Walking along Talaat Harb Street, heading towards what I hoped was the closest bar, a young girl, perhaps no more than five, dressed more in dirt than rags, ran up to me, pointing at her bare feet. I shook my head and kept walking. She was not taking no for an answer; she kept pace, then grabbed me on the arm and started kissing me just above the elbow. I tried pulling my arm away, but she was stronger than she looked. She kept saying “Yub You” as she continued with these unwanted kisses. I finally managed to pull away from her, almost twisting my ankle as I stumbled down a curb, only for her to grab hold of my day pack, almost pulling it off me. I finally stepped into traffic and got away from her. Strangely, this seemed to all be happening as the street transitioned from the crumbling area near my hotel to the more upmarket area closer to Tahrir Square.
Skaken, I gave up on the idea of a beer and entered a small food court filled with Western fast food options, and made myself sick eating donuts and iced coffee. On the way back, I dreaded seeing her again, but she had moved on. I bought some tissues from a young girl studying on the sidewalk, and gave her my last donut. I walked back to my hotel, trying not to vomit.
Adrian's Got The Moose 