The first day in Cairo, Egypt started and finished with rip-offs.
You can't aviod those things completely during travel, but it's sad to have only bad imression of the city because of that.
The very moment we set a foot in Cario, the struggle started.
1.
Scam by a passer-by.
When we are trying to find a way to Tahrir in Cairo, somebody who dressed smart approached us and start talking.
He introduced himself as an academic and studied in the UK and attend conference regulary in the UK.
Felt at ease for a second so I asked him about the bus terminal for Nuweiba and to write the name in Arabic.
I was going to catch a taxi with it so that the driver knows where to take us, but he said it's going to open in an hour.
Sounded a bit strange
but he led Pete to a conveniently located, right around the corner, shop to give us his business card.
I didn't follow him in making excuses to take photo of the street, but he wasn't happy that I didn't accept his hospitality.
I waited outside hoping Pete and the girls would escape from the shop,
but by the time I went to get them, Pete was writing Ruby's name on a piece of paper and he(the guy) was going to write Ruby's name in Arabic on a papyrus. Though he was saying that it was a gift for Ruby, he did hesitate a bit 'cause I insisted that we couldn't take it because of luggage.
He was so unhappy that we were not going to accept the gift and he even said that it was his sister's wedding tomorrow.
we apolosized and left the place in haste.
It makes you think why he would see and act according to our response rather than just give the gift for Ruby if he so wanted it. And his supposedly sister who was going to be married tomorrow was working so hard at the shop.
There are so many scams happening in Caro especially perfumes and papyrus, so I wasn't prepared to be pushed around by those people. It's us who decide where and when to buy, not anybody else.
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