Well I have had another wonderful taste of Egyptian bureaucracy - what a run around to get a car - yesterday we went to the police - I need a statement from them that they have investigated me - no idea why - no investigators around - so today we went around 9 - told to come back at 1:00 - then off to the Toyota dealer. They have fellow there that 'registers' the cars - we had to go to the Traffic Centre - near the dealer - then make a deal with them that we could do the registration there instead of near where I live - ARGH - then they checked the VIN and chassis number against the sales receipt - then I had to purchase a fire extinguisher - yep - such a safety conscious society- one HAS to have a fire extinguisher in the car - but no car seats and seat belts are definitely an option - I have seen little kids - and I mean little - like 6 months old sitting in their daddy's lap as he is driving the car - and no one is wearing seatbelts - anyway - then we had to have the car inspected - fellow said that because I was covered there would be no inspection - there is actually no inspection if it is a new car - just an opportunity for the 'engineer' to earn some more baksheesh. Then we were off downtown to get the license plate for the car - because I am a foreigner we had to go somewhere else to get a plate - and of course because we did not have the police investigation report we could not get one - but things are all laid out for Saturday. Seems I will be getting an old beat up license plate - they only manufacture so many licenses for foreigners and when they leave the country the plates are recycled - wonderful. Then on the way back to the dealer to drop off our helper - a guy cut Aymn off - turned left in front of him - he was driving - I refuse to drive with Aymn in the car - and besides it was downtown durng the peak time - ARGH - then the driver called Aymn a donkey and Aymn was off and running - man he was really hot under the collar. The guy finally gave Aymn the slip - thank goodness or there would have been blood flowing - Aymn was bound and determined to teach this punk a lesson. A rather severe case of road rage - I just could not get over it - Aymn was just livid - of course if it had been me - a) I would not have understood what was being said and b) even if I did I would have just continued on my merry way. We missed the chance to got and get the investigation report - so on Saturday Mohammed (Aymn's buddy) will pick me up and take me around to get everything finalized. I will be getting insurance on the car - through Toyota it is a bit more expensive but I am not going to worry about it much - the going rate is 2.5% of the value of the car and Toyota charges 2.95% of the value of the car - no deductible though - and it is just easier - rather than running around downtown trying to find a better price. I think it will be about $60 CAD more expensive - the total cost for insurance on the vehicle for a year will be about $2,593 - which translates into about $520 CAD a year - not bad - in fact very, very reasonable. When I got my Corolla in 1990 the insurance for the year was $1,200 a year. Anyway I still think anyone who complains about the bureaucracy in Canada should come here and try to do anything - then it will be a real cake walk.

I still have in my possession Sharon's cat and turtle. I have included a shot of the cat and the turtle for your pleasure. Must get busy and get them back home, Sharon is missing the cat.

It has been a hectic week - last Thursday we went to a Mother's Day luncheon (Sharon and I) that was put on by a group we belong to - WIACA - we had a great time - they played music and I got up and danced - I could tell I was one of the youngsters in the group - because the music was before my time - but I got up and twisted anyhow - one of the Egyptian women commented that I could dance really well - LOL. I was the only one that was up there that was covered - little do they know that I am not Muslim - I am so bad. Then the leader - Suzy - donned her belly dancing outfit and performed for us - it was a hoot. Then this past Monday was AWA meeting - drove the car there - then Sharon and I took off for Carrefour - did a little touring - in other words got lost - but managed to find our way. I spent lots of money - bought two mattress pad covers and more towels - the towels I have I bought when I bought the house in Whitehorn - which was about 13 years ago - how time flies when you are having fun. Spent that evening and the next morning (Tuesday) doing laundry - washing all the new things - also washed the bedding and made up the bed. Then Tuesday Sharon and I took off and went to visit a friend from AWA - Suzanne - she had obtained a copy of 'The Secret' that Oprah has been raving about - so we went to watch it - very interesting - need to get a copy so I can watch it on a regular basis. Aymn got his knickers in a knot because I had made plans for Tuesday - as it was my day - so he did not even show up - so he spent three days with his family - he came over yesterday morning - and left for Libya this afternoon. So now I have a few days of peace and quiet - if I can just manage to stay home - LOL. Must admit that after being on the run for the better part of a week I am looking forward to some R&R time - need to catch up on my blog and a few other things.