2 days in Cairo

My head is spinning. What a packed 36 hours I've had here. I'll post pictures this week sometime.
But in the meantime, in brief, here's what I've done-
Friends of a friend met me and picked me up yesterday at the airport. They showed me around a few spots of the city, took me up the Cairo Tower (187 meters high)and we ate some good food (although Deborah and I nearly froze to death with the AC-come on people. need you put it up that high???) Then we spent the rest of the evening with more of their friends (ask me personally and I'll give you more details of that)
Today I paid for a tour of the Pyramids (just as cool as you'd imagine they are), the Egyptian Museum (WAY cooler than you might think- over 300,000 artifacts. And I saw lots of mummies!), and the big market-Khan el Khalili (YET another shoppers paradise I've visited)
So at this point my head is throbbing but it was a great day. I just headed out for some cheap (because I've spent all my money at the bazaar) good egyptian food. And now I'm ready for some rest.
A few observations-(getting a little distracted by the men cheering at the soccer game here in my hotel! i think the floor almost shook!)
They told me yesterday here in Cairo you smoke about 40 cigarettes a day of second hand smoke- I believe it! I swear everyone and their 10yr old son is smoking. I had to tell the guy at the bazaar today that I DIDN'T want to buy the t-shirt with the camel smoking for my 5yr old nephew. Why put the smoking camel on t-shirs that small????
Speaking of the bazaar, those men can work it. They are clever tying to get you to spend more. They keep layin on the compliments (oh, you are such a beautiful woman) Yea, I don't fall for that boys! I want this and this and this and I want it for 50 pounds, no more! So save your lame compliments for the next gal.
The city has 20 million people! Wowser! There joke is there are 2 wonders of the world here-the pyramids and the traffic~
And the drivers are very communicative with each other. They ask for directions while driving. My taxi driver got in a fight with a motorist about who had the right of way-quite heated! (and speaking of this, i'm glad i had been trying to learn arabic numbers the 2 days there because otherwise i would have had no clue how to find out the taxi fare from this guy. he no english, me no arabic!)
The city really is a drab color. Everything kind of has that smog look to it. They tell me the city was formed in 960 (or so) but the pyramids date back around 2500 (or so) BCE.
Everyone offers you something to drink. The hotel, a shop, a jewelry store. Part of their hospitality-tea, coffee, cola.
Ooh, I got to see a presentation of making papyrus. I videoed it!
Pretty nice people in my brief experience. When they ask where I am from, they all tell me they like Obama (oh my goodness was that a big thing in Kenya! Because you know, his father was Kenyan. So his picture is up everywhere there. And I'm told by some other foreigners that it just reaffirms in their minds their preexisting theory that all black people originate from Kenya :)Its a big tourist area. So everyone is treated well (as long as you spend the money!)
Ok, i really need some advil now (and I just jumped up in my chair after the screaming from another goal) So off to my room!
Next stop-London