Story : An Egyptian Soldier

When I take a look at all those wonderstories with a Victorinox knife, I can't help thinking, with some of them, weither they're true or just proof of a huge imagination. This one isn't the "huge explosion / Victorinox saved my life" story but a fun story of my holiday in 2012. 

When we go on a vacation, we allways put our beloved knives in the luggage. "You never know!" is our motivation to do so. The wife takes a Climber and I can't leave the house without my trusty Soldier. In 2012 we decided to go to Egypt. It was a lifelong dream to see, feel and perhaps climb the piramids. The knives are allways in the main luggage on the airplane (duh!) and this seems to work perfectly. After a few vacations, I can now safely say that whenever you keep the knives out the carry-on, it will arrive! :) One of our first trips in Egypt was offcourse to see the piramids of Gizeh and because of the protests on the Tahrir square, our travel-company said it was still not safe to go. We are the more adventurous type, and went looking for a local taxi company. After a few hours we made a deal with a limousine service (more luxureous taxi, not the long car!) and the next day we were on the road. After a five hour drive trough the desert, we arrived in Cairo... What a city! A few minutes outside Cairo, is Gizeh, and at the entrance we're overwhelmed by the numerous "guides" offering to help us. One of them assists us to the x-ray scan.... Oh shit! I forgot that I carried my Victorinox Soldier. My wife left hers in the car. When I pass the metal detector, I can follow the scans screen, and see that the wife, normally watching the screen, is telling her entire life story at her friend. She didn't noticed the knife. I picked up my bag and made an unforgettable tour arround and on the piramids (2 meters :) ). The next stop was the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. I wanted to see the mask of King Tut. Believe it or not, but when you enter the building, you need to pass some kind of fence, and once you're inside, it's difficult to get back outside. So when we're inside and ready to go trough another x-ray scanner, my lightbulb shines once again... The knife! So I go back to the fence and shout at one of our drivers. He looks surprised and I ask him to put the knife in the car. He looks stunned and affraid. Are you insane? he says. "This is forbidden in Egypt." "You could go to jail for this.." I started sweating... Now I know that he exgagerated, but back then.... brrrr... We made a tour through the museum, but it kept haunting my mind... What if these guys decided to go to the police? When we went back to the car, they did as if nothing had happened and started driving back to the hotel. After a while I asked them what they did with the knife. The driver started laughing and asked us why we would bring such a thing to Egypt. After explaining that a Victorinox is far more than a "weapon", they aggreed, and at the end of our drive they gave the knife back. The driver seemed interested in the knife, and after explaining how it worked and what it could do, I gave it to him. Believe me, I never saw someone this happy! I bought a new one the minute I arrived in Belgium, because once you own one, you can't leave the house without! This guy probably uses this knife every day and maybe someday gives it to his son, just like I once got my first spartan from my dad...