Chat with Muslim Guy About Religion & Life

The next day I just wanted to chill out so I headed to my fav cafe in Kensington for a coffee or three & lunch. Did a bit of window shopping, then headed back to the hotel.
While I waited (a very long time) to leave for my trip to Scotland, I had another (very long) chat with another guy at the hotel reception. This guy is also a strict Muslim & we had a fascinating discussion about religion & politics. His extreme perspectives (even agreed that stoning is a viable option for controlling the ‘crime’ of adultery) were interesting, to say the least. I also asked him to define the key differences between Islam, Judaism & Christianity. Every point he made I successfully rebutted, stating that all 3 monotheistic religions have common fundamentals. He referred me to his mukti for further discussion – I said I’d let him know. I debated quite a bit with him & got a better understanding of the (fundamental) Muslim mindset.

Counselling a Local Woman

While I was browsing the shops at the hotel, I happened to develop a conversation with one of the saleswomen, Riham. We had a lovely chat, quite in-depth, about life - what she wants to do, how frustrated & unhappy she is at present, etc. She opened up quite a lot to me (as often happens) & poured her pain out. So we chatted about finding direction & keeping that focus. It was another great chat on the day, perhaps a bit more profound as well.

Just Another Angry Tourist

Just before we entered the Valley of the Queens, a seller approached me, as usual, to buy some of his wares. And, as usual, I just ignored him. Then he asked why I was so angry. I replied that we tourists get a bit sick & tired of having people in our faces trying to sell things to us everywhere we go - we‘re not angry, just over being bothered all the time. He understood & explained that it happens only because of the hard life people face in Egypt. That people are forced to do this to survive &/or get ahead in life.
We started to chat. He was an intelligent guy, 21 years of age, could speak 6 languages, his mother is Italian, & he is studying to be a tour guide. I ended up buying a 10EP scarf from him - I needed one anyway. We had a great conversation. And in the end he wanted a photo taken with me, which I agreed to of course.