In the words of Ice Cube...

t'day was a good day...tried to hit the "Africa Live" worship service at the community church in Maadi (30 minutes away), but missed it because the following occurred: hailed a yellow taxi from my hotel, which is recommended because they have A/C, speak enough English and they're metered, meaning the driver can't jack the price up. This is usually what the black & white local taxis do (usually no A/C, no english, really busted up car). So, we're truckin down the usual long stretch of highway, then the guy takes an unfamiliar exit...i'm thinking, "uh...can't read Arabic, but this is not the right exit", once we get off the exit ramp landscape is all desert with huge condo developments (kinda live NoVa, but not) - it was a bit twilight zone-ish. Then we hit a wall of brake lights. Creeping up, honking, sirens behind us, get up on the scene and one of those gravel trucks turned over and gravel all across the highway!!! Detour. Tour bus in front of us, we're flanked by a 750Li and two black&white taxis, everyone's honking like UMd just won a Bowl game. Tour bus can't maneuver around a boulder sitting in the middle of the detour. Bus passengers file out to roll the boulder aside. Success! Traffic begins to move. By this time 30 minutes has passed, I ask: "how much longer?" Driver replies: "10 minutes" - Keep in mind this journey should only take 30 minutes and cost 25 Egyptian pounds (LE). At this point the meter reads 35.45LE. 10 minutes pass, still not at church, 20 minutes pass still not at church, etc...Get to church way too late and had to pay 50LE!!! Not happy. But...what made it a good day was that I spent the rest of the day chilln out with the Korean International student I met last weekend at church at a coffee shop, then ate a big bowl of dol sot bi bim bap (Michael Jackson's favorite Korean food) at GAYA, a popular Korean restaurant. Good convo, good food, and made it safely back to my hotel in a black&white taxi for 30LE. Tomorrow: going to explore the Pyramids in Giza and the Sphinx.