The coldest bus trip...

Aswan, Egypt

 

After two weeks in Dahab, it was finally time to catch a bus to Cairo. That meant doing something that I had avoided almost the entire two weeks I was in Dahab; talk to the taxi drivers. You see, all the taxi drivers in Dahab hang out pretty much in one area along the boardwalk. Every time you walk past them, you get the "Taxi?" line. Sometimes they thrown in a few more words, but most times it's just "Taxi?". Of course, you keep walking because you really don't need a taxi to get anywhere in Dahab, except to the Hilton and to the bus station and when you've got your backpack with you, they know you need a taxi to the bus station.

 

So, the negotiations begin... It always starts with a ridiculously high number like 20 pounds to which you just laugh at. Normally you low ball back and ultimately end up somewhere in the middle of the two prices. But in the case of the bus station, much like with the Hilton, those that know, know it costs only 5 pounds. That's the price you should pay. The drivers want more, of course, but that's because others don't know that 5 pounds is the "correct" price. And for me, 5 pounds was all I was going to pay.

 

So we go back and forth, 20, 5, 20, 5, 15, 5, 15, 5, etc... The finally thing, and this happens everywhere in Egypt, is that the person you are bargaining with will always say something like this:

 

"Bus station? That's 20 pounds"

"No, it's 5 pounds"

"No no, 20 pounds"

"5 pounds"

"Ok, ok, no problem.... 15 pounds"

"Uh no ok, 5 pounds"

"Ok, fine, lets go.... 12 pounds"

 

They always throw in the "Ok, no problem" or "Ok, fine" then softly say another price. It's kind of funny really, but I (no longer) fall for it. After about a minute or two of going back and forth with this guy I finally get him down to 10, but he doesn't seem to think 5 is reasonable. Problem is, I've got one trump card in my pocket... There are about 10 other taxi drivers back at the boardwalk just waiting to take someone somewhere and I'm willing to bet one of them will do it for 5 pounds, much to the dismay of the other drivers. So, the quickest way to get someone to go from 10 pounds to 5 pounds is to say "Ok, no problem, I'll go with another driver for 5 pounds. Have a nice day." Then start walking to the other drivers. All of a sudden, the price is 6 pounds, then quickly 5 pounds as I get closer to the other drivers. Done, 5 pounds. Let's go...

 

You could tell this driver wasn't too happy because even on the ride over he kept pleading for another pound or two. I held firm at 5 pounds so he decided to drive past the bus station and go fill up with gas instead. Asshole. Luckily I wasn't in a hurry and it didn't really bother me, but you could tell he was taking his sweet time filling up and chatting with the attendants. Whatever, I got to the bus station for 5 pounds with plenty of time to spare for what would be the coldest bus ride I've ever been on...

 

In Turkey, I experienced some of the hottest bus rides ever. I was sweating, wearing just light pants and a t-shirt.The Turks where wearing coats and it was actually cold outside, but the bus heater was cranked and I felt like I was in a sauna. Now being in Egypt, and crossing the Sinai desert no less, I figured the bus ride would probably be just as hot, so I packed everything but a long sleeve shirt... Big mistake.

 

The first, there was no leg room whatsoever on this bus. It didn't help that I got a seat right behind the rear door, which means I had a wall in front of me thus restricting my legs to a 90 degree leg bend at best. But the real kicker was that I think the AC was on and the bus had a serious problem with drafts. This was arguably my first experience in dealing with the fact that deserts that are 20-30 degrees in the daytime can get down to freezing at night. I think everyone on the bus was freezing, it was ridiculous. For the first two hours, I used my shoulder bag as a makeshift "blanket", but that didn't help all that much. Finally we had our first rest stop and I was able to get into the luggage hold to get out all my winter gear, which helped but still the temperature was freezing on the bus. No idea why, but it stayed that way all the way to Cairo.

 

The bus trip is long and through the night, leaving Dahab around 10pm and arriving in Cairo around 6.30am. Sadly, the bus "station" that we got dropped off at wasn't the main bus station for Cairo, nor was it in my Lonely Planet, so I was sort of stuck with getting one of the taxis waiting out front. At that hour of the morning you don't have much choice so I just had him drive me downtown to the hotel I wanted to check out, ironically named the "Dahab Hotel".

 

I checked out the Dahab Hotel then just felt it necessary to check out one other place nearby, the "Canadian Hostel". I mean, if you're in Cairo on a Canadian passport, it just seems like you should at least give the Canadian Hostel a chance. Of course they have a huge flag hanging at the reception, but their prices were too high for me so I returned to the Dahab Hotel and checked in there. It's a classic travelers place to stay, occupying the roof of a 6 floor building. It's kind of a cool layout with the rooms around the perimeter of the roof and an open courtyard in the middle setup with chairs and tables. It's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city below, which I would learn to embrace over the next week...

 

Kenny