From Israel to Egypt

This time we were on an "organized" tour, I use that term loosely, as we left half an hour late and with a sparce 16 people on a luxuary coach, after being told by the guide that we could only take 20 AEP in to Egypt and I began to worry about the 150 I had in my pocket. Stories were flying back and forth between me and my travel buddy Paz, of what we would say - "My mother gave it to me", "I forgot I had the money", "oh someone must have slipped it in", finally at the tenth hour we hit on a brain wave. Distribute the money 20 AEP to each person on the bus! We did this to about 5 people. Hoping we would remember who we had given it to, hoping they wouldn't think it was a gift and hoping the Chinaman really understood. Maybe they would just smile and refuse to give it back on the other side of the boarder.As it happened when we were finally on the other side of the boarder, in a large waiting room with officials milling around, one of our accomplaces approached us and said he was sorry but he had changed his mind, and could we take the 20 AEP, which he was now waving in the air, back. Yes we could. I grabbed it, and as discretely as was now possible stuffed it back into my pocket. Once on the other side we were allowed to change our money and of course keep the little pink slip to prove we had changed it there and not brought it into the country illegally. Paz, after changing $50 proudly sauntered up to me and announced - "Ha ha now we've fooled them, I have changed the 133AEP into 183AEP so we've covered the excess you brought in"...:that's great but doesn't the little pink slip specify the Dollar amount? 183AEP for $50, they must have given you a very special rate! Oh shit, and they have the original carbon copy. Once again the possible alibies flew between us, - change the $50 to $70; pretend you're a congenital idiot; loose the paper. Right! By now we are occasionally bursting into fits of nervious laughter. So I slipped the slip of pink paper into a nearby dustbin where it couldn't be retrieved. Aaah, sigh of relief.
"Will all passengers please declare all money at the following gate". - Great now we have even more unaccountable money. Oh well it's too hot to worry any more and our stories are so mixed up I don't know if I am a South African Au Pair or a Jewish Diplomate.
At last our passports were returned and we could leave for the dreaded customs, as I lept up with enthusiasm I knocked over the dustbin and out fell the famous pink slip. Paz discreatly swooped down and lifted the bin while retreaving the slip.
Now for customs. And quite frankly they couldn't give a dam what we had. We were just waved through.
Once on the bus and cruising through the sinai , we reclaimed the 60 or so AEP from the passengers, when we reached the Chinaman, he was very confused and explained that he had spent it, and could he repay us in Dollars.