promptly as we pulled up to the darkened silhouettes of the pyramids. With a gate between us, them. We were herded out, positioned in front of a gate(100 me. from the silhouettes themselves), and given a rapid-fire pitch on Tut's vital dates, and then herded back into the van for the real point of the trip - shopping barely masquerading as educational introductions to Egypt's ancient arts. First the "Perfume Museum" - where our not buying disgusted the unctuous owner so much he retreated to the backroom not to return for our departure, then to the "Pyramids Papyrus Museum" where our skepticism etched still darker furrows on our guide's forehead. We did get food, and a dessert (beers extra) and hugged as we split off for flights.
Outskirts of Cairo dreary brown, traffic mad, women 99% covered (how long have they been?) and airport security (when I returned) unhappily disconcerted by a single woman traveling (groups and more groups being shuffled to and fro - sites to shops to the roadside diners and now the airport). Couldn't imagine a reason they might bar me from my connection but worried until I was seated.
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