Things have been better!

An sitting in the hotel having a cup of tea....no pastries though...thinking about asking someone to go purchase some from the wonderful bakery.

It has not been the best since Monday. Sunday I mapped out a plan to see the sights....the driver will take me where ever I want to go. I'm excited to be a tourist.

Monday I take a taxi to another part of town...lots of Embassies, boutique shopping, cafes...my destination is Fair Trade Egypt. I want to get little gifts for the grandchildren....want to do that before I hit souvenir shops for tourists. It's in a large French Building; I think it was an office building, not a home. The shop is on the second floor...which they call the first. The wood work is beautiful...the floors and entry/lobby, stairs, landings are all marble and elegant...even though the building could use restoring.

The shop's in many rooms and there are crafts of all kinds. The staff is pleasant and helpful but not hovering over you. I wander, enjoying what's there and begin building a pile of gifts....I can't believe the prices....even after transferring cost into American dollars in dollars they'd be about three times what I'm paying. Purchases in hand I.leave; looking forward to a cafe and cup of coffee.

As I go from a landing in front of elevators to the stairs I miss the first step, can't grab the railing and begin to scream and fall...I realize if I keep going straight I'll end up tumbling down to the lobby and know that's a bad idea. I begin running to the left stumbling down stairs as I go...my body is about one or two steps ahead of my feet. I hope to catch the railing on the left side which would have been impossible. I see an old man coming up the steps; I try to miss him but can't; I knew he was flying to the lobby but couldn't see him. I was now pretty much face first heading toward the marble floor of the lobby.

Don't think I passed out but I realized I'd hit the left side of my face and could feel the blood. What I could see was the old man lying on his back moaning; softly, then loudly. People began appearing out of no where. I kept asking , yelling for ice...for the old man for the back of his head. Either no one knew what ice was or they just ignored me. They wanted me to sit in a chair...I declined wiggled back against the wall and sat there. People kept saying American, American...There has the poor old man draped between two chairs...he continued to moan and I kept asking for ice.

Some how word of my fall traveled upstairs to the Fair Trade Egypt and a sales woman who spoke English and Arabic appeared.....a translator and support! She stayed by my side during the hospital trip..we dropped her off at Fair Trade Egypt on the way to the hotel. The decision was made that I would need stitches... An ambulance was called. I said I wanted to go in a cab, call a taxi. The ambulance arrived and I said the old man should use it...everyone said he was fine, I didn't believe them. The ambulance men examined my head...came to the conclusion I did have a cut that would need stitches. The stretcher was wheeled in and I said there was no way I was getting on it. I was going to walk...no they would get the chair...again I said no, I can walk. they were all set to help me stand up...again I said I can do it myself I was used to it, I fall opften.
I got myself in an upright position and did accept the support offered while I walked out into the sunshine... and there was another crowd of people...American, American. Again I was asked to lie down on the  stretcher and said I'd sit on the bench that ran along the side of the ambulance. Wrong choice...the ride was bumpy and swaying back and forth. I was getting sick to my stomach and asked for a bag...fortunately I didn't need to use it.

will finish later

Have 16-18 stitches between left eye and side hair line...three cuts
Have broken my foot...third toe into the bone on top of the foot.

It's the pits!