Our trusty taxi guy (Mohamad) is taking us to the big city of Cairo. He picked up tickets for the "Egypt Cup" and we will be among the hundred thousand or so fans in the stadium watching the game. After a stop at the mall for some long over due shopping (they have StarBucks!) we check into our hostel. We're located smack in the middle of old Cairo. The Nile river, Egyptian museum, and many other "attractions" are near by. The view out our window is of the back of the giant billboards facing the street four stories below. Mohamed comes by and escorts us to the bus and we cram aboard with hoards of other excited fans. We seem to be the attraction on the bus. Young people strike up conversations with us eager to practice their English. After a few more stops people are on the top of the bus and hanging on the outside. It's wild. Fun!
As we arrive at the venue we notice a large police presence. They're everywhere in white uniforms and heavily armed. We go through 4 check points & are searched as we enter the stadium. Finally, we find a seat and settle in for a great night of people watching. The fans are like on steroids at a NFL Superbowl game. After a long period of no score our team finally gets a goal. Things go wild. The guy in front of me jumps to his feet turns around and throws his arms around me. I'm released after a big bear hug and kiss and we all cheer. The game ends with a shoot out and we loose by one point. The entire stadium is on it's feet cheering and clapping anyway. We scurry back and leap on the bus. We were so fortunate to have Mohamad with us.