MILITARY ESCORT FOR MY BACON SANDWICH: (Port Said, Egypt)

So we arrived in Egypt, following our awesome 'cruise' across the med. Dizzy from the quality on-board entertainment, it was a late night and an early rise with brekkie 'on-the-hop' as we negotiated a fairly militant egyptian immigration authority. We had absolutely no interest in taking the optional, over-inflated tour to Cairo, when we could make our own way at a fraction of the cost, and without the nauseating commentary and tour group crowds following umbrellas. Besides, it would undermine our travellers integrity…."we're backpackers you know!" (healthy doses of inverted snobbery).

Of course, the temptation to 'hitch a ride' on the tour bus, at no cost, rather than wait half a day  with a mob of pushy cab drivers at the bus station proved too strong a pull, and within minutes of being ashore on the African continent, we were swallowing our pride and swallowing our brekkie on the air-con coach convoy as we joined our fellow bloated cruise clientele on a ride to the city but without the 'tour option'. . Now, for reasons we cannot be certain of, the seven coach convoy had a military escort….we had a MILITARY ESCORT I tell you! That's a first for me…. since my band, the BOOM BOOM went platinum in Kazakhstan anyway. Theory no.1 - with oodles of bucks and zero travel savvy, the tour was a prime target for bandits in the desert between Port Said and Cairo. Theory no.2 - Terrorist activity against tourists 2 years ago requires heavy handed, even 'inflammatory' intervention. Theory no.3 - There's no way the tourists on their 2 day cruise to Egypt, with just 8 hours allowed ashore, and 4 hours normal drive in traffic to Cairo are going to see a darn thing unless some local cops are getting a serious back-hander to clear the peasants and traffic off the streets for a quick journey in & out of one of the largest cities on earth. Theory no.4 - with pork actually illegal in all Egypt, someone got wind of my late brekkie on the bus, and decided it best to fend off the madding crowds.

My money's on the bacon sarnie theory.