So today I finally left Cairo for the Sinai Peninsula and just getting to the airport was an incredible adventure by itself. I bought my plane ticket yesterday afternoon to fly to Sharm El Sheik this morning at 5:30 am ... incredible that it only cost me $55 with less than 24 hours notice. This time I bought the ticket directly at an Air Egypt ticket agency, and this made me realize that I had been ROYALLY ripped off by the tavel agency when I bought my plane ticket to Luxor and back from Aswan.I arranged for a driver to pick me up at 4:00 am so that we could be at the airport at 4:20 am. After I checked out of the hotel I waited on the the streets exactly at 4:00 am, when it was 4:15 am and no driver yet, I started to panic... I guess it was my own fault for assuming that the driver would be punctual, my first clue should have been the day before when he was 15 minutes late in picking me up. I went back to the hotel desk where they called the driver for me and found out that he was just waking up and would be at the hotel in 5 minutes... yeah, right! Too bad for him because I had planed on giving him a very good tip that day since he was the only honest Egyptian I had come across this whole time.
As I panicked at the thought that I might miss my flight and be stuck in this horrible place for another day, I ran out to the street with my back pack and headed to the busiest street I could see, the fact that it was pitch dark outside with all kind of sketchy characters walking by didn't register in my mind anymore. I found a Taxi right away which offered to take me to the airport for 50 Egyptian pounds, a welcome change from the usual 80 pounds that I was always being charged. I told the driver to step on it, and sure enough, he drove through those streets like a bat out of hell, he even put on some techno music to complete the experience of being in a rush.. too funny now that I think about it. During the entire drive there I am thinking that I am going to have to take the 8 hour bus ride to Sharm El Sheik because no way in hell I was spending another minute in Cairo.
After a very tense drive for me, at 4:50 am we finally get to the airport, but because the cab driver doesn't have a permit to enter the airport he drops me off outside the official grounds of the airport terminal, which was only like 300 meters from the terminal but I still had to run. Once I run into the terminal I quickly find out that I had been dropped off at the WRONG terminal. I nearly had a heart attack then and there! I was told that I had to make it to terminal 1, which was like 7 km away. In a matter of seconds I arranged a cab ride to the other terminal from a very shady looking Egyptian waiting outside the terminal. He wanted 60 pounds for the short ride, we arranged 40 pounds, but I really was in no position to negotiate. With a racing heart and a dry mouth, I finally make it to the terminal 3 by 5:00, with the plane leaving at 5:30.... no way in hell I was making it through check in and security by then. I payed the driver 50 pounds at the end, grateful that I had made it there. I quickly go in and find myself in a small line up for security. As I am about to pass through the metal detector, the damn thing malfunctions and starts beeping like crazy. The police officer quickly unplugs it, gives it a couple of quick kicks, then lets it reset... not very reassuring for when it comes to security I thought. I finally pass through security, go to the check in counter, and incredibly am allowed to check in by 5:07 am... it was all very incredibly since I was expecting to be laughed at and told that there was no way I was making that plane. By 5:15 am I am making it to the waiting area as I hear them calling my name on the intercom. I was sweating, heart racing and with no breakfast but I was thankful to God that I was making it out of Cairo and would never in my life be back in this place. In true Egyptian form, at least another 20 people still showed up after me as the the plane waited for all the late comers... WOW!!!
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