First Steps and Encounters

In the morning at the reception, I had a nice conversation. The young man comes from Hurghada by the Red Sea and recommended Marsa Alam for snorkeling, and that's exactly where I want to go for my birthday 🙂 there are supposed to be manatees, and he also mentioned a lot of dolphins.

He also talked to me about sports, likes German football clubs, and I told him about basketball. He knows a bit about the NBA. Shortly after, he invited me to play basketball online with him... This morning, I preferred to go to the street and to the Nile.

On the street, after a while, a man accompanied me to the other side. They go in stages, then stand in the imaginary first, second, and third lines. I’ve gotten pretty good at that now.

He really wanted me to go to a shopping mall before I walked to the Nile, but I wanted to go to the Nile. He actually told me that traffic is much lighter in an hour. I really can't confirm that; I didn't notice any difference.

Soon after, I was approached by another man. He said that over there, one could walk to the Nile much more beautifully, and I walked along with him. After a while, he mentioned he was an artist, and suddenly we found ourselves in front of his gallery, or maybe it was his brother's. I was shown papyrus items. At first, he wanted to give me one as a gift, then my name was written on it. Then I was to say which one I liked, and then perhaps I should buy one, and whether I have a boyfriend. I thought it was better to say yes... but I could still have a second one. And whether I want to start a family or just have fun. I ended up leaving relatively soon without taking the pictures, as they definitely wanted some money for them.

Not 5 minutes later, I was approached again, and the Lucky Bazar was recommended to me. There, I can buy a lot: clothes, fruit, and the prices are not higher for tourists. It turned out to be a single store where they had these papyrus pieces but also perfume and oils and stone items. Unlike the previous store, I found the man very likable. I bought something and really hope I wasn't duped... I’ll find out over time. He warned me that more people would come to me now, and that was indeed the case. Do I know where I am and what I bought...

When I met the next man, I thought enough was enough. I wanted to explore in peace now. I had no desire to be constantly taken to shops, and the conversations are only so enjoyable. Afterwards, I actually had my peace. My gaze was also less open, and I treated myself to a really delicious halloumi salad in a fancy cafe.

In the evening, I went out again since I hadn’t found the currency exchange and indeed the exchange rate was worse than at the airport. On the way back, I surprised myself by getting somewhat lost. I don’t have an Egyptian SIM card yet, but Maps Me works even without it, so it was easier to return to the hostel. In the evening, there were definitely more people on the streets, and I should sniff a lot of perfumes and receive business cards. But the other passersby did as well. Again and again, I received a welcome to Egypt without anyone trying to sell me anything, and that made me very happy.