Questions, questions

I absolutely adore the Egyptians. They have been very friendly and helpful in every possible way. That said, at the risk of sounding really cranky and ungrateful, there are moments when I wish the people around me were just a little less friendly and helpful.

As a tourist, I get a lot of attention when I walk down a street. Every minute or so, someone says "hello," asks "where are you from?" or "where are you going?" or tries to steer me toward a taxi, shop, restaurant, or site. Sometimes it's flirting: "wow!" "beautiful!" "my heart!" "You have husband?"

In the vast majority of cases, it's done with the very best of intentions -- genuine concern and desire to be helpful. I recognize this, and I appreciate it very much. And because I appreciate it, it breaks my heart to have to walk down the street trying valiantly to avoid eye contact or responding to anyone.

I generally like talking to people, especially when I travel. But if I respond to the questions with a cheery, "Hello!" or "America!" I'm starting a conversation. That question will lead to another question, and another. And slowly but surely, I become more engaged with the person and it becomes more difficult (emotionally and verbally) to leave. If I answer every person who talks to me, I won't be able to get anywhere or do anything.

About half of the time, people understand that I want to be left alone. The other half of the time, people persist in trying to talk or help, following me as I walk or continuing to ask questions as I study my guidebok. It's still sweet, but can be a little scary if they follow me for a while and/or don't respond the first 8 times I say "No, thank you!" in Arabic. Which is generally only once a day or so.

After similar experiences in Morocco and Turkey, I expected this and was prepared for it. It's nice and part of what makes travel in Egypt such a joy. ]