Saturday

Today at the house it was really nice in the early morning – beautiful day and no tradesmen – just Masry and me in the house with all the tiling completed, so it actually feels a bit like a house and you can begin to imagine it with all the furniture etc. It was a pleasure just to walk around and look lots, getting the feeling of ownership. We were there to meet a whole lot of tradesmen, none of whom arrived so after an hour or so we headed back into town.

Yesterday we got the quote for the curtains – LE 42,000 which is a lot of money for curtains. So we’re not sure what we will do, there are a few options: choose something different and simpler, only get some of them done for now, buy the fabric and trims elsewhere if the designer will still make them. Don’t know yet.

And Egypt won the semi final so on Sunday night they play Cameroon in the final. Although my TV had died (it does that when it gets hot) I could tell whenever Egypt scored by the huge roar from people in their houses and gathered around TVs in all the shops – like being in Qld when State of Origin is on. And when they won the street indeed erupted – there were fireworks, a series of 8 sounds that I swear was gunfire, horns blaring, people thronging the streets and shouting and cheering, all of which went on for quite some time. Now there are flag sellers everywhere and the excitement is building for the final on Sunday night at 7.00 pm. We’ll be having an early day on Sunday so that Mohammed can be at home in plenty of time.

Saturday 16th (how time flies)

And the winner is…

Well yes, Egypt won their semi final and I thought there were big street celebrations that night. The following few days there were flag sellers on every street corner (very entrepreneurial, some Egyptians), flags flying from taxis and all sorts of vehicles and a great sense of anticipation everywhere you went. Egypt went on to be the winner of the ANC and then the city went COMPLETELY crazy.

I live in an inner suburb called Mohandaseen, an upmarket suburb, a semi-rich area, some parts of it really quite rich, although don’t go thinking Toorak. There’s a very big major street that runs through it called Gamm’ea el Dowal el Arabia and my street, Jeddah (pronounced Gadda) runs off el Dowal. I only live around 200 metres max from the main street. El Dowal is full of high rise, shops, restaurants, banks etc., and on Cup night every shop of any description, including my tiny hole-in-the-wall supermarket in Jeddah and also my building, had a TV going and a crowd around it. Coffee shops had plastic chairs in the street so as many people as possible could watch together. Imagine grand final night or State of Origin night (and then multiply by “n” Cairo has 17 million people!) The result was 1-0 with Egypt’s goal being scored latish in the second half.

When the whistle sounded the roar that I heard from my place was like being in the MCG or the Gabba. Then there were fireworks, drums, more of what sounded like gunshots, car horns, singing, shouting, screaming – you name it, any possible sort of noise was being made with wave after wave of sound from what was obviously a lot of human voices. Masry told me that he saw it on TV and there must have been almost 500,000 people in El Dowal. I could believe it from the sound, which went on and on. I did finally sleep, but I woke again at 4.00 am and it still sounded the same. Even the next day cars were sounding their horns in a particular pattern that was more than the usual “here I am get out of my way!”

Another week has seen the house move on even further, the painter is in now although he is preparing surfaces and we haven’t chosen any colours yet. The airconditioners (all 7 of them) have arrived and are being installed outside before the windows go in. The welder has completed the strengthening of the pergolas and also installed the grills on the 3 windows accessible from the airshaft that is just down from the roof. The carpenter comes in the morning to begin his work – all the door surrounds, doors etc. including the 3 with special glass inserts) – and the painter will take until the end of the month Masry tells me. Unfortunately the welders broke one of the ornate glass inserts for the bedroom doors and that will take another week or so to have replaced (and 450 pounds as well!) I asked Masry was he going to make the welder pay, but he said: “He only gets maybe 50 pounds for the job, how can I make him pay 500?” So he didn’t tip him as much because he covered the break up and didn’t own up. A fair man is my Mohammad I think.

Only windows (being manufactured offsite along with the awnings) and plumbing to do, lights and curtains to choose and install and then the house will be finished – as soon as the kitchen is installed (also being manufactured offsite). We have chosen some lights, many are once again perhaps more ornate than I would have picked alone but it’s all in keeping with everything else. Not sure what day we’ll choose the big lights – maybe next week or the week after although we have been to a couple of shops to have a look – or to “make a check” as Mohammad says. Also just a few taps to pick out. I don’t think the electrician is in until the painter is almost finished. And Masry says the plumber is last because otherwise the men will use the toilets! So the timeframe remains about 3 weeks Masry says but I reckon another 5 at least. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised however. We still haven’t decided what to do about the curtains – Mohammad says we must settle today or tomorrow however as they may take a month to make.

The first two vehicles (Toyota Coasters) for Masry’s new tour company also arrive next week, he will take the two drivers he has employed up to Alexandria to collect them sometime after Monday. Two Toyota Hiace are next and he just got word that they will be at least another month – it’s already more than a month since they were ordered. Not sure what the holdup is but they are all imported so who knows. But at least the Coasters will be out and on the road in another week maximum (they have to be fitted with luggage racks and sign written), and he will be on the way to fulfilling a long-held dream. It’s actually pretty special seeing someone’s BIG dreams come true.

I am thinking of going to Ethiopia next week (or sometime soon), once the Coasters have arrived, for about a week. Masry really doesn’t want me to go – he tells me he must see me every day - “why do you want to leave me?” And there’s no doubt I would miss him. But there’s a little break in what’s happening with the house and he will be busy enough and I won’t be needed for the house and I would really love to see all the kids for a few days – still I haven’t finally decided, will suss out flights when next I’m on the net and see what’s available and how much it is. If I go I’m going to make it a big surprise – just arrive….

So the last week has been more of the same really – Friday yesterday of course and Masry not at the house to collect me until 2.00 pm after the mosque and prayers. Given that I have nothing to read (am now reading a book for the THIRD time) and the TV keeps losing sound and finally dying as soon as it warms up it’s a long night and day! Thursday was very cold at the house and windy and threatening rain so I came home early. But today is once again magnificent. The BBC forecast said 18 degrees today but sitting here in the car, while I wait for Masry to do some business at what I think I understand is a motor registry and licensing place in 6th October City, it is beautifully warm and we’ve left the pollution of Cairo behind so the sky is blue and the birds are singing – well I’m sure they are if I could hear them over the traffic.

Once we leave here it’s to the house for a while, the painter will be back again today (holiday on Friday so we had the house to ourselves again yesterday for a while) and maybe the carpenter will show up today – said Thursday, then Friday but didn’t show, so maybe today. Went to the net café yesterday but couldn’t get connected well enough to post or to send emails but I did read some so will try and answer everyone soon and will post some photos of the house and also of Mohammad for those ladies who asked. I thought I’d try and find the net somewhere near home on Thursday night but after getting two sets of directions and walking around several blocks completely for almost an hour I gave up. Either I am blind or nobody knew what they were talking about. It would be much simpler if I could find one near home so will try again at some time when I’m home early enough.

I’m not sure why I say early enough – the night seems to only begin at around 10.00 pm in Egypt and I certainly never get to bed before midnight. If I ever do it’s only to read as the noise levels would preclude sleep unless you were absolutely and completely exhausted. And I don’t do enough in my day to be that, even though climbing the stairs to the house is very good for me. There is a lift but it’s not working yet. I think that maybe we will be the first to move into the building and the owners (and doorman) don’t want the lift used by the workmen to carry all the cement and stuff upstairs while they are working on other apartments.

There’s lots of tok toks around here, of course Valentine’s Day has just passed so many are decorated all over the windscreen with fluffy red hearts, dolls, mirrors, all sorts of cuties with glitter and fur and also stickers – some of them have so much on the windscreen that I am unsure how they see where to go. I’d love to get some photos but they are so busy buzzing around that it’s not possible here, maybe some day when I am in Giza. Our doorman owns a tok tok, sometimes it’s parked at the house but it’s not so elaborate. Sometimes he seems to drive it and sometimes he must employ a driver. I’ve just seen a tok tok go past that Lonni would love – every available inch inside covered in teddy bears! And there goes another that I swear is being driven by a 12-year old, maximum! You are supposed to be 18 to get a license…There’s no mandatory schooling age for children as far as I can ascertain, on the estate I certainly see many very young boys working alongside the men, bending metal, using hammers and fetching and carrying. It seems they have already begun their life’s work.

Egyptians have a love of ornate and profuse decoration, the more gold and glitter, flowers, curlicues and arabesques, hearts, Arabic script etc. the better it seems. They love rich colours and rich fabrics. Everywhere – houses, cars, shops, clothing. Sometimes it takes some getting used to.

Some things I see as I sit here that you won’t see in Australia – at least I don’t think so:
- an old red Lada has just reversed across the intersection in front of me being narrowly avoided by trucks, cars, motorbikes, tok toks etc.
- a man cycles nonchalantly across the same intersection whilst deep in conversation on his mobile
- two cars come down the wrong way of a one way street, madly honking to everyone else to get out of the way
- a donkey cart laden with oranges ambles across the intersection; also, this is perhaps the first donkey I’ve seen that’s not being continually whacked with a stick…

The traffic still amazes and confuses me. During the week I took the car and drove around the estate for an hour or so, I need to get used to sitting on the other side – at the moment I still look in all the wrong directions etc. and personally I think I’m dangerous. Anyway Mohammed called and asked me to come back as we had to get some plaster pieces for the ceiling. So I came back and he got me to drive and suddenly we were headed for the main road. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was, my heart was actually pounding and I REALLY didn’t want to do it. I did manage to get us the kilometer or so safely to the other gate and inside, making two u-turns in the process without too much drama. But I didn’t drive back. I’ve never felt like this about driving anywhere before. I’m just afraid, I guess, of having an accident, we certainly see plenty and a number of them fatal – it’s hard to convey just how chaotic it is – you must expect EVERYONE to do the unexpected – change lanes without warning, come at you the wrong way up a one way street, blow their horns at you for EVERYTHING, suddenly speed up, suddenly stop, leave a roundabout from the inside lane, go all the way around in the outside lane, use the white line between lanes simply as something to aim the middle of the car at, go through red traffic lights (we actually saw a red light last night that people stopped at, first time for me, usually they are working and there’s police on the intersections so you ignore the lights and obey the police), or you may suddenly come across a donkey cart in the fast lane that everyone must swerve around. There’s no way I can figure out who is supposed to give way to whom or anything else. Mohammad says can’t I see, you just go. And you do. I’m just having trouble leaving behind all those years of road rules being so important. I suspect that what will happen is that I won’t be able to forget enough so I’ll always be a terrible driver in Egypt and when I go home to Australia I will have forgotten enough so that I’m a terrible driver in Australia as well!!!

I don’t think I have much more news for now – lots of things happen every day but they are small things and sometimes in Egypt even small things are fascinating, but at the moment lots of it is the same old same old.

Hope you enjoy the pictures,

Lots of love to all

Lyndall