Beth in Uganda: Four Cups of Tea

I recently finished reading the book Three Cups of Tea and wondered if Mortenson had exaggerated about how much tea he drank while in Pakistan. Now, after traveling to Egypt, I've gotten a taste of what he was talking about, literally. It was not uncommon for me to drink 3, 4, or 5 cups of tea in a day because of what locals called "Egyptian hospitality."

Christina and I could not walk down the street without some shopkeeper practically forcing us to come into their shop and have a cup of tea, all the while telling us about the wonderful products they had to purchase, or some local man walking down the street wanting to invite us to a nearby coffee shop or to their home for drinks (having drinks means drinking tea in Egypt- a virtually dry country) just to talk. Saying "no" was not an option in most cases. Whether it was a ploy or a genuine interest in the two American girls, I can't really say. Perhaps it was a little of both.

Despite the constant bombardment of pushy shopkeepers and leering men, we had a great time visiting the ancient sites of Cairo and Luxor and enjoying the beauty of the Sinai peninsula.

Yes, we did the cliche camel ride to the pyramids in Giza- never again...on one hand you are grossed out by the smell and noises coming from the camels, and on the other you feel bad for how they are mistreated.