Egypt (1031 hits)
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Rating: 1.36 on 16 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by corn_nugget (View user info) at 2003-12-01 20:46:23 EST
The first time I went to egypt I felt invincible. Sure, I knew better then to drink the water, but do you think I was smart enough to stay away from food-vendors on the streets? Salads? Ice in my drinks?
Oh no.
Needless to say, I was "sick" for a month.
Now, I can deal with this... what I could NOT deal with were the toilets, and lack of toilet paper.
Let me address the toilet paper situation first. Egyptians use Bidets. When there isn't room for a bidet in the bathroom, they just stick a squirter right IN the toilet, so you can pull some lever or push some button and have yourself hosed off without having to switch camodes.
I had no idea how these things work. I was too shy to ask, and too skerrid to experiment. My solution was to buy little packets of tissue and TRY to remember to carry them around all the time... which turned out to be easier said then done.
Anyway, back to what I was saying... I was sick. Every hour or so I had to crap. Nothing was helping... I was taking medicine, eating 'safe' food, et cetera... yet, my body was expurging (is that a word?) everything as soon as it was digested.
This meant many bathroom trips through out the day. When I was at home it wasn't a big problem. I had a stack of tissues by the toilet, and everything was sparkling clean.
The problem was when we went out. Let me share one story.
The Worst John in Egypt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We went to rent some horses to ride in the desert one day. As soon as we get to the stables I have to go use the bathroom.
It was an emergency. My boyfriend tried to talk me out of it, but I had no choice in the matter; my bowels controlled my body while I was in Egypt. The horse guy showed me where the bathroom was. I was expecting the infamous hole in the ground, and felt quite lucky when I saw that there was a toilet.
Then I looked in the toilet. There were flies in it. Not one or two flies- I mean flies. Like a swarm. Hundreds of flies.
I was going to barf. I was going to shit. I had to do something.
I tried shooing the flies out, they were impervious. I tried flushing the toilet, they hovered.
I was either going to poop in my pants or on the flies.
So I used the toilet.
This was the grossest thing I've ever done in my life, I actually started crying while I was crapping.
My stomach finally settled down, the cramps gave way... and I reached for my purse, wherein the tissue lay.
I pulled the tissue packet out. It was empty.
The End.
Corinne
Oh, and this is the friendly family who's toilet I used. I took the picture before I used their bathroom, and therefore at this point I liked them. Not so much afterwards.
User Reviews
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2004-04-29 06:34:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by MrPrickle (user info) at 2004-04-08 21:52:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
damit, this is better than my middle eastern pooh story
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2003-12-03 20:33:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Yeah, I have heard that about UAE... henna still being popular. Now I'm gonna have to buy some, I had forgotten all about it.
Thanks a LOT!
-C
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2003-12-02 13:15:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Actually it(henna) was quite popular in Bahrain. It wasn't just for marriages and such, It was an everyday thing. The ladies working in the grocery store, the women walking in the mall in western clothing, it didn't matter. Many of them sported a design on the wrist and coiled around the lower arm and palm of the hand. The Hair dye henna is not the right stuff for tattooing, I know what you're talking about though.
I remember it also being rather common in Dubai and some of the Saudi women I saw also sported it.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2003-12-02 13:14:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Actually it(henna) was quite popular in Bahrain. It wasn't just for marriages and such, It was an everyday thing. The ladies working in the grocery store, the women walking in the mall in western clothing, it didn't matter. Many of them sported a design on the wrist and coiled aroundthe lower arm and palm of the hand. The Hair dye henna is not the right stuff for tattooing, I know what you're talking about though.
I remember it also being rather common in Dubai and some of the Saudi women I saw also sported it.
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2003-12-02 13:03:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh, and the henna thing is more of an Indian custom then Arabic. Indian women typically do the henna designs for weddings and such. I dabble in it a bit myself... the hard part is finding good henna. The local arabic markets around here carry it, and it works pretty well as a hair-dye, but for some reason I can't get it to tattoo very well.
I've found some good indian henna though.
I think some of the felahin (sp?) arabs still use henna for tattooing, but it's not very popular anymore in mainstream middle-eastern culture.
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2003-12-02 13:00:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Insane, I don't have too many... I went in my pre-digital camera days, and the only pics I have are the ones on my site.
Here:
http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/spacecowgirl/egyptpics.html
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2003-12-02 12:39:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Hijab is honestly pretty cool stuff.. You can truly tell if a woman has a pretty face when thats all you can see..and the Henna designs on their hands look fucking awesome.
http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Veil.html <--reasons for Hijab
Eh, thats a pretty damn big hookah the guy has. I am thinking of buying one, there's a store here that has decent ones for about $80.
I miss hanging out and having a good pipe like I did overseas.
Coffee, Hookah, and some good fucking lamb tikkas.
Yum.
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-12-02 12:14:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Terrible.
Seems your body was merely unaccustomed to things Egyptian.
I want to see some more pictures of that trip. I'm fascinated by that area and want to visit. Email me some?
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2003-12-02 11:23:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I finished the story the way I usually finish stories... the conclusion you'll jump to is probably more entertaining then what really happened.
What really happened: I screamed (franticly) for my boyfriend to come into the bathroom, and then told him I needed toilet paper. Luckly the little German girl we were travelling with had some, so she gave me hers, and all was realitivly well.
Corinne
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2003-12-02 05:56:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
a grim business
Submitted by InSaNeSna1L (user info) at 2003-12-01 23:02:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I think thats actually a girl and her mum
but you didnt finish the story...what did you do without TP
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2003-12-01 22:37:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Otter, in the country in Egypt, this is what the people look like. City people look 'normal'... Men wear suits, no hat-type things. The women all wear hijab (which is the scarf), but they dress in regular clothes for the most part.
Submitted by Otter (user info) at 2003-12-01 22:32:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Why is it that every picture I see of a middle-eastern family it's always the pop with a fez and long stemed pipe, a young boy wearing a dress and flip flops and a mom, smiling in the backgound?
Submitted by Tom (user info) at 2003-12-01 21:18:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Girls don't get sick and crap all over flies!!!
Very unlady like.
-Tom
Submitted by Hairsphincter (user info) at 2003-12-01 21:09:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Girl does poo. Film at eleven.