Out of Africa

When the time came to leave Luxor I decided to catch the day train and see some of the countryside along the way (and save some money while I'm at it). Interesting choice!!! I should have had some clue when the guy at the ticket counter in Luxor said the train is full, you'll have to buy your ticket on the train! Slightly bewildered, I decided to go with it. When the train arrived it was about a third full. I duly found a seat, paid for my ticket (less than a sixth the cost of the sleeper train) and settled in. Four hours and six stops later, I had been moved twice and the train was at about 110% capacity. Unfortunately this meant I spent the next six and a half hours standing in the aisle or nursing a tea while sitting on a bar stool in the dining care (I'm being kind here). While on the train I also made a discovery that took some of the lustre off my time in Luxor - somebody had taken some cash (70 euros) out of my money belt when it was buried at the bottom of my pack inside my locked hotel room!

Despite my earlier feelings toward Cairo, I had decided to head back a little arly and spend two more days there. I spent my time wandering along the Nile, finding cafes and places to relax and read my book. I had returned to the Meramees Hotel, where I stayed on my first visit to Cairo, and was instantly glad that I had. In such a crazy city, the place has such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, with a great lounge to share stories with fellow travellers.

One such traveller was Rika, a German woman who has been studying in Cairo for about a month and was just about to commence an internship at a Womens Centre (looking at various gender related political and legal issues). I couldn't help but feel, as an Australian, quite insular, as in the space of 15 minutes, Rika effortlessly swapped between conversations in German, English, Arabic and French. She also made reference to the year she spent in Guatemala (so she is also fluent in Spanish). It has left me inspired to plan my next overseas adventure a little further in advance and give myself sufficient time to take a year or so of language classes. It would, quite simply, change the whole experience.

Also back at Meramees was Richard, an English guy who I had met on my first visit to Cairo. He had headed north to Alexandria and the Mediterranean coast shortly after I caught the train south to Aswan. He arrived shortly before the kick off of the Euro 2008 final. I spent my last night in Egypt with Richard, as the only two non-Egyptians in a crowded bar off a side street in the centre of Cairo. I have no idea why, but the majority of the patrons were clearly barracking for Spain over Germany. The whole place erupted in the thirty-third minute when Spain went ahead, and again at the final whistle as the underdogs had held onto their one goal lead.

It seems that the centre of Cairo is more alive as the hour approaches midnight, than at any other time of the day (certainly don't expect to be able to buy anything before about 11 am). It was a great way to finish my time in Egypt and fitted in nicely, as shortly after our return to the hotel I jumped in a taxi and headed to the airport for my 3:30am flight to Istanbul.

And so I have returned to where this adventure started, nearly 2 months ago. Even though I had only spent two days here, walking into old Istanbul felt reminiscent of a homecoming. There's a certain comfort that familiarity brings. Although more than 3 times the size of Cairo, Istanbul has a different pace and feel to it and, I think as a result, more majesty than Cairo could ever hope to attain.