In most recent news, my phone was fixed! Quite a feat I'd say given the "4% chance."
After running around all day on Thursday trying to repair the phone, I basically cast it aside as a lost cause and decided not to think about it anymore.
The weekend here is Friday and Saturday, so my host Jola and the new roommate Mariana both had the day off. We decided to explore Islamic Cairo and just walk around and do some window shopping. It's a nice change to have company for a whole day; doesn't happen very often when traveling solo. And it was especially nice to have a "local" guide and not have to look at the map all day! Islamic Cairo is one of the more atmospheric neighborhoods and smells of spices, perfumes, pollution, and animal excrement - a fine concoction. We had tea at Fishawi which is claimed to be the oldest cafe in Cairo and has been continuously open for over 200 years (maybe with the exception of the morning hours during Ramadan). Charming.
On Saturday Jola and I took the train to Alexandria for a day trip. We had planned to catch the 9am train and be there by 11am, but instead caught the 10am train and arrived at 1pm. It's not a huge city and we had targeted specific things to see so it was still plenty of time. Spent a couple of hours at the Alexandria National Museum - MUCH better displayed and manageable than the Egyptian Museum. They had artifacts lifted from underwater along with other pieces from the different periods in Egypt - Pharonic, Greco-Roman, Islamic, etc... We then visited the somewhat newly constructed Alexandria Library that was meant to restore some glory to the city and reference the ancient library and cultural center. It was a beautifully constructed building with not so many manuscripts inside... By dusk, we were walking along the corniche and Jola walks at a very brisk rate, so I was basically trotting behind her. To be fair, I should have expected this because she does everything quickly and the cold just gave her encouragement.
Yesterday I ran some errands such as buy my overnight bus ticket and also go all the way out to Heliopolis again to pick up my phone. To my surprise, the lady said they were able to fix the phone and also wanted 60 Egyptian Pounds. I was in no mood to argue...but that leaves me with $20 for everything in the next two days.
I've been able to do pretty well on that budget. Arrived this morning in Dahab (a small hippy resort town on the Sinai Peninsula on the Red Sea) after a FREEZING overnight bus ride. The dorm bed was about $3.50 per night and I've been eating local food for $1 or so per meal. This place is lovely provides some much needed quiet and relaxation after a full week in Cairo. Everything is close to the beach and the town is tiny and very walkable. It's also a huge dive mecca because of the crystal clear waters and abundant underwater life, so people are trucking along scuba gear everywhere.
Another full day here tomorrow before busing it to Jordan via Isreal.
No comments:
Post a Comment