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----- Alexandria, Egypt --------------- Alexandria was I must say an interesting city albiet a bit nerve racking and scarey. When entering Alexandria we were told that it was highly not recommended to venture into the city without the security of a guided tour. Well, I decided to hire my own cab driver to take me around the city given that I loathe being crammed in a bus loaded with tourists even if it is safer. After that experience I must say I can understand why it is highly recommended. As I get more experienced in international travel, I must say that I am definately more like Anthony Bourdain and much less like Samantha Brown. If you watch the travel channel, you will know what I mean. When in Alexandria our driver took us in his cab which was a 1977 compact car. In this city you will hardly find a new car, and if you have a new car you are crazy. There are hardly any street lights and people just drive. We had so many close calls touring around the city. However our driver took it all in stride as he has been navigating these tight crowded streets for many years. Yet we did not suffer an accident except for getting rear ended. When we got hit the two men simply talked about what happended and moved on. There was no exchanging insurance or license numbers, no cops to come sort out the details and write tickets. It was basically a free for all here. When in the city we first toured the main mosque of the city. When entering the mosque, I could tell we weren't that welcome. In fact our driver would not let me out of his sight. I wanted to go around the corner and take some pics of the mosque and he clearly told me not to leave his sight. He had mentioned that there is much animosity over America. Bush has made a lot of enemies in the Muslim world and some may be more then eager to take out their frustrations on US citizens who may happen to be wandering around. When in the city we toured some ancient Roman ruins and catecombs underneath the city. A nice beautiful spot we went to was Fort Quat Bay along the Mediterranean. It was almost a fairytale castle in appearance. I must say that the highlight of the day was driving down the street in the womens shopping area. It was very crowded as we were approaching the end of Ramadan and the women were out buying new clothes for the festival ending Ramadan. When we were driving, our driver was laying on the horn and almost literally pushing women in their burkas out of the way as we moved down the street. Yes, I actually video taped the experience and it is really funny to watch. LOL
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