Midnight found us in Cairo, dreading our next moments. We wanted to stay near the airport in a nice place. A travel agency at the Arrivals hall suggested a 3 star hotel called the Oasis Hotel. However the price was 3 times what we'd paid at the New Palace (our first hotel in Cairo, several weeks back). Too tired to argue, we reluctantly agreed.

When we got there, we knew Kenya had spoiled us badly. The hotel was not any nicer than Cairo's New Palace, except we had our own bathroom. As well, there was no internet and we had to call for towels. Don't get us wrong; we were fine with these small inconveniences; it's just that for that price, we expect a lot more for the money. We fell asleep anyway, with the girls in one room and boys in another.

In the morning, we tried to enjoy the "buffet" breakfast but it was not at all appetizing, so we gave up and called a cab. The desk said it would be 50 pounds, 15 more than the driver the night before had told us, (going to the airport is cheaper than leaving the airport), so we held out until we got a 35 pound cab which quickly and efficiently drove us to the wrong terminal! We had to wait in the heat until a shuttle came. It didn't show and didn't show, so we hailed a cab. However, just as we put our baggage in the cab, the shuttle finally arrived. We grabbed our bags back but then the cab driver wanted money, so Barry paid him 5 pounds for his trouble. The shuttle drove us to another bus stop, where we had to catch yet another bus which promptly drove off before we could jump aboard. Luckily, there was a second one, so we caught it and were soon at the terminal, dripping with sweat and amused with what an adventure travel can be.

Throughout the whole morning, the people of Egypt continued to be outrageously friendly and fun. It's too bad we had some negative experiences because, overall, we love the Egyptian humour and friendliness; it's just the "wheeling and dealing" that gets tiresome.

Eventually, we finally found ourselves boarding a massive Airbus A340-300 bound for the Kingdom of Bahrain. The trip was great, and we landed safely at around 6:30 pm. We had five hours to kill, so when we saw a sign for the restaurant Chili's (same as in Canada!) we decided to grab a snack and a drink. It was good, but the $30.00 bill for a small appetizer platter and four soft drinks was a shocker. After the snack, we hit an internet café in the airport and quickly checked our email. While there, we bumped into a woman from Australia. When we saw her later by our boarding gate, we invited her over for a game of cards. It turned out she is a travel writer named Judy Chapman, and we quite enjoyed her company so the five hours went by fast.

When we got on the next flight, we had more leg room and a full choice of movies which could be viewed on personal entertainment systems. The meal was tasty and the steward filled up our wine glasses a few times. In no time, we arrived in Delhi at 3:00 am Cairo time (our departure point); 5:30 am their's. By the time we got through customs, it was 7:30 am, and our driver from the Smyle Inn was waiting for us.