Iskandariyya !!!

Iskandariyya is how you pronounce it in Arabic!! Has a nice ring!!





The bus ride here was un eventful. I was conned into drinking what i thought was complementary tea offered by the bus personal. Before i was about to get off i was informed i had to pay the equivalent of the 3 hour bus trip for tea and some packaged croissants ! So much for hospitality! (what am i complaining about it was only 4 dollars!)



It took me a while to find suitable accommodation in Alexandria (cheap and clean, ha, wishful thinking) I didnt have anything pre booked, so all the 'single' beds were taken. Im not really sure if this was the case or they simply want you to take a double room, but i finally found a wonderful, cheap place in the heart of it all! The buildings have so much character in central Alexandria. It has a very Euro/Arab feel to it all! This hotel had a rickety old elevator you'd see in some 1920 film with decor to match inside and high cielings!



I really didnt do much in Alexandria. Walked around the warf, went searching for a Museum only to be disappointed as it looked like it had been closed for years! Went to the great Library, thought it was pretty cool, considering its a representation of the old Library that once was. Stopped in the cafes, drank tea, ate pastries, found a classy seafood restaurant for dinner and had a nice big meal for $25! (felt bad cause i ate so much, calamari, a massive sea bass fish, salad, mezza dips and beer, and it was the price of take away fish and chips in Sydney! its okay, i tipped the waiters though, and the toilet staff who sit there to give you a paper towel and hand sanitiser)



I stayed two nights in Alexandria, was plenty really... The final morning i woke for pancakes in yet another wonderful cafe, then caught the bus back to Ciaro for my 8.30pm flight to Beirut... This time i was well aware of the cost of beverages on the bus and the assistant couldnt believe i didnt want anything throughout the entire rip! I had stocked up on goodies for the ride into town, and was asked every hour for the 4 hour trip to the airport if i would like something to drink? eat? tea? coffee?



As i was getting off the bus, some random attendant at the airport bus terminal was taking the bags out from the undercarriage. He asked for my ticket, i pointed to my bag, he then caught on that i was a tourist, held onto my bag , refused to hand it over and said "GIVE. ME. TIPS!" (i bursted out laughing, because the way he asked was in a very serious tone and was asking for multiple tips! GIVE ME TIPS, not A TIP, BUT TIPS!) WHAT FOR! i asked! I grabbed my bag off him, as i was walking off i could hear him again saying "GIVE ME TIPS!" Once inside the airport, i firstly found a bathroom and was using the uraniel with my backpack still strapped on and one bag under my arm, when all of a sudden the bathroom attendant was standing right next to me handing me a paper towel, (i gathered he probably wanted TIPS too!) Thanks but i really dont need tissues right now! I didnt bother to wash my hands as he followed me to the exit expecting me to turn and use the basins! (I love my hand sanitiser! its the best item to pack when travelling!)



These two incidences would now be my departing memories of Ciaro. Thanks guyz! Alexandria was completely different, no one hassled you and it had a much more chilled out atmosphere! Do i regret not seeing more of Egypt? MMM, if Luxor or Aswan had the same annoying hassling Egyptians as Ciaro, then im glad i didnt make the journey down, though im sure it had some fantastic sights and some missed photo opportunities!



Though ive kinda had enough being on the go. Maybe its because ive been in the mind set of 'when i get to Ciaro, ill buy my ticket to Beirut, then your travelling is coming to an end'. If i set my travels further like, say Morocco, or South Africa, then maybe my momentum would change. But im ready to stay put in one place now... Ive had a ball travelling around and have seen my fair share of cities, sights and ruins! Ill see if i have the urge of wanting to go somewhere in a months time?



So i flew out from Cairo on an MEA flight to Beirut! For the first time i lined up the "Lebanese line" for entry to Lebanon instead of the Foreigners line, my newly made Lebanese ID worked wonders, two quick stamps and a half nod, and i was off to claim my baggage! (quickest processing time in all my visits to Lebanon!)


I now plan to stay in Lebanon until February and await the muchly anticipated arrival of my brother in January! I will continue to blog while in Beirut, so stay tuned!!

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