Enrique Iglesias and the Adhān

So I've arrived safely in Cairo, which means that dad doesn't have to get all Liam Neeson on an Algerian (?) people-smuggling ring; that is probably a relief to both parties. Only in Cairo is there a traffic jam on the tarmac - it pushed everything back almost an hour and a half - making it such a relief when I saw that the taxi driver had waited. I was so tired I think I would have taken my chances with the Algerians, if they'd offered me a lift into the city at a reasonable price.

(Peach-eating break)

My taxi driver was great, he spoke English really well and oscillated between listening to Enrique Iglesias ballads and mariachi-style music. I was extremely relieved about the speaking English part too, as while I was waiting for my luggage I was also mentally reviewing the Egyptian words I remembered from last time. They comprised 'ta'amiya' (felafel), 'imshi'(a more rude version of "go away"), lazeez (which I think means delicious?), and 'raml' (sand). This means I could have said 'Eff* off, you delicious sandy felafel' and not much else. Hilarious, but obviously useless.

Anyway, the following is a list of things I've since remembered about Cairo or am learning brand-new.

• Mosquitos are obviously smarter than me. They see an invitingly cocked bare leg as the squash-trap that it is, and instead choose to wait it out until I lose stamina and go to sleep. I don't even think they have brains? If this is the case, who knows the wonders they could have done with my thesis.

• Cream cheese and fig jam are hands down the best of friends. Especially intermingled in my mouth.

• Supermarkets are pretty similar worldwide (or at least in the 6 countries I've been to, which is surely enough to quote statistics on, right?? [Janis, I'm directing this question at you]). Everything's more expensive and tastes better when you buy it fresh off the streets. Disturbingly, the trend of miniature trollies for children to pretend to 'shop' (AKA smash into a stranger's leg with) is another upsetting similarity.

• EXCEPT most supermarkets I've been to don't contain live goats that you can slaughter yourself (or perhaps they do it for you?) for an upcoming feast day. I like it, it's refreshingly honest to show where meat actually comes from, and gives a whole new meaning to being "the fresh food people" (dont shake your head, you know I had to go there).

• I will never criticise my brother's driving again, although roundabouts appear to work regardless of how many other road rules are disobeyed. This gives me even more respect for whoever initially invented roundabouts (I think it may have been a Frenchman named M. Henard, but there is some contention - can you tell I've considered this before?).

• I forgot about the car horns.

• I like seeing people walk around in completely different clothes and realise that what is worn in our society may not necessarily be 'typical' of the rest of the world.

• I really like hearing the adhān (the call to prayer) throughout the day, it's beautiful.

• I already miss drinking tap-water.

• Western-style clothing is not suited to being both modest and cool, or at least what I brought isn't.

• There are lots of interesting people in the world who do things that may seem normal to them, but to the rest of us it's amazing. Most of the time these people do their work because of the love and passion they have for it, often doing jobs voluntarily or for food and board. Most of the time they're traveling to places that aren't close to home. This is a difficult path to follow, but when they begin to speak about their field of interest, you can tell that the sacrifice is in some ways completely worthwhile.

• You can tell the size of a prehistoric shark using the measurements of one of its teeth. Apparently they were HUGE! (I met a paleontologist, he was a very interesting man).

I'm leaving for site tomorrow and I won't lie, I'm missing a lot of people I care about already and am ready to start working and get on with it. Maybe I don't do down-time that well, or maybe the choice of Dickens 'Hard Times' was not the most uplifting book to bring with me. I've never travelled to Middle Egypt before so the trip should be interesting. I look forward to seeing what the landscape is like in that area.

Lots of love to everyone out there, and I hope this isn't too long, it's hard to judge typing on an iphone.

Joh xxx

* I'm being completely paranoid but I'm scared if I swear a swat team will bust through the door and take me away to jail. And that will make me the new Chapelle Corby. I don't want to be the new Chapelle Corby.