Cairo, Egypt - Air conditioning? What is air conditioning?

My man Hosni's selling plums and peaches on the mean streets of Alexandria.

The recovery continues. I'm fine. Felt slight queasiness at about 1800 but I'm fine now.

Damn it was hot today. The radio said it was 42C. No where to hide. Maybe a movie theatre? Too bad I missed the 1300 showing of Spiderman 3...damn. I could have got out of the sun for a while. Instead, I chose to hide in my room. Not an ideal solution...

What was nice today was a phone call from gawgy (my brother). I miss him. Badly. I asked him to do a comparative study of East-West airline fares out of Cairo. I'm pretty nasty, eh? I'll write him to nix the idea... A local agency could do the work. Not. Can't trust any of them...

My brother sounded good though. He dialed back and put mutha on the phone. I miss her, too, in a positive way. She said she missed arguing with me. Ugh. I told her to go fight with gawgy. She says its more fun with me because I'm more feisty. Ugh.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 10/07
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Cairo, Egypt - Long time no see...

Boys #5 and #6 in Alexandria. Did I mention that I had a banana seat bicycle when I was a kid? It had a black seat and a wicked frame painted lime green. I loved that bike. My folks sold it for 2 dullah in the only garage sale they ever had. I'm gonna cry...sob.

The Cipro kicked in. No more dashes to the loo. Although I feel much better, I'm was operating in a bit of a fog. I had a relatively good night of sleep. I dunno what was wrong with me... It might be that I was taking the medication at the same time I was scarfing down taco chips (and washing it down with a big 2 L bottle of Orange Crush).

Was awoken this morning by the friendly folks at reception knocking on my door. Apparently, they had not seen hide or hair of me the last 48 hrs and were worried that I had skipped town without paying for the room. God bless their souls. Anyway, I informed Ahmed through the crack in the door that if he stepped any closer he would risk catching a disease that was akin to the bubonic plague. He got the message and stopped pestering me for the rent.

Later in the day, I managed to crawl out of bed and into an internet cafe (damn the WWW!) to check the email. It kind of piled up in the Inbox in my absence. It felt good to be online again.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 9/07
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Cairo, Egypt - Dammit! I'm a tourist. Not a Doctor

Boy #5 in Alexandria - Hey kid, nice banana seat.

The fever broke overnight. I'm staying in bed however. I'm getting a nasty case of diarrhea. I reluctantly decided to start my last course of the antibiotic ciprofloaxin. It's good. It's strong. I don't want to mess with a good thing though but I really don't want to be lying around for days running to the toilet. Plus, I enjoy self diagnosis and all, but damn it, I'm a tourist, not a doctor.

Foolishly, I went out for take out kushary (a mix of pasta, chick peas, topped off with a spicy tomato paste like substance). I was hungry for crying out loud. It didn't agree with me though. Should have stuck with the Cheetos...

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 8/07
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Cairo, Egypt - Is it feed a fever and starve a cold or the other way around?

Boy #4 in Alexandria...

Not a good day. The fever returned with a vengeance. I've been just burning up since 4 PM. Kind of scary. I think I have it under control with the ibuprofen. I have to be careful to let this run it's course. Fever is a natural response. I'm going to decrease the time between dosages just to get rid of this headache. I might be here a couple of more days...

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 7/07
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Cairo, Egypt - Send in the MASH unit...again.

Looking down on Midan Talaat Harb.

I'm sick again.

This time I've got a big time fever and aching muscles. Whenever there's a fever I have to be concerned. Means the body is fighting an infection of some kind. It hit me like a rock at about 1900h last night. It's been a hot day but I've been burning up independent of the weather. I think I got the bug from Tomoko (Mimi). She too was ill. In fact, she's been bedridden for the last couple of days. Hopefully, I'll try to get some rest in the next couple of days.

Having said that, I worked a bit on the computer today. Seems like Egypt Air is the ceapest carrier out of here. That includes competition coming from so-called descount airlines like Arabia Airways. They even beat Yemeni Airways' fare for a ticket to Sanaa.

Also got my visa extention. The office, located in a humongous Soviet-style monolithic-like building on Midan Tahrir, was a bit daunting but the process was smooth (despite having to wait in multiple cues in multiple departments to get the job done).

On the same visa front, I'm going to visit the Syrian Embassy when I get better. I've heard mixed reports on the issuance of Syrian tourist visas. Apparently, I won't be able to obtain a visa anywhere but Ottawa. That's going to be difficult since I've been on the road for 8 months now. Makes me want to fly over them...

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 6/07
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Cairo, Egypt - I've got a future as a travel agent...

When the Dahab Hostel's elevator is out of order (that's quite often by the way), we have to take this set of stairs.

Damn it was hot today. The radio announcer wasn't phased in any way when she forecasted a temperature of 40 C. She gleefully added that it will be accompanied by lots of sunshine.

Should have got more work done today but the day started too late. Tomorrow. There's always tomorrow.

But first, I've got to extend my visa. I've lost track of time left on my initial visa, but it seems like I've been here for an eternity. I've never had to extend a visa, anywhere.

Bad news on the guidebook front. The LP central Asia was sold out at the AUC. Together with the lack of a LP Pakistan, a journey eastward would rather challenging at this point. That leaves the options of home/Europe or traveling overland to Istanbul in search of guidebooks (then pick up a Iranian Visa somewhere along the way). It's complicated.

I met the craziest dude at brekkie today. A Chinese/Aussie dude. When I told him that I was Chinese as well, he started talking to me using some weird dialect. I interrupted and said that I didn't understand what he was saying but he kept yammering at me with his garbled Chinese.

He must have clued in when he spotted my confused/contorted face.

"I thought you understood Chinese", he chortled.

Ugh.

The conversation got weirder when I questioned him about the instant noodles he was eating... He had gone to the local "Asian" market and stocked up on instant noodles (wonder if this was the best Asian fare he could find) and sussed out all of the Chinese restaurants in town.

"Why not eat the local foods?", I asked.

He responded, "I'm afraid if I ate Egyptian food I would vomit". Thing is, he has never tried Egyptian.

"What if you go somewhere in Egypt where there wasn't Asian food to be found?", I asked.

First, he said he's carrying a supply of 24 instant noodles in his backpack. Second, there's bound to be a KFC or McDonald's where ever he goes. Hmmm... I didn't see these places in Aswan or Siwa... Kind of shocking coming from a guy who seemed to scrimp on everything else. Mickey D's, KFC, and Chinese restaurants just happened to be the most expensive places to eat here.

Anyway, to each their own I guess.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 5/07
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Siwa to Cairo, Egypt - I am the King of Bleak...

Hey kids, here's some pix of the scenery between Siwa and Marsa Matruh.

You'd think we were out in the middle of nowhere...

...until the bus pulls up alongside the loneliest snack bar in the world...

I came all this way and they didn't serve kushari...hmmmph.

Tiny Mosque on the Sahara...(aka the mosque out back).

Little more of the desolate, sun baked desert. Libya is yonder... Note the rubbish heap on the right...

Phew... we were not alone...

That was a long day on the bus. Siwa to Marsa Matruh (4hrs/15LE). Then an overpriced ticket to Cairo (50 LE). When we arrived in Cairo I didn't know where the bus was stopping. As it turned out it definitely wasn't at the main bus station (Turgoman). After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time and kilometres (it just wouldn't get off the freeway), we exited the freeway and ended up in a bus station called Al-Mazar. According to the map, we were nearly at the airport...

That was one of the biggest logistical snafu's I've made on the trip, so far. The cost of a taxi from here to downtown was prohibitive. Situations like this call for calm. DO NOT PANIC (Cairo taxi drivers seem to be able to smell panic in the air)!! We sought the help of a well dressed business man. (Ed. note: well dressed people probably understand English.) He directed us to a bus headed to Midan Tahrir (exactly where we needed to go).

We stumbled into the Dahab Hostel 2.5 hours late... Shit. Some of the regular Hostel residents had moved on. Mohammed (Robert the German) was packed and ready to leave for Dahab (the sea side town) at midnight. Tomoko (Mimi) was still here. The Norwegian was predictably here. I think he's hustling the gorgeous German girl, Katerina, now. Dennis, the Chinese/Dutch guy, found an apartment. He's gone. Adi, the Canadian girl, and Harald, the Dane, both gone...

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 4/07
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Siwa, Egypt - Igloos in the Sahara...

Located on a hill in the centre of town (metres from the Yousef Hotel) was the Fortress of Shali, the pinnacle of Siwa. Built around 1200, the Fortress provided security for Siwans from Beduoin raiders. The original fortress must have been quite the sight. Some of the buildings reached 5 stories high. In 1923, after a series of devastating rain storms, the Fortress, made of composite mud/salt bricks, suffered irreversible damage. It simply melted away. Today, only a few of the ground level buildings are still occupied...

Did I mention, there is was no paid admission to visit the ruins? Free is good... just walk in...

Near the top... The building materials were hard as rock...

Shali must have been pretty impressive back in the day...

Definitely recommend climbing up to the top of the hill for sunset. Except for a few fellow travelers, Egyptian or Western, you'll have the whole place to yourself...

Ahhh...getting tired of these sunset photos yet?...

Also, make sure you bring a torch with you if you plan on staying beyond sunset because the first step down is usually a doozie...

One of the remaining minarets in Shali...

It's official: I'm going to Cairo tomorrow. Momentarily delayed mind you. Jason has come down with a bout of food poisoning, I think, and couldn't make today's bus. Just as well, I'll take the opportunity to take some more pix.

I have mixed feelings about leaving Siwa. The people have been nice. The experience at the Abdu Restarant wasn't pleasant (another unethical ripoff-the-tourists story) but didn't really taint the trip. The 4X4 debacle will take more time to forget but, in the long run, no biggie.

As a chill out spot, Siwa was a difficult place because of 1) the dang heat (next time I'm coming during the spring/fall) and 2) there isn't really a place to hang out unless you rent a bike and head to one of the springs. If you are biking during the heat of the day you're pretty much knackered for the rest of the day. Otherwise, it was a good experience. But it's time to go. There are some important decisions to be made back in Cairo.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 3/07
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Siwa, Egypt - Boss, boss...The Plane, the plane!!

Biking on a lonely, lonely road leading from Fatnas Spring (or Fantasy Island). These are my homies: l to r: Jason, Tomo, and Robbie). I must admit I didn't take photos of Fatnas Spring 'cause I was swimming in it. Lots o' fun until I remembered I really can't swim. The Spring was really, really deep... Oh well, at least I can say I "swam" in an oasis...

Those lazy hazy days of summer...hmmm. Love the 40 C temps. Ladies and germs, that lake is not a mirage. To prove it, Jason was skipping rocks on it.

We tried to rent the 4X4 last night. We checked out the vehicle and met the driver last night. They quoted the price of LE 400. The bastards would not budge. First, the Korean guys (traveling under extreme budgets) balked and left the table. Robbie the American, seeing no hope, followed soon thereafter, leaving me and Jason holding the bag. There's a chance at hatching a plan tomorrow. A slight chance at that. We learned of a Polish couple thinking about making a similar trek. However, I'm not holding my breath. Feeling the urge to move on, I most likely will head back to Cairo by bus in the next day or two and then to the Sinai.

Met a Japanese girl at the Yousef Hotel yesterday. She went biking with us out to Fatnas Spring (a.k.a. Fantasy Springs)today. Her name is Tomo.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 2/07
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Siwa, Egypt - Cleopatra walked like an Egyptian and rode a rickety old bike (or dang this place is hot...)

Downtown Siwa from a top the Yousef Hotel...

What's left of the Temple of Amun.

Cleopatra's Spring...a lovely spot. Water was cool and crystal clear...

Kids will be kids...

One by one...

...till one was left...

This is my friend Robbie from America...

takin' the plunge... We spent about an hour trying to capture him diving into the spring with an obligatory donkey cart driving by in the background...

Sunset on the way back from the Spring...a few of Siwa's date palms are in the foreground...

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Marker points to the Yousef Hotel in Downtown Siwa...

We went bike riding yesterday. We really couldn't do too much between 11 and 4 because of the heat. We did as the locals did and just took it easy. In fact, I had a siesta in the afternoon.

[Ed. note: Siwa was a pretty conservative town. So, ice cold beers were not to be found. There was an excellent juice bar in the town square that served delicious, freshly squeezed, cold sugar cane juice. For something like pennies a glass, we kept the cane press busy.]

As the oppressive heat waned in the late afternoon, Jason, Robbie (a new American friend), and I rented some old clunky bikes and headed out to the Cleopatra Spring. It was so nice being back on a bike. Pure freedom... We road first through the dusty streets of town and then deep into the forest of date palms.

Set smack dab in middle of the road was the Spring. They had built a stone wall around the perimeter. Only Robbie went for a dip. Jason didn't know how to swim. It looked very refreshing. I should have took the plunge myself.

**********

Today's been off to a slow start. Jason managed to miss his wake up call. That's ok. If we get our act together, we should take in Fatna Spring.

Siwa has been OK. After being here for almost 24 hrs. now, the hassle has died down. In fact, it's has been really quiet (To be expected, coming from nutty places like Alex and Cairo, I guess.). In fact, once it's prayer time at the local mosque, Siwa becomes pretty much a ghost town. So far, not much to do other than relax and ride bikes.

We're trying to arrange transport to Bahariya, another oasis town located about 400 km east of here. The route is supposed to travel through some of the most isolated, rugged, and spectacular desert landscapes of Egypt's Western Desert. Unfortunately, we'll need to rent a 4X4 for the trip. The cost of the rental plus driver is extortionate. However, together with Robbie, Jason, a couple of Korean guys and I, we might be able to split the costs.

We'll see later on tonight.

Out of Canuckistan: A travel blog, June 1/07
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