Wow, what a couple of days!

Day 2) Alexandria

We got up ridiculously early to catch the 8:00 train to Alexandria, only to find out that the train was fully booked! We had to settle for the 9:00 in first class, which we couldn't really complain about as it put National Rail to shame! Alexandria is much quieter and calmer than Cairo with a relaxed marine outlook. We headed to the catacombs, a terrifying set of underground tombs only discovered when a donkey fell through the ground a few years ago! We took a detour down a backstreet shortly afterwards and found ourselves in the heart of the fascinating, vibrant slums of the city. Every person we passed shouted 'welcome!' from behind piles of fresh tomatoes, grilled fish and multi-coloured spices. Goats and children ran through the streets and it really was like stepping into another world.

However my observation that the people were friendly was to become rather ironic as our adventure onto the public beach took an interesting turn! Innocent curiousity turned into unobscured fascination as after foolishly lying on the beach we opened our eyes to be surrounded by the arabian paparazzi! In the form of 20 or so Arabian men with phone cameras! The result was quite funny as we attempted to shield ourselves and run at the same time!

We had a delicious seafood lunch, choosing our fish and langoustines (sea bass and snapper dad, to make you jealous!) to be grilled immediately and eating them with a selection of hummus, salad, and roasted vegetables!

We made it back to Cairo after a slightly terrifying moment where we thought we had missed our stop and were going to be spending the night in the slums! We ate our kebabs in a little cafe in the bazaar, and stayed up until late smoking shisha with the very cool manager of the hostel, talking politics and southern fairies.

Day 3 - The Pyramids!

Once again we had a very very early start, desperate to get to the pyramids before any other tourists. As we made our way through the Giza rush hour, on camel back, we were reminded of the difference between the Egyptian scene and our own Picadilly Circus! Horses reared, Bedouins bawled at each other, and small boys rode past, three astride the majestic camels.

Luckily once we had got through the bottleneck the scene was much more serence, with only a few camels and horses straying across the golden Saharan desert. Suddenly the peaks rose up above us in the hazy dawn sky, somehow more irregular and darker than I expected. We stood on the ledge, overlooking the line of pyramids, the sphinx, and the vastness of Giza and Cairo stretching into the distance. It was an impressive sight. We also managed to get the essential tourist photographs; using optical illusion to create the impression of leaning against the pyramid, etc etc. We escaped the heaves of tourist buses that rose once again beyond the peaks and headed back to our hostel in time for breakfast.

This afternoon we decided to head to the Egyptian Museum, an unplanned decision to see the thousands of items which had been removed from inside the pyramids. We were overwhelmed by the quality and condition of such items and at the unimaginable creative and architectural skill of the Ancient Egyptians. The knowledge I picked up during my brief stint at the Oriental Museum in Durham came in useful!

We finished off the night with a trip to the same kosherie as last night, and then to see an authentic egyptian mall! We are currently waiting for the night bus to Dahab, which leaves at midnight and will get us there very early tomorrow morning! So it is a farewell to the hustle and bustle of the city and a hello to the beaches and the Red Sea!