Back to Cairo

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Having had several early days in a row, we all enjoy a sleep in this morning before heading up to the top floor dining room for breakfast. In the light of day, the view of the Suez canal and the ships is quite impressive, probably the only redeeming feature of this place.

After making use of the INTERNET to update our finances and pay some bills, we pack up and head down to flag a taxi. We almost end up leaving our passports behind, which the hotel had kept after check in and not returned to us.

Unlike the bus that we took to to Dahab, the bus to Cairo is really disgustingly dirty. We end up in the wrong seats at first, not realizing the the ticket has the seat number written in Arabic on it (the numbers on the seats themselves are “normal”).

It is an odd light as we head out of Suez, with shafts of light streaming out of the dark clouds and highlighting patches of distant hills. Eventually a grey front appears on the horizon, like an oncoming rain storm. When this front reaches us, I realize that it is sand, not rain. We find ourselves in a sand storm, with visibility quickly dropping. It is kind of like a “white out” at home, and all the traffic slows as it gets harder to see. Amazingly, after this brief sandstorm it begins to rain - the first rain we have seen in a month in Egypt. The rain almost instantly clears the sand from air, replacing the dark sandstorm with a like mist and bringing back the visibility.

The trip from Suez to Cairo is only about an hour and a half and we quickly find ourselves entering the city. The bus stops oddly at the side of a major road a large barrier along one side, making it possible to get our bags our but not to get them out of the road. Fortunately, we get a taxi quickly and head off to “The Isis Hotel”

The Isis hotel is in an office building on the 15th floor. At first it looks a little sketchy, but when we get our room it is huge with a fridge and full size dining room table, satellite TV, wifi, and a great view of the Nile and Cairo. We are more than happy.

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