Gunga-"Why you not drink from the sink?"

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Whew! After a long journey from Chicago( almost 24 hours) we arrived in hot and steamy Cairo. We were greeted by a kind van driver who had waited patiently as our flight had been delayed. Nothing is sweeter exiting customs in a 3rd. world country than seeing your name on a sign. It eliminates having to deal with all the touts who swarm around you like bees to baklava.

Our hotel, the Windsor ( found on the Internet) is in the heart of Cairo on a tiny side street that is basically closed to traffic. Our driver had to stop the van, get out, move some potted plants before we could pull in. Picture a faded beauty who has lost not some but all of her lustre but still retains her charm. The Windsor was originally a bath house, then a British Colonial club. It's been a hotel since the 50's but retains signs of its heritage. It has the oldest lift in Egypt- I'd go as far as to say in the world. It has to be operated by an employee. It is a metal cage run on a pulley system that one can observe from the upper floors. If I were a nervous person I'd probably not get in it.

The hotel is family owned and I think every relative of the owner works here- from handsome young men who guard the metal detector that one walks through at the entrance to elderly gentlemen in white shirts and snazzy black ties who wait on you in the lounge.

The room we have is called a 'deluxe'double. It is very large with 2 single beds that sway on metal springs. There is a huge wardrobe, a lovely dressing table, a TV,( not plugged in) a refrigerator( plugged in), and a telephone that looks like a prop from ' Casablanca'. In addition, there is a large dark rust colored velvet couch bordered by two arm chairs in the same pattern. A low glass covered coffee table sits in front of the couch. It has all the things we require: central location, in a safe area, and nothing that looks like a 'cookie cutter' high rise where Amway or Mary Kay would be giving seminars. We are happy here but not every one would be.

Today we decided to walk to the Nile. It was very hot. The streets are crowded beyond belief with traffic going every which way with continuous horn honking. At times it is almost symphonic not unpleasant at all. Unlike Hanoi where you took your life in your hands, here they have white suited very official looking traffic policemen to help you cross 4-6 lanes of traffic. Whew! We grew too hot and too tired and, well, a bit lost so we took a cab to the river. Imagine how that first glimpse was! A river, yes, but full of fellucas, small power boats, passenger boats full of tourists, and some older Nile cruise ships now used as restaurants.

But I was looking through all of that and picturing Cleopatra on her barge ( amazingly she looked just like Elizabeth Taylor) lounging with Mark Antony who was about to get dumped because Cleo had her eyes set on the BIG GUY- Julius Caesar himself. After that little fantasy passed we went to sit in a shady spot. Apparently, walking by the river must be where the teenage girls go to get noticed by the boys who sit on the wall. It was quite a parade of brightly colored head scarves, some worn with jeans and others with long floor length skirts. The entire time we were fending off salemen who walked by with chilled soft drinks on a tray.

We got a taxi who sort of knew where our hotel was. Believe me it takes a village to help us when we travel. We asked so many people for help and each was kind and most said ' welcome'- very sweet and unexpected.

We stopped to get bottled water across from the hotel. The bar next door wanted us to come in there instead. A tall man who worked at the bar followed me to the lobby of our hotel continually asking " Why you not drink from the sink?" Since I now know only two words in Egyptian ( thank you and okay ) I could not enter into a dialogue with him.

So far we are loving our experience here. People are extremely polite and kind to us especially when we are lost-which is pretty much at every corner.

Tomorrow we join our tour group with feelings of anticipation for a great trip but also a bit of regret becauase do love to explore on our own.

More later- Carolyn ( aka gunga)

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