Perhaps the rot has set in after this length of time in Egypt. Or am I just being led astray by the colourful company I keep? At any rate, during this past week, it seems that I have been spending a disproportionate amount of time on hotel roofs. So commented my darling bride when I emailed during the week to report in on my activities, including after work drinks on the roof of the Nile Hilton and from the lobby bar at the Grand Hyatt. At least in the latter I was inside and on the ground floor, albeit watching the Nile flow by through the tinted glass of a bottle or two of Sakkara Gold, and over the silver bowl of accompanying nibbles, illuminated by the floating scented candle.
I have to admit that the Grand Hyatt is a “flasher” pub than my digs since the start of November. Very opulent, very large, very smart – but would they bring my morning omelette to me, just the way I like it, and without me having to order it, at the Grand Hyatt I ask? We had bee-lined for the very high top floor (so high that one’s ears pop in the elevator) for the bar at the lounge in the revolving restaurant but it didn’t open for an hour, so we roughed it in the lobby bar.
We were buoyed with confidence to do this having roof-topped at the Nile Hilton on the previous evening. That location provides a somewhat unique opportunity to see the Egyptian sun sink brightly and “pinkly” over the Giza plateau, illuminating and then almost silhouetting the pyramids nicely. It also provides delightful panoramas of the Nile putting itself to sleep (or does it only awaken at dusk?) and of my personal favourite, the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, from above. So that you can share in some of this I include some snapshots from the Nile Hilton roof in this posting.
Very pleasant on the roof of Cairo …. but also very cold. Maybe that, or maybe too close a contact with my French colleague from Rome was the reason for my demise. He was clearly suffering from a heavy cold by the time of our farewell dinner for him and for my Spanish colleague at the Khan el Kahilly restaurant on the third night of the week, but yours truly experienced the second head cold of the sojourn in Egypt. It actually showed the first signs of its arrival before my birthday (and, to be fair, before Monsieur’s arrival), but took nearly a week to really manifest itself. So I bet on my immune system being primed and able to defeat it totally before departure this Thursday. I don’t really want to spend over 20 hours at altitude with blocked sinuses. The good news is that it is almost gone now after only two or three days of that miserable “cold” feeling.
But the cold did have me opt out of other social engagements towards the end of the week. I mostly took it very quietly on Australia Day, sleeping, reading, typing .. and absorbing some of the Aussie spirit by listening to Slim Dusty music that, serendipitously, I had at some time downloaded to my laptop. Quiet that is, except for a wonderful Australia Day reception at our Ambassador’s residence.
I have to admit that the Grand Hyatt is a “flasher” pub than my digs since the start of November. Very opulent, very large, very smart – but would they bring my morning omelette to me, just the way I like it, and without me having to order it, at the Grand Hyatt I ask? We had bee-lined for the very high top floor (so high that one’s ears pop in the elevator) for the bar at the lounge in the revolving restaurant but it didn’t open for an hour, so we roughed it in the lobby bar.
We were buoyed with confidence to do this having roof-topped at the Nile Hilton on the previous evening. That location provides a somewhat unique opportunity to see the Egyptian sun sink brightly and “pinkly” over the Giza plateau, illuminating and then almost silhouetting the pyramids nicely. It also provides delightful panoramas of the Nile putting itself to sleep (or does it only awaken at dusk?) and of my personal favourite, the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, from above. So that you can share in some of this I include some snapshots from the Nile Hilton roof in this posting.
Very pleasant on the roof of Cairo …. but also very cold. Maybe that, or maybe too close a contact with my French colleague from Rome was the reason for my demise. He was clearly suffering from a heavy cold by the time of our farewell dinner for him and for my Spanish colleague at the Khan el Kahilly restaurant on the third night of the week, but yours truly experienced the second head cold of the sojourn in Egypt. It actually showed the first signs of its arrival before my birthday (and, to be fair, before Monsieur’s arrival), but took nearly a week to really manifest itself. So I bet on my immune system being primed and able to defeat it totally before departure this Thursday. I don’t really want to spend over 20 hours at altitude with blocked sinuses. The good news is that it is almost gone now after only two or three days of that miserable “cold” feeling.
But the cold did have me opt out of other social engagements towards the end of the week. I mostly took it very quietly on Australia Day, sleeping, reading, typing .. and absorbing some of the Aussie spirit by listening to Slim Dusty music that, serendipitously, I had at some time downloaded to my laptop. Quiet that is, except for a wonderful Australia Day reception at our Ambassador’s residence.
It would probably be reasonable to say “Ambassador’s mansion” because from the little I saw of it, the residence does Australia no shame in the Middle East. A delightful cocktail party, a distinct lack of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…. Oi! Oi! Oi!” but a nice mix of around 50 ex-pats and locals. The function had a second purpose in acknowledging Australia’s long history (25 years) of input into archaeology in Egypt and its partnership with Egypt in that. I met some very young archaeologists (one here for the first time) and some more mature archaeologists (one here for the twenty-second year in a row).
So two valuable experiences from the function were, first an astounding appreciation of the varied things that Australians do when abroad – makes one want to do more oneself – and, second, how great Australian wine is – certainly my first glass of decent white wine in three months.
The Egyptian reds are drinkable but would not sell well in Australia. The whites are, in everyone’s assessment (at least everyone who I have met), plainly undrinkable. This contrasts with the local beers, Stellar (a slightly cheaper but nicely bitter ale) and Sakkara (a very pleasant and light beer). The local beer is not only drinkable but also reasonably priced at about 20 - 25 Egyptian pounds for a 500ml bottle in restaurants normally (around $5 Australian), although dearer in the flash hotels with the Nile views and nibbles.
And probably my final solo outing was on Saturday – a return to Coptic Cairo by underground. Once again, another place where each subsequent visit will unearth previously unrevealed dimensions.
A new, senior mission is here from Rome for the start of this, my last week here. That presence and a pretty heavy program will occupy these remaining hours for me.
I would be lying to say that I wasn’t excited, intimidated and a little sad to be heading out to the airport on Thursday evening. At this stage I can look back at the past three months and ponder what a great opportunity this has been. It really has been an experience that I will always recall with fond memories. But, I can’t wait to get home and pick up the threads of my more normal life. Between my Cairo life and my Brisbane life lies what is always a “trial by ordeal” – a lengthy journey, made much more bearable by an excellent airline, but still a challenge. Leave on Thursday night, get home on Saturday morning. Wish me well.
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