Check this out... This is a huge store, well known as a good site for tourists (at is to say that the things sold are made by Egyptians and priced fairly), and given the time of day I was there, there should have been scores and scores of people there. I cant tell you how obvious the decline in tourism is.
"What has broken my heart is that I can't go the Egyptian Museum tomorrow. Ahmed thinks it is just too dangerous because of the police, not the protesters, and the tear gas. So I'm shelling out the big bucks to be toured around tomorrow "
ReplyDeletewhat should grab your eye is "shelling out the big bucks to be toured around tomorrow" That guy is taking you for a ride like in the place where you were shook down. If you were a 20 year old university student you would have been at the Cairo Museum. But they knew they could get $300 for 4 hours of touring so, hey, tell him it's too dangerous.
Just a thought, it may be truly bad, but I bet they wanted to make a buck off you and used the situation to not take you to the Cairo museum.
Hey, let's be realistic here - Chris is NOT a 20 year old university student, and Cairo is in the middle of a historic and terrifying meltdown right now. Yes, a healthy dose of cynicism and skepticism is a good thing to have when you're a tourist, but still, it's better to err on the side of caution - the most important thing is to be safe.
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