Andi, I am still laughing about your encounter with the toilet.

BTW, you mentioned all the laundry hanging in windows in Cairo. When my son lived there, he shared a nice 3 bedroom apt with 2 other guys. They didn't have a clothes dryer though, so had to dry their clothes on the balcony of the apt. I think clothes dryers just are not used much there, even by people who could afford them.