My First Taste of Freedom.

Last week, while still out at the Observation Post, we were informed by the Non-Commissioned Officers in charge of the weekly logistical deliveries that upon return to South Camp, we were authorized to leave the base on our personal time. Man, was that great news. Finally a chance to experience something profoundly new. Today, I decided to take advantage of my new freedom and enjoyed my first true immersion in Egyptian culture. While the area we're located in is dominated by tourism and exists solely based on an exclusively foreign consumer basis, it's still teeming with local, very poor, Egyptian citizens and the nomadic Bedouin villagers. Of course, it's obvious who the tourists are, and most everything is overpriced and lacks quality. The USD is widely accepted over the nation's Egyptian Pounds, which, at time of writing, are worth roughly 5.5 to 1 USD; the merchants like to round off that figure to make it 5:1. Seeing as there are many European tourists, the Euro is also very widely used here.
Anyway, we left camp and caught a cab (in this country they're all white Hyundai's with blue fenders) to Na'ama Bay. It's like a mile drive, but I guess we're lazy. It cost 2 USD for the ride. We headed to the main tourist center, affectionately named the Na'ama Center, and checked out the hundreds of shops. It is amazing how Americanized these places become. Coca-Cola and Pepsi signs are the most prominent of all American products advertised. There's also a KFC, a Pizza Hut, a TGI Friday's, a Hard Rock Cafe, a McDonald's and a Starbucks. Awesome, but I have no doubt that the quality of the food is terrible compared to back home. Of course we joked about the probability of the beef patties at McDonald's actually being camel meat, and I don't think I'll take any chances. Aside from the chain establishments, the rest were shops owned by locals, selling cheesy souvenirs, and mass produced junk.
We walked around for a while, and eventually found ourselves talking to a few shop owners who knew some english. They offered us tea, and I gladly accepted. The man asked how much sugar I would like and seemed confused when I told him none. I guess they like their tea sweet. While preparing the tea, we talked about sports, and they asked us about George W. Bush, after finding out we were Americans. They insisted upon loving American, but thought the war in Iraq was all bad. They didn't know we were soldiers, but thought we were simply tourists. They had a copy of the International Edition of USA Today, so I read through it while enjoying the tea. Nothing going on back home. The tea was hot, and the glass they serve it in had to be held by the top and bottom so as not to burn yourself. Also, they don't have tea bags, they simply pour the grounds in the bottom of the glass and add hot water. Interesting, and a bit odd to me, but definitely some good tea. We hanged out for a while, they were good people. It's nice to see how people from other countries live. It's a totally different society from anything I know.
Afterwards, we shopped around, bought some cokes for $2 a piece (yes, $2 for a 12 ounce can) and got some food. All in all, a good day, just hanging out and discovering our new surroundings. Later on, we met up with a few other guys, and just walked around some more. We made our way down to the beach front. Reminded me of something you'd see in Mexico, aside from there being a lot of old European people around. I wore a Ralph Lauren Polo, and found out it was a good choice, as most every single British couple I saw was wearing the same brand. I'd rather fit in, then to stand out as an American. We walked down the strip of hotels, the Marriot, the Hilton, the Days Inn, among others to the end of the strip, then made our way back to the street to head back. On the street we passed the Ghazala Gardens Hotel, the site of the 2005 suicide bombings here. The reception area is newly repaired, but the pock-marks on the adjacent buildings are still very noticeable. There's still many areas scarred by the attacks, serving as a constant reminder of the necessity to always be prepared.
Shortly after, we caught a cab back to base. Nothing too exciting, but a new adventure in and of itself.

Picture today is of a alley of shops in Na'ama Bay under the moonlight.