(Lesley) I gather that if you have been reading our blog on a regular basis you have figured out that we are quite careful not to waste money and pay extra for things. We are careful with our money so that we can continue to travel for a full year and not run out of money and have to head home early. Well, I have a funny story; an anomaly.
In the Cairo airport we found ourselves with three hundred extra LE.(about $60 CAD) We decided to live it up and spend it, but of course airport prices being what they are (super inflated) it felt really weird. We bought some tea, a coffee, and a brownie then decided to treat ourselves to Cinnabun cinnamon buns and the 4 pack was only just a little more money than buying 2. We sat and ate the buns and drank the drinks making total fun of ourselves and our gorging. We couldn't manage to spend all our money (although I did really want to buy the big snickers tart. I couldn't do it, having already gone well beyond the others in following up my brownie and cinnamon bun with an ice cream cone. I actually think I could have eaten the tart as well, but I'm sure my belly and my arteries would not have thanked me.) We spent some more money on Halls lozenges for the plane ride, some gum and eventually relented and went off to the currency exchange where we changed the rest of our LE into 25 Euros. Good thing too, because we were in for a real shock when we arrived in Athens and found our metro tickets into town cost us 22 Euros. In Egypt or India, 22 Euros would have lasted us at least 2 days! We will have to get used to European prices or we will all starve (and get really fit too, if we walk everywhere).
Our experience in the Cairo airport reminded us of the Delhi airport, where we spend our extra cash on books. We bought three new books in Delhi. These we have enjoyed and most have been traded on now. John is finishing the last one. In Delhi, the price differences between stuff inside and outside the airport was just too great for us to enjoy spending on food or snacks, although John did buy a coffee for 120 Rupees. 20 was the maximum he had ever paid for a coffee in India, and 10 was more usual. But we usually drank tea chai for 5 Rupees. Airports are always a little bit of fun because they are so different from our usual on the road routines.
Interesting blog Lesley and good that you have had so many positive experiences in Egypt and met helpful locals as well. Hope you don't starve back in Europe! Perhaps you will bump into Peter & Angie in Rhodes and Terry in Turkey!
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