I had an only in Egypt day, here's how it went...
I ordered take away food from the only Chinese food restaurant in Dahab and my bill was 45 LE. I had a 100LE note and I gave it to the non-english speaking chinese lady and she took the money, looked at it weirdly and then started searching underneath all the cushions in the restaurant looking for change I guess, so I went up to her, not really understanding what she was doing and motioned that I would run to the shop and get change. I ran to the shop next door and bought a few things except the shop owner didn't have 20 notes so I got a 50 note. I went back, walked into the kitchen part of the restaurant and asked if she has 5 pounds. She then looked at me weird again and gave it to another lady, she then proceeded to walk back into the restaurant and start looking under all the cushions again!!! I was just standing there in awe wondering if they are either hiding their money under the cushions (which by the way is where all the customers sit!) or just looking for loose change. I mean it is a business, you would think they would have money somewhere!
So I just decided to leave, 5 pounds is less than a $1, without my change. I was walking home when I got a phone call from Cam saying we needed soy sauce. We have this shop that is right outside of our house but we always joke because it never has anything in it. It's got like 73 toothbrushes in the window and a couple of bags of crisps, they don't even have ketchup and are only open about 2 hours a day. Anyways, I had already walked past all the other shops so even though I knew there was no way they had soy sauce I stopped in and low and behold they had some! I don't know why a shop that doesn't even have ketchup is selling soy sauce in Egypt but I'm not going to complain. I grabbed a bottle and put it on the counter and asked how much it was. The boy working in the shop looked at me and then grabbed his phone and tried to call someone... they didn't answer so he tried to call someone else who didn't answer and then tried to start texting someone! I looked at him, looked at the shop and wondered why in a shop with 7 items he couldn't remember how much anything costs! Anyways so I told him I thought it was worth 10 pounds and gave him the money and he says 'you come back tomorrow?' and I was like NO, I'm paying 10 pounds and I picked up my soy sauce and left.
The last thing that happened right outside my house was probably one of those, you have to be there things but I'll continue... A few of the Egyptian guys at work started doing this thing about 6 months ago where they look at you up and down and go 'Niceaaaaaaa...' Not in a weird way but a funny way. The word nice dragged out with an ahh sound after. They do it and then say niceaaa sunglasses or niceaaaa towel or whatever it's just funny. So I thought they made this up BUT after I got my soy sauce, I was walking down the street and a young bedouin guy in a galabaya (long white robes) said hey how you doing, really nicely and so I said good how are you etc... as he passed by me he goes, 'Niceaaa.....Niceaaaa.... then at the last moment he says really quickly, 'body'. I just about peed my pants because this is a joke we have at work and I didn't think people really said it, apparently I was wrong! All of this happened in a span of about 30 minutes which is why I felt the need to share....Life in Egypt is very eventful! Miss everyone!!! xxx