It was about an hour's walk... Well, given my current fitness level, I figured I could probably manage it, so I decided to go that way and hopped on the train for now.

For some people, this was the beginning of hell, lol.

This is the Cairo Metro!

That's pretty amazing, isn't it?

By the way,

The Cairo Metro (Cairo Subway) is,France and JapanIt appears to be under construction with their cooperation.

The History of the Cairo Metro's Construction

Phase 1 (Line 1; opened in 1987)
- French companies Matra, Alstom, Sofretu(A subsidiary of the French National Railway Company, SNCF), among others, is leading the effort.
- Construction proceeded with support (loans) from the French government.
- Vehicles and systems manufactured in France were introduced.
Phase 2 (Line 2; opened in 1996)
- France and Japan are collaborating.
- The Japanese Government (JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency) Construction proceeded with support from [...], and some of the rolling stock was supplied from Japan.
Phase 3 (Line 3; 2000s onward)
- French companies Alstom and Valmetra are involved.
- In recent years, China and South Korea ...is also participating.

Current Trends

Line 4 is A Joint Project Between Japan (JICA) and Egypt and proceeded as follows,Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kinki Sharyo ...and others supply the vehicles.
China and South Korea are also participating in some of the projects, and Egypt’s subway system is being expanded through multinational cooperation.

The Egyptian subway system has received significant support, particularly from France and Japan, and plays a key role in infrastructure development.

That's what they say, but even though Japanese people contribute this much, the rip-offs just don't seem to go away, lol.

Inside an Egyptian Subway Train

Well, that aside, even though it was called a subway, we ended up coming up above ground partway through.

The window shade was made of wood, lol.

And, as is often the case in developing countries, people suddenly burst into the car with a loud noise to sell stuff lol

This really feels like a hard sell, lol

Most people tend to look down...

As soon as they see you, they'll go all out to make a sale.

In a way, it's terrifying.

I told a young student, “I want to go here!” and after they gave me all sorts of advice, I got off at the station. (*)

And just take this bus!

"I was told that, so I got on that bus lol"

Eight of us—two, three, and three—crammed into what the Japanese call a "keivan" and zoomed off to our destination.

Well, I usually ride while checking my location on Google Maps, but I ended up heading in the exact opposite direction of my destination!

Since I'm already on it, I guess I just have to keep going like this...

Since there's no sign of it stopping.

So, after riding for 30 minutes and realizing I was heading in the exact opposite direction, I figured this was definitely a problem, so I got off at what looked like a random stop.

The driver looked a bit confused too, but since I had no idea what was going on, I just got off the bus, and—

Looking back on it now, maybe it was a bus going in a big loop??

From here, I’ll start by striking up a conversation with some young women, and

I told him I wanted to go to the nearest station (Metro) for now, and we headed in the same direction together.

The Egyptians aren't half bad, are they?

There are so many nice people!

So he's not just the type to rip people off, is he?

After all, the bad guys are just a tiny minority. In fact, if overcharging were part of the culture, it would be so commonplace that you couldn't even call it "bad" anymore.

Then, after hopping on and off buses here and there, I arrived at the station (*) two hours later lol

I spent about 60 yen and spent two hours going round and round all over the place (*) before finally arriving at the station—what a...

And to think it's still an hour's drive from that station...

I guess I just have to laugh, lol.

Then, I ask someone else for directions and get on the bus.

Taking the bus has become second nature to me now, and I hop on without a second thought.

I'm used to it.

I was tired from walking, so I took it easy and even took a little nap.

Gas Stations in Egypt

It’s kind of fun seeing them stop to fill up with gas along the way—something you don’t see on Japanese buses, right?

In the end, this bus took us as far as a spot about a 30-minute walk from the hotel.

Egypt: Shared Buses

But then the driver told everyone to get off.

It's my birthday today, so I'm throwing a party!!!

That's what they say.

There's something that looks like a cake on the passenger seat.

The other passengers and I were speechless lol

There were only two of us, but we were dropped off.

Since it’s actually a 30-minute walk, I figured, “Well, I guess I’ll just walk,” but it turned out to be farther than I expected.

And since I was feeling pretty tired, I figured, “First things first—I need to grab a bite!” That’s when this caught my eye.

A'eesh Baladi (عيش بلدي)

It smells delicious, lol

This is *A'eesh Baladi* (عيش بلدي)

Who is Aechi Baradi?

Egypt's Staple Food A type of bread that is widely eaten.
Thin, round bread made with whole wheat flour So, when you bake it, the inside becomes hollow and forms a pocket.
Pita Bread (Arabic Bread) It's similar to [...], but has a flavor unique to Egypt.
In the traditional method,Baked in a high-temperature stone oven or conventional oven...and a brown crust forms on the surface.

Apparently, it's a food called that.

Apparently, you eat it by dipping it in some kind of sauce or stuffing it with something, like a kebab.

I’ve been eating it just as it is, and it’s surprisingly chewy and delicious.

The unique flavor is kind of like a thinner version of Indian naan.

With that on my mind, I walked through downtown Cairo toward my hotel.

Egypt Tuk-Tuk

But in the end, I got tired of it and took a tuk-tuk in Egypt.

Even though the bus fare here is usually around 20 yen, I was charged 100 Egyptian pounds (about 300 yen).

Just ignore him, hand over 50 EP (Egyptian pounds), and head to the hotel.

Foreigners should definitely show their refusal and disgust toward Egyptian pushy salespeople and unreasonable demands, lol.

I'm starting to feel like the people who just brush it off are in the wrong.

It really makes you wonder what a "fair price" even is, doesn't it?

In the end, it took them over three hours to get back from the Egyptian Museum, even though the trip normally takes about 40 minutes (including traffic).

It was a pretty grueling time, but it also felt like the very essence of travel.

It was really exciting and fun lol

I guess this kind of thing would probably be pretty hard on people who don't like hearing it.

That worked out well for me.

Egyptian Koshari

We went to a koshari restaurant—a famous Egyptian dish?—next to the hotel for dinner.

It's basically just a lump of carbs—I stopped after eating half of it lol

Someone asked me, “Do you want to take it home?” but I figured I definitely didn’t need it, so I declined.

So, with all that, today is basically a day spent riding the bus back home.

The appeal of the Egyptian Museum just kind of faded away all at once, and all I'm left with is the memory of riding buses nonstop... lol

And since there were so many nice people in Egypt, I ended up thinking, “It might be a good country after all, even though it’s a bit of a hassle!!!!”

It’s amazing how a single good thing can completely change your impression of someone when you initially had a bad one.

See you later.

New! Enta's Slope Management Schoolis an information site dedicated to slope construction, by slope construction professionals, and for slope construction professionals.

Going on an Overseas Business Trip as a Slope Engineer: Part 17 (Extra Edition 5)

The History of the Cairo Metro's Construction

Current Trends

Who is Aechi Baradi?

Like this:

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Going on an Overseas Business Trip as a Slope Engineer: Part 17 (Extra Edition 5)

The History of the Cairo Metro's Construction

Current Trends

Who is Aechi Baradi?

Like this:

Leave a commentCancel reply

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