The New Digs

Wednesday, December-29-10 10PM

This morning, the very morning we had nowhere to run to, our day to sleep in, we got a wake-up call!!!, ----- plus!!, two loud knocks on the door requesting our luggage. And all this before it was even 7:30. Such is the difficult lot of the traveller. But we manage. To the dining room for a hearty breakfast of omelettes, croissants, cheeses, coffee, and juice. Then a gradual pulling together of our effects, a stop in the hotel lounge for freshly squeezed orange juice (not given as part of the included breakfast) and a chance to use their internet services. By noon we were ready to check out of the minor palace our tour group had arranged for us and to move to our down-graded hotel that I had selected from establishments offered on the web under Cheap Hotels Cairo. The cost/night at our new place is approximately 1/3 that of the Pyramisa chain where we had bedded down in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor. I had understood from MapQuest instructions that the Concorde Hotel Dokki was across the Nile on the west bank, in the downtown of Cairo. We spoke to the doorman about a taxi. He looked at the address and asked if we knew that the hotel was located a block away, on the main street which crosses the Nile via a bridge.  We left the Pryamisa toting our luggage and computers, down the street, across the four lane round-about, around pot-holes and cars double-parked, to our new digs.

The Concorde Hotel Dokki is a small establishment. Whereas the Pryamisa was palace-like, this hotel is (to be charitable) homier. Our room overlooks a narrow alley which leads to the street. The sound of cars honking to one another is our constant companion. The room itself is sparsely decorated and contains the minimum in comforts, but we are already quite at home. We have unlimited free access to wireless internet, which makes our lives considerably easier and happier. The desk staff are not the well-dressed professionals of the Pyramisa but rather, just folks, and very friendly folks indeed. We have found a good grocery store a couple of blocks away and have stocked up on water, biscuits, tea, bananas, chocolate, and almonds, – all anyone could ask for in the way of hotel comfort foods. We have a small refrigerator in the room to keep water and pop cold. We have music via my computer’s storage and the small portable extra speakers that I bring along. We spent most of the afternoon reading and snoozing after a lunch of falafels that Mark purchased down the street. It was glorious.

I should tell you that Cairo is not a clean or pleasant place. It is very dirty in fact. Proximity to the desert keeps a steady influx of sand unavoidable. Added to this is the very poor emissions control on the approximately 5 million cars that troll about here daily, and, importantly, the poverty. Walking about is very like being in some of the crowded parts of inner Mexico City.  Pollution in the air leaves your throat quite raw after a time. Underfoot you walk along rarely, if ever, swept sidewalks. In places there are no sidewalks at all, or, if there, they can be torn up and full of holes. One sees abandoned cars, left perhaps for months or years, rusting and rotting in place. Garbage can be found strewn periodically along the edges of a street. There is a strange juxtaposition in each area of the city between modern buildings in fairly good condition lying right beside derelict houses or apartment buildings coated in years of dirt. It takes some getting used to and it certainly is not for everyone. On the other hand, the people are warm and openly curious and friendly. Everywhere we go people will smile and ask us where we are from. They will welcome us to Egypt and wish us a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year.

Around 6PM Mark and I went out to walk up to the north end of the island in the centre of the Nile across from where we are staying. This area was developed in the 20^th century and is the home of many wealthy Egyptians and foreigners. We had read about its charms and its shops and restaurants and wanted to explore. We went quite a distance up the road adjacent to the Nile on our side. It was dark by then and there were lights along the river and the road, making the scene very pretty. Buses and cars and people passed in profusion as we went along. There are three bridges over to the island but each is like a major highway artery. Though you can walk along at the side of each, the walk-ways are narrow and the exhaust fumes staggering. At the last bridge we opted for a taxi to take us the last mile or so. The driver could see that we had little idea what we were in search of, but he good naturedly drove us around the area until we came upon a shopping district. The price for his services? Three Egyptian pounds, with tip, five – less than a dollar!

The area was truly different than most we have seen in Cairo to date. The streets were cleaner; clearly they were being swept. There were lots of pastry shops and cafes with amazing looking creations. And there were antique shops with delicately carved ivory figures costing a fortune. I know this because I quizzed the owner of one shop about some of the lovely pieces in his window. One, about 7” tall is priced at 7000 EL, $1250 or so Canadian. But it is beautiful. The proprietor and I smiled at each other in mutual appreciation of the art involved in its creation. He wished me a Happy New Year and returned to the phone call he had been enjoying when I interrupted him.

We had more street food – a tasty chicken shwarma in a pita, followed by Movenpick ice cream in a cup. Another cab ride back to the hotel – 7.50 EL, including tip. While walking about Mark picked up today’s International Herald Tribune and I bought a second-hand copy of Alice Munroe’s book of short stories: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, etc., from a street vendor. He asked for 35 EL. I offered him 20. He said, OK, 30. Twenty, I insisted. OK, 25. No, I said. I took out a 20 EL bill and offered it to him. You want a sale and I want a book, I said. We grinned at each other and he took my money. It was all in good humour. And so back to our little retreat for an evening of not much. And now to bed and to rest. What adventures will tomorrow bring?

I hope all are well. I have no pictures from today but will put in some others that I have taken along the way. Don’t forget to look at the bottom of the page and also to write to me. Brenda.