Jumping off the Island

Well, I'm heading to the land of Pharaohs, Cleocaptra, and... WiMAX ??? My company is sending me off to a conference in Cairo from Monday to Wednesday. I'm taking the opportunity to spend an all-to-short 3 extra days in Cairo, where I'll check out the National Museum and make a trip out to Giza to see the Pyramids. I wish I could go for longer, but I'll wait until my post-MBA world tour.

This past week was a return to the dusty atmosphere. One of the guys at work gave me an explanation for all the dust in the air that seems reasonable enough. I guess it usually rains in Saudi Arabia an average of 3 days per year, in the winter. The rain helps to pack the sand a little bit. This year, it didn't rain at all which leads to more sand to blow across the sea and into my mouth, hair and clothes. Case in point, a couple of vehicles in from town from Saudi. That is not rust. It's sand. Glorious sand. (click on the pics. i think you get to see a clearer picture):




I finally found a liquor store. At first, I was a bit apprehensive on going in. There was no signage, except for a one sign on the door:



Pretty crazy. Now I have no problem with religious values, but it is just a completely foreign concept to have the state enforce these religious rules for the majority of the population while it caters to the infidels. But I guess foreign concepts abound in a foreign land. At least I have cold beer in my fridge. I'm happy.

Here's a couple more pictures that just seemed interesting to me. One goes to show how McD's customizes its menu to the local community. I tried the McArabia and it tasted exactly like a McChicken. The other, well, it was taken at the mall (where else?).




That's it for now. I've got a flying carpet to Egypt tomorrow evening and will be back in a week.