Navigational Errors and Camel Terrors

We're not going to say that I got lost today. To be fair, I never really knew where I was to begin with so we'll just say that I didn't find my way as easily as expected. It started with me getting off at the wrong train station -- silly me for getting off at Cairo when that is where I want to go.
Thankfully I met this wonderful woman from Canada who had been through Cairo already. She helped me get onto the metro (apparently the only efficiently running thing in Cairo), and I was on my way again.
However there comes a point when you have to get off the metro. You come above ground, and for a second you panic. At least I do. There's this realization that no one and nothing looks familiar, not even the lettering on signs, and you could get very lost very quickly. But then you take a deep breath, say a prayer, and start to work your way through it.
The annoying thing about nice little hostels is that they're hidden away and very difficult to find. I narrowed it down to the right vacinity but then came the wandering. Took about 40 min and stopping to ask several people.
Just as a side note -- most people tend to be nice to foreigners. They want to help, but this means they will NEVER EVER tell you they don't know where a place is. I even had a guy today pointing left while telling me to go right -- fabulous.
But still, I made it one piece, and I learned that it is a very good incentive to not buy stuff when you realize you have to carry it around on your back for the next 2 months. I was nearly cursing the handmade vase I bought yesterday for adding a single pound to my pack.
Then came the camels. I can now cross riding a camel past the pyramids off my "to do" list and add it to my "don't need to repeat" list. I went to the Giza pyramids and of course camelback is the only way to see the pyramids. :) Don't get me wrong, the pyramids were awesome, though very touristy. But camels are weird and a little scary. I climbed on, and this kid about 7 yrs old grabbed the reigns and told me to hold on here and lean back. It began to stand while I held on for dear life, reminding myself "Lean back! Lean back!"
Probably sensing my fear, his head swung around while making this horrible noise. He had a hungry look in his eyes, and I though for a minute he was going to have a bite of my leg. Thankfully he decided I did not look that tasty and off we went.
So the kid leads me out until he decides it's the perfect picture place. So he drops the reigns, takes my camera and goes to get the perfectly framed shot. As I sit there trying to smile and look calm, I realize that no one is in control of this huge animal, and I have no training in how to respond if he takes off or tries to bite. Do I kick him in the mouth like a shark? Who knows.
All that to say I think we can safely cross camel trainer off as a possible job.