Funkengroovin - The White Chickens in Giza

After the Obama speech, we found all roads led to nowhere - well, nowhere we needed to be. (Thank goodness we took a map of Cairo. VB recommends Cairo, The Practical Guide, Maps, as it has the best map of Maadi, as well. Most maps ignore Maadi.) There was only one road available to pedestrians, and so many of us ended up there. The Boss Man and VB finally got to Bahi al-Din Barakat, where we found all the VW Buses in the video below. We turned onto al-Haram, as The Boss Man thought we could walk over 'Abbas Bridge to meet our driver on The Nile Corniche. At that point with major exhaustion setting in, jet lag, and in 95 degrees heat (at least - that's what VB's thermometer, back at the apartment in the shade, read), VB said, "no f-ing way."

All they had that morning was coffee. VB watched as the guards at the Obama speech threw bottles of water into trash cans. Water was not available for sale. If you wanted to go to the bathroom, you'd end back up at square one, bickering with the guards and auditorium personnel in order to get readmitted. So, most of us were left parched, and bloated.

It's A Small World:

The Boss Man then tried to get a cab to take us over to The Nile Corniche. The driver said he was waiting on his fare, who was in the pastry shop. He suggested we go up a bit further to see if we could hail a cab. As we were walking, the driver and his fare stopped. After a few questions, she agreed to take us over to The Corniche. While we were in the car, discussing Obama, she said, "I am an American too."

VB thought this woman looked familiar. So, VB asks, "Where in the States?"

The woman says, "California."

VB asks, "Were you in Alexandria last October?"

The woman: "yes."

VB: "We met you at the Alexandria train station. You helped us find the platform for the train back to Cairo." (At which time we had a few short conversations, and she said she lived in California.)

The woman: "Yes, I remember!"

The Boss Man: "It's a small world, who would think we could meet like this twice!"

The woman: "Yes, indeed, it is a very small world." We were all laughing.

At that point our ride was up, and The Boss Man paid enough to the cab driver, to take care of about ten other fares. VB & The Boss Man could not believe it! Cairo is a city of close to 8 million people, and for us to find this kind-hearted woman twice is pretty unbelievable.

From answers,yahoo.com: ""It's a Small World" originated with the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair - it was Pepsi's pavilion. After the fair closed, the ride was transferred to Disneyland and officially opened in 1966. Disney had songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman write the ride's soundtrack "It's a Small World (After all). The ride was intended to promote world peace and showcase the different cultures of the world. There is no reference to any Disney character having said it. "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it." was said by US comedian and actor Steven Wright."

As promised, a slide show of the rest of our trek.
The White Chickens in Giza
Music: La Donna e Mobile ("Woman is Fickle"), by Verdi, from the opera Rigoletto.




(Below) Where we agreed to meet our driver along The Nile Corniche: