Onwards & Upwards

Goodbye Cairo!

Well today we have said goodbye to our three cameleers who have provided us with a really great time in Egypt, Abdul (La Teef) Senior Guide, Hany, junior in training and trying very hard (Ros’s fave) and last but not least our driver Wahid (The Man) who’s skills behind the wheel have left us both speechless and shit scared all at once. Wahid also conjured up an amazing spliff so he was my fave, he also has 2 wives 5 kids and doesn’t speak a word of English which proved no barrier to he and I having a great laugh most of the time.

Well what can I say? Cairo is an experience not to be missed, a tale of two cities, old and decrepit, dirty moth ridden but fascinating, and the new Cairo with it’s sparkling new City Stars Mall with every world brand name on offer surrounded by luxury on the edge of the desert. It’s strange to say but I think we preferred the dirty one!!!!

We have seen smiling faces everywhere especially when coaxed into every shop and bazaar along the way, cash has an amazing effect on these people and when you earn an average A$30 a week it’s hardly surprising!

Unfortunately this computer has no facility for uploading photo’s so you will have to wait a week until I can post pictures of her indoors belly dancing, not only on our Nile dinnercruise but in a shop!! Bedecked in all the gear she caused quite a stir and they loved her.

You cannot be anything but in awe of the great and ancient sights that are everywhere and what is most refreshing is that they don’t look one bit like Disneyland!! The night time laser light show at the Pyramids was especially memorable. The only thing that comes to mind is that it is evident that in some ways Egypt still languishes in it’s own history and it’s over burdening population and motor cars.

We will be both sad and happy to move on to the next stage of our hols. There is much that we have not had the time to see and we would love to have had the time to visit Karnak and the Valley of the Kings and Aswan in Lower Egypt, but fatigue and a touch of being Sphinxed out takes it’s toll.

I forgot to mention in previous posts that there was another cock up with our hotel which Hotels.com failed to advise us of, they had actually had a problem with my credit card and had cancelled our booking, fortunately the hotel manager was very good and fixed us up anyway and as luck would have it (we needed some) it actually saved us $100, how good was that, making up for some of the cash that we have undoubtedly not haggled hard enough over.

We are really stoked at the comments we are getting and really chuffed that Sandra & Joe (best man at our wedding) may have a chance to meet with us in Paris. A fantastic bonus for us, as we go back almost as far as the pyramids. So things at this time could not be better, strangely we haven’t even had a row yet which also goes back farther than the pyramids!!!!

So tomorrow we depart, richer for the experience and poorer in the wallet, but no matter it has been worth every shekel, zac or whatever! Ros might have to try the belly dancing professionally to recoup and I might have to flog off a organ or two by the time we leave Paris!!

So Salem and Imshala to you all until we reach gay Paris where I fully intend to terrorise the frogs mercilessly and keep reminding them that the whole world speaks English – except them (that always gives them the shits)

Up the Hammers!!!!

p.s. Thanks to our lovely girls for looking after the ranch