Palpable relief at being able to move on finally. I’ve been in Egypt over 2 months. I’m desperately hoping for no more delays. I have 12 hours to waste until my coach from Cairo to Marsa Matrouh at 1.15am. Marsa Matrouh is a fitting planned last stop in Egypt, marking… Continue reading
One calendar year completed. I should have been home around 14 days ago. Whatever I do I seem unable to break from Cairo, and Egypt. This thought is echoed at the Libyan Embassy. “Wait, wait.” I’m told. “Inshallah, it will be ready tomorrow.” It would be easy to point out… Continue reading
Hating the pyramids I feel under siege in Cairo – I can’t enjoy talking to anyone for the expectation that they will later ask me to visit their “father’s” carpet shop or buy an Egyptian sim card from them. At the overpass I’m not entirely sure where to stand, and… Continue reading
Old and new My last few days of 3 weeks in Alexandria were spent for the most part in praying and catching up on unread authors. The news, received by phone, that my new passport was ready for collection at the British Embassy in Cairo jolted a shot of excitement… Continue reading
Having spent 2 weeks in Alexandria I have, slowly, worked my way through all its interesting sites, from Montazah Palace in the East to Fort Qaitbey in the West. To get to the fort I passed a petrol depot, a police station, and quite a number of other ugly buildings…. Continue reading
My extended stay in Alexandria means I have time to mention food, something I have not done since west Africa. Perhaps that the month of Ramadan began the day of my arrival in the city (when eating is forbidden for Muslims in daylight hours) got me thinking of it. Food… Continue reading
Crazy, cosmopolitan Alexandria The buildings of Alexandria stretch on forever, beyond the haze of distance. For 20km in fact, along the seafront, housing more than 4 million people. I work my way down el-Nabi Daniel (Prophet Daniel Street) past the bookshop and bookstalls in search of the Mosque of the… Continue reading
From Ras el Bar and the end of one branch of the Nile, I aim for Raschid, and the end of another branch. To get there I must first head back to Damietta, catching an East Delta Travel company bus. From there I catch a shared taxi to a junction… Continue reading
The northern end of the Suez Canal, Port Said I get my first view of the Mediterranean Sea for 10 months in Port Said. I can go north in Africa no longer. I must turn west. When its cooled down a little, to pleasant towards evening I stroll the few… Continue reading
The road follows the coastline for its entire length. We pass oases of manicured green tidiness of resorts with the usual brandings in otherwise desolate landscape. Quseir was once a major port for the hajj pilgrimage. Now its not a major anything. I get to eat overlooking an old fashioned… Continue reading
