Tourist_28th June, 2007

tourist

there is the cliche of the tourist who goes to a foreign land only to sit in their hotel and not experience the REAL culture. they order room service, mingle at the hotel bar, experience the gift shops and only leave their westernized comforts with the safety of a tour bus. i have always prided myself on being the opposite, yet now, i sit in my hotel room in cairo, egypt immobilized.

i arrived yesterday at 2 pm and after countless, painful hours at the airport upon arrival, i got to the hotel room and did nothing. i needed sleep, recouperation and reflection. i ordereed room service. i woke this morning for my complimentary breakfast, worked out, showered and now, here i sit. here, is my dream, outside these walls, under my feet and almost in the palm of my hands and i sit. my arabic is less than poor...and it seems so crucial that these people dont dislike me.

pyramids of worry stack in my head and come to this point...flashback... stories of hospitals in florence, italy. they are specifically for tourists who temporarily lose their mind when they come face to face with the source of their passion. whether it be venus in her shell or touching the hand of god. these people sometimes imagine that the works of art have come alive to attack them or save them. from there, they are taken to the hospital where they wait out their days or weeks of temporary amnesia. this is all because of the power and richness of the history and talent crunched into one location. i wonder if they have those facilities here. i cross my fingers as i prepare for the american cliche adventure...shopping.

alas, the last leg and my luggage was lost. somewhere between south africa, ethiopia and egypt and on the map, that is from the bottom of the continent to the top. it is now again 2 in the afternoon and i must make my way back down to the bank teller who scoffed me earlier for not having a photocopy of my passport in hand. kristin arrives tonight. tomorrow, i will begin my guided tours.