A Sweet Farewell

I’m fully aware that most people come to Egypt to view the pyramids, sail down the Nile, explore the Sahara and see the mummies.  These activities are all well and good, but what excited me the most about Egypt was something far less special.  It’s round, has cream cheese icing melting down its sides, and has about 700 calories.  That's right! Egypt has Cinnabon!  Let it be known that one of Thailand’s major flaws is that it DOES NOT have these shops of sweet goodness and my craving was left unsatisfied for nearly three long, hard years.   

I had been trying to locate this Holy Grail of confection since my arrival in Egypt, yet here I was, ten days later with unfulfilled desire deep in my belly.  So it had all come to this; my last ditch effort and the backup plan of backup plans.  I was certain the airport had a Cinnabon tucked away somewhere deep in its corridors and I was poised to partake in its bounty before I left the country.  The fact that I would be in America within a month did not escape me; this was about reaching a personal goal.  

I woke up at 4:30 in order to share a taxi to the airport with a really nice Canadian lady I met at the hotel.   Everyone knows I despise early wakeups, but she paid for the whole ride (I LOVE Canadians!).  Based on my previous searches for Cinnabon, I correctly made the assumption this would be a time consuming quest.  My arrival at the airport was met with a large heaping spoonful of disappointment: the store was located in another terminal.  I hopped onto a bus that took me to Terminal 1 and was quickly met by some random Egyptian wanting to carry my bags.  I knew he would want $$$ for the “help” and I refused to let him so much as get a decent view of my luggage.  While I wasn’t willing to let this guy carry my increasingly heavy and worn out bags, I would have been more than happy to tip him for showing me to the Cinnabon.  English was, for the most part, completely lost on this guy and I tried my best at Charades which was also apparently lost on this guy as well.  At one point he was taking me through this seedy area beneath the parking garages. Exposed wires, broken glass and crumbling concrete surrounded me and I decided that this was not the type of décor usually associated with Cinnabon.  I quickly retraced my steps back to the actual airport and ignored the guy’s demand for baksheesh (a tip). 

Finding someone familiar with Cinnabon was like a horribly twisted game of Where’s Waldo where no one is wearing a candy-cane colored sweater. Success came in the form of a helpful airline agent who told me that it was in Corridor B near the Burger King.  I walked up to security and was quickly denied entrance because my flight departed from another terminal. But where there's a will, there's a way:  I slipped one of the security screeners 40 Egyptian pounds to retrieve the object of my desire.  He returned and demanded even more baksheesh for his services.  I reluctantly paid him and devoured three weeks worth of transfats in minutes.  In retrospect, it's quite funny (or sad) that I'd pay $10 USD for a cinnamon roll, but wouldn't fork over $15 USD to climb one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 

Either way, it was money well-spent as I boarded the plane with a happy feeling in my happy stomach.  Next stop: Berlin.

Egyptian Cinnabon: Mission Accomplished!   Notice the cool Arabic script on the packaging!
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