To say that the night bus from Dahab was a less than restful experience would be something of an understatement. In fact the best thing you could say about it was that at least it left on time. I cannot remember ever being on a bus with less leg room, compounded by the fact that everyone who boarded immediately reclined their seats trapping the person's legs behind them. It was a case of one recline all recline. Fortunately after a stop in Sharm el Sheikh we managed to move and get a double seat each.
Any ideas of dropping off to sleep were quickly shattered by multiple police checks, the driver shouting at passengers for smoking, the lights being constantly turned on and off, a loud movie blaring at 1am that no one was watching (probably because they were trying to sleep) and our tickets being inspected for the third time, even though no one had got on! The final straw was having to get off at the Suez canal tunnel, remove our luggage for a no more than cursory inspection, watched on by armed guards, and then reload the bus before setting off.
By the time we arrived in Cairo the last thing we wanted to do was haggle with the taxi driver about the fare to the hostel. Perhaps he saw the look on our faces and decided to not push it, as we soon came to an agreeable sum without too much fuss.
Arriving in the vicinity of Hola hostel we spent far too much time wandering round the block looking for the entrance. Eventually logic prevailed and we phoned them up and someone came down and met us. Despite the fact that it was only 8am, we felt like we had had a full day already. It was a relief that we were allowed to check in early and get some sleep.
Waking shortly before lunch we decided we should make the effort to do something with our time. On reflection the long walk to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, through Cairo's crazy traffic and people thronged streets was probably a step too far.
Central Cairo succeeded in making all of the other cities we have been in so far look quiet. Progress along the streets can only be made through a series of manoeuvres around street stalls, barrow pushing traders, constantly stopping shoppers and the occasional detour into the traffic to avoid a pavement blocking vehicle. When we stopped for our first try of Koshari (a carb laden dish of rice, pasta, chick peas, lentils and tangy tomato sauce) finding somewhere peaceful to eat it was nearly impossible. A traffic island under a flyover provided a small sheltered area of calm, provided you blocked out the constant engine noise and car horns of course!
While checking our map to make sure we were going the right way, Cairo's streets are quite confusing, we were assisted by a lovely Egyptian couple. They told us that they were heading towards the Bazaar and said that they would take us if we liked. The couple were great company and we ended up joining them for mint tea and shishas at Fishawi's coffee house, which claims to have been open continuously since 1773 (Ramadan excepted). Sitting on the street drinking tea and having a shisha, whilst street hawkers constantly try to tempt you with ornate cigarette lighters, colourful scarves, tissues, silver jewellery and disturbing realistic crying dolls, is a must do experience. It was so enjoyable and the company so good that we managed to while away a couple of hours.
Eventually leaving the coffee house, our new found friends pointed us in the direction of Cairo's last tarboosh (fez) maker and then said goodbye. Heading towards the Fez maker we were accosted by an Egyptian guy who had previously worked as a bouncer in Newcastle. He showed us where the fez maker plied his trade and then rather predictably led us to his families handicraft stall. The family make beautiful, mother of pearl inlaid, boxes and backgammon sets. With some very hard haggling we eventually bought a very small box. It is our first real souvenir of the trip and bearing in mind the space we have and the weight we are already carrying very probably our last.
The prospect of a walk back to the hostel didn't seem very appealing so we took the sensible option of a taxi, which once again required some haggling. Via a trip to the nearby fruit and veg market we made our way back to the hostel where we pretty much collapsed for the rest of the day. We managed to drag ourselves out to buy some falafel and chips, but any idea of experiencing Cairo's night life will have to wait. We contented ourselves with the constant cheers from the crowds of people watching Egyptian football matches on the restaurant and café bars below.
Tomorrow we head to the Ethiopian embassy.
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