Egypt Part 4- Exiting

Our biggest concern in going to Egypt was figuring out how we were going to leave.  The US consulate had posted a warning that, due to the recent Revolution, a curfew had been enacted for all drivers in Cairo from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM.  Because we had used our free miles to fly, the only flight available to us for departure left at 4:30AM, right in the middle of the curfew!!  So how were we going to get to the airport?  We were not about to ask Ahmed to wake up in the middle of the night to take us, and we were not sure if a Cairo Taxi would be safe either (Visions of Noa being sold on the black market as a blond haired camel jockey).  Do we just stay up all night and go early to camp out at Cairo International, or would there be some intrepid driver willing to break the rule and perhaps go to jail with us in tow?    There was also the consideration that the 20 minute driving distance from our hotel to the airport took almost 3 hours to cover on our arrival. We worried about this for several days and finally were assured by Abdulla, our concierge, that the Oberoi Hotel had special drivers that they worked with that were “exempt” from the curfew.  So we enjoyed our last few hours at the pool with trepidation, had some room service dinner, and got to bed about midnight.  45 minutes later, we had a wake-up call to begin our exit from the wonders of the pyramids and the Oberoi.  Our driver was very friendly, and in broken English pointed out some of the more elaborate Mosques on the way to the airport.  Even at 2:00 AM Cairo was teeming with activity- and we realized that most people hid from the heat during the day and came out to enjoy the cooler nights.   Many sat in plastic chairs on the bridge across the Nile River, drinking lemonade and smoking shisheesh flavored with apple tobacco.  Our car ride was indeed only about 30 minutes, due to the absence of traffic, and after clearing customs once again, we all breathed a very weary sigh of relief that we had successfully journeyed to the ancient land of the Pharaohs.